Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet
(Try as she might, Estelle can't tie her shoelaces. So she...)
Try as she might, Estelle can't tie her shoelaces. So she sets off for the Self-Esteem Machine -- the one sure cure for a tripped up sense of self. The lineup is long and the Machine broken, but all is not lost. With a bit of encouragement, she discovers more about self-esteem -- and shoelaces -- than expected.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0889950970/?tag=2022091-20
1993
(On a snowy February morning, Xiao Ling Li and her parents...)
On a snowy February morning, Xiao Ling Li and her parents take part in a citizenship ceremony. From the recitation of the Oath of Canadian Citizenship to the singing of the national anthem and the wonderful welcoming party afterward with all of its tantalizing treats, the day is filled with wonderful memories for the new Canadians.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887764436/?tag=2022091-20
2000
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DEK8HIK/?tag=2022091-20
2001
(Maybe it's just bad luck, but ten-year-old James cannot s...)
Maybe it's just bad luck, but ten-year-old James cannot seem to keep out from under his Grampa's feet. It's not just the color of his hair, which has gained him the nickname Alkali from the white crust that is the ruination of fertile soil. That's Alkali all right! But there is also an undeniable bond between James senior and junior, a bond which proves to be a lifeline when danger strikes.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0889950962/?tag=2022091-20
2002
(The first Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet's book published in 1992. ...)
The first Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet's book published in 1992. A Prairie Alphabet offers the adult and child alike a remarkable tour – from the grain elevators that are an integral part of the landscape, to oil rigs that pop up like “grasshoppers,” to fairs and rodeos, to auctions, barns, combines, and dugouts.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887769373/?tag=2022091-20
2009
Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet was born on July 19, 1951, in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada. She is the daughter of David Ban-natyne , a travel, and insurance agent, and Gertrude Ban-natyne, a homemaker and real estate agent. Bannatyne-Cugnet was a city girl but grew up on the prairies. Now, she lives with her family on a cattle and wheat farm in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet attended grade school and high school in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada. Then, she moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada to enter its University of Saskatchewan campus. She studied nursing, graduated in 1974 with the Bachelor of Science degree, and made plans to live and work in South America.
In 1975, Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet became a rural public health nurse in Saskatchewan Ministry of Health, Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada. She occupied this post till 1977.
Bannatyne-Cugnet had never given any thought to becoming a writer, but she started to write books to show to her chuldren what the rural life is. Nevertheless, she didn't give up her nursing activity: from 1977 to 1994, she had been working as a part-time nursing supervisor in Souris Valley Regional Care Centre, Weyburn, Canada.
In 1992, her first book, A Prairie Alphabet, was released. It became one of the year’s best-selling picture books and received numerous award nominations and awards.
As a best-selling author busy with book signings and author readings, Bannatyne-Cugnet was faced with demands for more books. During the twelve years between the time she decided to write her first book and saw it published, Bannatyne-Cugnet learned a great deal about writing and the publishing process.
In 1993, Bannatyne-Cugnet Published her another book, this time for older children, as a response to her son “Why do all the heroes in books live somewhere else?”. It was Grampa’s Alkali, a grandfather and grandson story.
Red Deer College Press published next Bannatyne-Cugnet title, Estelle and the Self-Esteem Machine, illustrated by Leslie Bell, in 1993. In 1994, Tundra Books published A Prairie Year, based on a prairies-through-the-months premise. Encouraged by the response to A Prairie Year and her books overall, Bannatyne-Cugnet decided, in 1994, to give up nursing to focus on her family and her writing.
She is active in community and school-related activities as music convenor with the Weyburn Music Festival, Sunday school teacher. Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet is also a Home and School Executive member, and appointee to the Learning Disabilities Council of Saskatchewan.
Jo Bannatyne-Cugnets' books created an awareness, understanding and respect beyond the prairies for the prairie way of life. So, she gave an insight into what life and culture are about on the contemporary Canadian prairie.
Her Grampa's Alkali was named as Our Choice selection by Canadian Children’s Book Centre in 1993. In 1995-1996, A Prairie Year was named as Our Choice selection by Canadian Children’s Book Centre.
(Maybe it's just bad luck, but ten-year-old James cannot s...)
2002(On a snowy February morning, Xiao Ling Li and her parents...)
2000(The first Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet's book published in 1992. ...)
2009(Try as she might, Estelle can't tie her shoelaces. So she...)
1993Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet was a member of the United Church of Canada.
Bannatyne-Cugnet was a member of Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP), Writers’ Union of Canada, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, Saskatchewan Children’s Writers’ Round Robin, Estevan Writers’ Group (president).
Bannatyne-Cugnet is an energetic and good-natured author who refers to herself as “a stubble jumper,” with a prickly side.
Quotes from others about the person
"Highly inventive" Sarah Ellis.
"Strong child’s eye view of life on a modern farm." Joanne Fin-don about one of Jo Bannatyne-Cugnets' books
"Bannatyne-Cugnet has a gift for focusing on child-centered details." Sarah Ellis
"This richly detailed work and its choices of subject matter will make anyone yearn for the Prairies." Marie Pfohl about A Prairie Alphabet
"Bannatyne-Cugnet unerringly captures the ambiance of farm life, from its abundant, mewing kittens to the regulation of activities by the need to ‘get the crops in." Elizabeth Anthony, Books in Canada book reviewer about Grampa’s Alkali
"The descriptions of life on a western farm will be an eye-opener for any urban kid. When Alkali is dispatched to clean out the chicken coop as punishment for a temper tantrum, you can practically smell the stench permeating your clothes" Elizabeth MacCallum, the Toronto Globe and Mail book reviewer about Grampa’s Alkali
"Is a funny book, energetic and jaunty both in text and illustrations. But it left me unsatisfied." Sarah Ellis, Quill & Quire book reviewer about Estelle and the Self-Esteem Machine
"Everything is strongly physical. Life is hard but these kids are having so much fun." Hazel Rochman, Booklist book reviewer, about A Prairie Year
Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet was married Kenney Cugnet, a prairie farmer, on August 2, 1975. They had four children. Their names are Dan, Craig, Tim and Matthew.
He was a travel and insurance agent.
She was a homemaker and real estate agent.
Tim Wynne-Jones was Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet's course instructor in a writing camp at Red Deer College, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. He passed the manuscript of her first book, A Prairie Alphabet, to May Cutler, publisher of Tundra Books.
