LaFave, Kim

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LaFave, Kim

Personal

Male.

Addresses

Home and office—Robert's Creek, British Columbia, Canada. Agent—Maureen Moffet, 121 Lyall Ave., Toronto, Ontario M4E 1W6, Canada. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Illustrator, 1978—.

Awards, Honors

Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award, and Ruth Schwartz Award, both 1987, and Governor General's Literary Award for Illustration, 1988, all for Amos's Sweater; Governor General's Literary Award for Illustration finalist, 2001, for We'll All Go Sailing; Aboriginal Children's Book of the Year, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award finalist, and Ruth Schwartz Award shortlist, all 2006, and TD Canadian Children's Literature Award finalist, all for Shi-shi-etko; Governor General's Literary Award for illustration finalist, 2008, for Shinchi's Canoe; honors from Vancouver Art Director's Club, Advertising and Design Club of Canada, and Marketing Awards.

Illustrator

Bob Homme, The Friendly Giant's Book of Fire Engines, CBC Merchandising/Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1981.

Carole Spray, reteller, The Mare's Egg: A New World Folk Tale, afterword by Margaret Atwood, Camden House (Camden East, Ontario, Canada), 1981.

Mary Hamilton, A New World Bestiary, Douglas & McIntyre (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 1985.

Susan Green and Sharon Siamon, Let's Go, Gage Educational Publishing (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1986.

Susan Green and Sharon Siamon, Help!, Gage Educational Publishing (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1986.

Judith Saltman, Goldie and the Sea, Douglas & McIntyre (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 1987.

Janet Lunn, Amos's Sweater, Douglas & McIntyre (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 1988, Groundwood Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2007.

Janet Lunn, Duck Cakes for Sale, Douglas & McIntyre (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 1989.

Jan Andrews, Pumpkin Time, Douglas & McIntyre (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 1990.

Stephen Cumbaa, The Bones Book and Skeleton, Somerville House Publishing (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1991, revised edition, Workman Publishing (New York, NY), 2006.

Sharon, Lois, and Bram, Sharon, Lois, and Bram Sing A to Z, Douglas & McIntyre (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 1991, Crown (New York, NY), 1992.

Patricia Lines, Cyril the Seagull, Nightwood Editions (Madeira Park, British Columbia, Canada), 1991.

Hubert Evans, Silversides: The Life of a Sockeye, Nightwood Editions (Madeira Park, British Columbia, Canada), 1991.

Hubert Evans, Bear Stories, Nightwood Editions (Madeira Park, British Columbia, Canada), 1991.

Paulette Bourgeois, Canadian Fire Fighters ("In My Neighborhood" series), Kids Can Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1991, revised edition published as Fire Fighters, 2004.

Paulette Bourgeois, Canadian Garbage Collectors ("In My Neighborhood" series), Kids Can Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1991, revised edition published as Garbage Collectors, 2004.

Paulette Bourgeois, Canadian Postal Workers ("In My Neighborhood" series), Kids Can Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1991, revised edition published as Postal Workers, 2004.

Paulette Bourgeois, Canadian Police Officers ("In My Neighborhood" series), Kids Can Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1991, revised edition published as Police Officers, 2004.

Lois Simmie, Oliver's Chickens, Douglas & McIntyre (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 1992.

Adele Wiseman, Puccini and the Prowlers, Nightwood Editions (Madeira Park, British Columbia, Canada), 1992.

Sheree Fitch, I Am Small, Doubleday Canada (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1994.

Kenneth Oppel, Follow That Star, Kids Can Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1994.

Jean Little and Claire Mackay, Bats about Baseball, Viking (New York, NY), 1995.

Tom Henry, Paul Bunyan on the West Coast, Harbour Publishing (Madeira Park, British Columbia, Canada), 1995.

Sheila Dalton, Doggerel, Doubleday Canada (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1996.

Budge Wilson, Duff the Giant Killer, Formac Publishing (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada), 1997.

Stephen Cumbaa and Kathlyn Stewart, The Neanderthal Book, Workman Publishing (New York, NY), 1997.

Deanne Lee Bingham, Andrew's Magnificent Mountain of Mittens, Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 1998.

Sheila Dalton, Catalogue, Doubleday Canada (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1998.

Deanne Lee Bingham, Andrew, Catch That Cat!, Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 1999.

Kenneth Oppel, Emma's Emu, Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 1999.

Sheila Dalton, Pig Tale, Doubleday Canada (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2000.

Budge Wilson, Duff's Monkey Business, Formac Publishing (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada), 2000.

Richard Thompson and Maggee Spicer, We'll All Go Sailing ("We'll All Go" series), Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 2000.

Sarah Ellis, Big Ben, Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 2001.

Meg Hickling, Boys, Girls, and Body Science: A First Book about Facts of Life, Harbour Publishing (Madeira Park, British Columbia, Canada), 2002.

Richard Thompson and Maggee Spicer, We'll All Go Flying ("We'll All Go" series), Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 2002.

William Barringer, Gregory and Alexander, Orca Book Publishers (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 2003.

Richard Thompson and Maggee Spicer, We'll All Go Exploring ("We'll All Go" series), Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

Sheryl McFarlane, In the City, Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 2004.

Sheryl McFarlane, On the Farm, Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 2004.

Dorothy Joan Harris, A Very Unusual Dog, Northwinds Press (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 2004.

Sarah Ellis, Ben over Night, Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 2005.

Nicola I. Campbell, Shi-shi-etko, Groundwood Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2005.

Sheryl McFarlane, At the Circus, Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 2006.

Sheryl McFarlane, By the Sea, Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 2006.

