About Marie-Louise Gay

Marie-Louise Gay was born in Quebec City into a nomadic family. She moved ten times before she was twelve years old, from Montreal to Vancouver and back, with frequent stops in between. During these travels, she learned to speak a new language (English), marveled at the landscapes of rocky mountains, wild oceans, rainforests and prairie skies, and understood that her best and most constant friends would always be books.

At age nine she was a child actor, and by age 17, she began to write and draw. She enrolled at the Institut des arts graphiques in Montreal, and studied graphic design. She majored in animation at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts School and later studied illustration at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco.

Over the years, she has worked as a professional illustrator, illustrating magazines, textbooks and posters. Marie-Louise was a freelance art director and production manager for a children’s book publisher and illustration at the Université du Québec à Montréal. But she says her true love is creating children’s books.

Read a more detailed biography on her website.

Our July contest

Enter to win copies of Marie-Louise Gay’s books, Short Stories for Little Monsters, and Princess Pistachio as well as a drawing pad and pencils.

To enter, draw a little monster. Ballots available at your local library.

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Find our contest post on Facebook.

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enter on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #BookClub150.

Lots of ways to enter. Good luck! Contest ends July 31st, 2017. 

Please note that the prize must be picked up at an Annapolis Valley Regional Library Branch.

April - Sandra and Ron Lightburn

Many children want to know where stories come from and how a book is made. Marie-Louise creatively answers this question (and so many more) in her book Any Questions.

What is Book Club 150?

To celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, we are highlighting a different Canadian author or illustrator for each month of 2017. To celebrate with us, we encourage you to read the books, join our online conversation, and enter our monthly contests. Our featured books include titles for kids, teens, and adult readers. Pick up a copy at your local library, look for a Book Club in a Bag to share, or find a library Book Club near you. We’ll have special events and contests throughout the year, so be sure to visit our library website at www.valleylibrary.ca, or look for feature posts each month on our new library blog site, RenewYourCuriosity.ca.

Featured storytellers

January 2017

Robert Munsch

February 2017

André Alexis

March 2017

Mariko & Jillian Tamaki

April 2017

Ron & Sandra Lightburn

May 2017

Christy Ann Conlin

June 2017

Julie Flett

July 2017

Marie-Louise Gay

August 2017

Jon Klassen

September 2017

Lawrence Hill

October 2017

Jeff Lemire

November 2017

Sydney Smith 

December 2017

Ami McKay