Ashley Spires

Ashley Spires is a Canadian children's book author and illustrator. She is the creator of the Binky the Space Cat graphic novels series and the 2014 bestseller, The Most Magnificent Thing.

Ashley Spires
Born1977 or 1978 (age 45–46)[1]
Tsawwassen, British Columbia
Canada
EducationEmily Carr University of Art and Design
Sheridan College
Occupation(s)Children's book author and illustrator

Biography

Spires was born and raised in Tsawwassen, British Columbia.[2] She studied photography at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, where she was inspired to pursue illustration after taking a class on book-making.[2]

After graduation, she earned a contract with Lobster Press, for which she illustrated Peter Kuitenbrouwer's 2004 book, Our Song: The Story of O Canada, the Canadian National Anthem. [2] She later attended a postgraduate illustration program at Ontario's Sheridan College.[2][3]

Spires is the author and illustrator of the Binky the Space Cat graphic novel series, about a cat who believes his house is a space station.[2][4] The first book in the series, Binky the Space Cat, won the 2011 Silver Birch Express Award, presented by the Ontario Library Association.[5] On September 7, 2019, a TV series based on the series, called Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe, premiered on Treehouse TV.[4]

Spires's 2014 book, The Most Magnificent Thing, earned a starred review from Kirkus[6] and was listed among the ALA Notable Books for Children 2015.[7] It has sold over 500,000 copies[4] and been translated into multiple languages.[3] The book was adapted into a 22-minute animated short film directed by Arna Selznick, featuring narration by Whoopi Goldberg and voice acting by Lilly Bartlam and Alison Pill.[8] It aired on Canadian children's channel YTV in 2019[8] and was shown at a number of film festivals, including the 2019 San Diego International Film Festival[9] and the 2019 Chicago International Children's Film Festival.[10]

Selected works

As author and illustrator:

  • Binky the Space Cat (2009)[11] ISBN 978-1-55453-419-7
  • Binky to the Rescue (2010) ISBN 978-1554535972
  • Binky Under Pressure (2011) ISBN 978-1554537679
  • Small Saul (2011)[12] ISBN 978-1-55453-503-3
  • Binky Takes Charge (2012) ISBN 978-1554537686
  • Larf (2012) ISBN 978-1554537013
  • Binky License to Scratch (2013)[13]
  • Edie's Ensembles (2014) ISBN 978-1-77049- 490-9
  • The Most Magnificent Thing (2014) ISBN 978-1554537044
  • Gordon: Bark To The Future! (2016)
  • Fluffy Strikes Back (2016)[14] ISBN 978-1-77138-127-7
  • Over-scheduled Andrew (2017) ISBN 978-1770494848
  • The Thing Lou Couldn't Do (2017)[15] ISBN 978-1771387279
  • Fairy Science (2019) ISBN 9780525581390

As illustrator only:

  • The Red Shoes, by Eleri Glass[16] (2008) ISBN 978-1894965781
  • Ella's Umbrellas, by Jennifer Lloyd[16] (2010) ISBN 978-1-89747-623-9
  • Spare Dog Parts, by Alison Hughes (2016) ISBN 978-1459807044

References
  1. Szklarski, Cassandra (2019-09-06). "BC children's author builds Magnificent career". The Times Colonist. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  2. Hanson, Cheryl (March 2012). "An artist's growing menagerie". Quill & Quire. 78 (2): 18–20.
  3. "Creativity and Perseverance". Ovation, Sheridan's Alumni Magazine. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  4. Jacques, Ian (2019-09-06). "South Delta author Ashley Spires excited to see work on small screen". Delta Optimist. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  5. "Ashley Spires". CBC Books. 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  6. "The Most Magnificent Thing". Kirkus Reviews. 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  7. "2015 Notable Children's Books". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). 2015-12-15. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  8. Szklarski, Cassandra (2019-10-08). "Children's book 'Most Magnificent Thing' jumps to the screen with short film". CityNews. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  9. "San Diego International Film Festival Announces 2019 Films & Honorees | San Diego International Film Festival". 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  10. "Ainslie Henderson's 'Archie' wins Best of Fest at the 2019 Chicago Children's International Film Festival | Reel Chicago - Midwest film, audio, production, TV, and advertising". | Reel Chicago - Midwest film, audio, production, TV, and advertising. 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  11. "Binky the Space Cat". Quill and Quire. 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  12. de Mariaffi, Elisabeth (2011-03-28). "Small Saul". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  13. Spires, Ashley, 1978- (September 2013). Binky : license to scratch. Li, Karen,, Ucar, Yasemin. Toronto, ON. ISBN 978-1-55453-963-5. OCLC 825160809.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. Ozirny, Shannon (2016-03-29). "Fluffy Strikes Back (A P.U.R.S.T. Adventure)". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  15. Cotter, Charis (2017-03-09). "The Thing Lou Couldn't Do". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  16. Robertson, Becky (2015-06-18). "Non-payment not the only allegation against Simply Read books". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
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