Betty Waterton, A Bumblebee Sweater, Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 2008.

Nicola I. Campbell, Shin-chi's Canoe, Groundwood Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2008.

Bruce McBay, Angels Inc., Tradewind Books (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 2008.

Also illustrator of educational materials. Contributor to anthologies, including Down on the Farm, Houghton Mifflin (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1992.

Sidelights

A highly regarded illustrator from Canada, Kim LaFave provides the artwork for many picture-book texts, including stories by Sarah Ellis and Nicola I. Campbell. LaFave, whose business clients include Hewlett Packard, American Express, and the United States Mint, has received the Governor General's Literary Award, the Ruth Schwartz Children's Book Award, and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award, among other honors for his book illustrations.

LaFave earned critical praise for his contributions to Bats about Baseball, a work by Jean Little and Claire Mackay. The tale centers on young Ryder and his grandmother, a baseball fanatic who answers the boy's queries about his career aspirations with cleverly disguised responses. The illustrations "of Ryder in all his career choices are as zippy as Nana's language," observed

Booklist contributor Mary Veeder Harris, and a Publishers Weekly reviewer stated that "LaFave's funky art, … adds to the book's charm."

A youngster who longs to keep up with his older brother and sister receives an unexpected gift in Ellis's Big Ben. When Joe and Robin notice that their little brother, Ben, feels left out of their many activities, they create a special report card for the preschooler that highlights his special qualities. According to Booklist critic Gillian Engberg, LaFave's pictures "capture some of the story's cozy warmth and reassurance that younger siblings will relish." In a sequel, Ben over Night, the title character becomes frightened every time he tries to sleep over at his best friend's house, until his sister encourages him to use his imagination to solve the problem. "LaFave's illustrations nicely capture the contrast between Peter's feelings of happiness during the day and fear at night," Denise Parrott commented in a Resource Links contributor.

LaFave has enjoyed a successful collaboration with authors Richard Thompson and Maggee Spicer on their works in the "We'll All Go" series. In We'll All Go Sailing, a work told in verse, three youngsters head to sea, where they meet a yellow seahorse, a pink squid, and a purple shark. LaFave's "boldly conceived and vividly colored artwork is visually absorbing," wrote Carolyn Phelan in Booklist. The trio of adventurers takes flight in a hot-air balloon in We'll All Go Flying, a counting book. Here "LaFave's illustrations provide a vibrant world" for youngsters, remarked School Library Journal reviewer Carol L. MacKay. In We'll All Go Exploring, the children trek through a mangrove swamp, a forest of spruce trees, and an apple orchard, among other landscapes. "Bold, black lines define figures and settings while heightening the effects of the often-brilliant colors," Phelan stated.

In Gregory and Alexander, a story by William Barringer, a caterpillar helps his best friend, the mouse who saved his life, fulfill his fondest wishes. Here "LaFave's watercolor illustrations are softly muted, matching the gentle tone of the tale," Grace Oliff concluded in her School Library Journal review. Campbell's Shi-shi-etko examines a Canadian governmental policy that forced Native children from their homes to attend residential schools. LaFave's digitally created illustrations for this work evoke "the sorrow of the situation and the hope upon which the story ultimately ends," wrote School Library Journal reviewer Linda M. Kenton. In A Bumblebee Sweater, a humorous story by Betty Waterton, Grandma Needlethorpe knits an oversized striped sweater for little Nellie to wear in the spring concert. LaFave's "cartoon-like illustrations" depict Nellie's efforts to cope with the king-sized outfit "with playfulness and flair," Isobel Lang observed in Resource Links.

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 1995, Mary Harris Veeder, review of Bats about Baseball, p. 1787; May 15, 2001, Carolyn Phelan, review of We'll All Go Sailing, p. 1755; January 1, 2002, Gillian Engberg, review of Big Ben, p. 863; May 1, 2003, Carolyn Phelan, review of We'll All Go Exploring, p. 1603; November 1, 2005, Kathleen Odean, review of Shi-shi-etko, p. 51; October 15, 2007, Abby Nolan, review of A Bumblebee Sweater, p. 50.

Canadian Review of Materials, February 16, 2007, Grace Sheppard, reviews of At the Circus and By the Sea.

Horn Book, March-April, 2002, Lauren Adams, review of Big Ben, p. 201.

Publishers Weekly, May 15, 1995, review of Bats about Baseball, p. 71; December 24, 2001, review of Big Ben, p. 62; May 23, 2005, review of Ben over Night, p. 78.

Resource Links, December, 2001, Ann Abel, review of Big Ben, p. 5; December, 2002, Isobel Lang, review of We'll All Go Flying, p. 182; June, 2003, Susan Mille, review of Gregory and Alexander, p. 2; June, 2005, Denise Parrott, review of Ben over Night, p. 4; December, 2005, Victoria Pennell, review of Shi-shi-etko, p. 1; December, 2007, Isobel Lang, review of A Bumblebee Sweater, p. 14.

School Library Journal, July, 2001, DeAnn Tabuchi, review of We'll All Go Sailing, p. 100; December, 2002, Carol L. Mackay, review of We'll All Go Flying, p. 110; May, 2003, Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, review of We'll All Go Exploring, p. 129; September, 2003, Grace Oliff, review of Gregory and Alexander, p. 168; June, 2005, Linda Ludke, review of Ben over Night, p. 108; November, 2005, Linda M. Kenton, review of Shi-shi-etko, p. 83; November, 2007, Grace Oliff, review of A Bumblebee Sweater, p. 102.