Pat Skene retired from the world of banking to find her voice. She is an Indigenous author of seven books for children, including What a Hippopota-Mess!, Rhyme Stones and Monster Lunch in the Orca Echo line. Pat is a regular contributor to the Oakville News and is currently working on her memoir. She lives in Oakville, Ontario.

Pat Lamondin Skene's profile page

Look! Look what I've done!! The words of an eight year old as he holds up the drawing of a vibrant red fire engine. Oh Graham, that's wonderful.

Really? Oh this is good. You draw a picture and you get a reaction. I could get into this! And so it began. The seed was planted, further watered by bedtime rituals of propping pillows up against his bedroom wall getting into bed to get lost in a family member's reading of The Wind in the Willows.

An unintended lesson learned through those readings that our intrepid illustrator still calls upon in his illustration work is that the viewer will take different things from the illustration and he will add elements to the illustration that may go over some heads, but others will catch them and smile. There's always something to look at.

A graduate of the illustration program at Sheridan College in Ontario, Graham thought he would stick around the big smoke and in addition to his work as a designer at Canadian publisher McClelland & Stewart, he would also cultivate his Flock of Seagulls hair style and work on his dance floor moves. But alas soon follicles started to recede and shoulder pads deflated, so Graham moved back to his hometown of Ottawa, Ontario to contemplate his next career move.

It was in Ottawa that Graham began his freelance illustration and graphic design career. A career that has spawned illustrations for such publishers as Orca Book Publishers, Scholastic Canada, and Meadowside Books of the United Kingdom, as well as numerous Canadian government agencies and private design firms.

He lives in Merrickville, Ontario with a circus star family: his juggling wife, a helldriver daughter, a canine cannonball, and a fire breathing cat.

Graham Ross' profile page

"A book of six silly poems that students will love to read...Fun and simple to read. Recommended."

Tucson Unified School District

"Skene's poems and information are enjoyable reads, both funny and informative. They can be read as a book, or poem by poem as time permits; these would be great in a classroom for when the teacher has a few free minutes (before the bell rings or otherwise). Highly recommended."

CM Magazine

"The colourful cover and numerous illustrations should attract independent readers while teachers could use indiviual poems...Recommended."

The Bookmark (BCTLA)

"Rhyming poems are paired with an interview with the main character or a serving of fascinating food facts. Black-and-white art appears in this collection crafted around a most clever premise."

Canadian Children's Book News

"A compilation of six funny, story length rhyming poems...The poems are well-written and fun to read aloud."

Resource Links

"Offering (among other treats) a good-nutrition update on some old Mother Goose poems, Frankenstein's idea of a good feed, and an introduction to the concept of burgoo."

Northumberland Today