Qaunaq Mikkigak Author

Qaunaq Mikkigak was an Elder, artist, and throat singer from Cape Dorset, Nunavut. She was born in 1932 in the Cape Dorset area and grew up on the land in a traditional Inuit community. She was featured in the books Inuit Women Artists: Voices from Cape Dorset and Cape Dorset Sculpture. She collaborated with author Joanne Schwartz on picture book versions of two traditional Inuit tales, The Legend of the Fog and Grandmother Ptarmigan. Joanne Schwartz's first picture book Our Corner Grocery Store was a Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award Finalist. Joanne had the honour to collaborate with Inuit Elder Qaunaq Mikkigak on two picture book versions of traditional Inuit tales, The Legend of the Fog and Grandmother Ptarmigan. Her recent picture book Town is by the Sea, illustrated by Sydney Smith, won the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal and TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and was a Governor General’s Literary Award nominee. Joanne has been a children’s librarian for more than thirty years. She lives in Toronto. Qin Leng was born in Shanghai and lived in France and Montreal. She now lives and works as a designer and illustrator in Toronto. Her father, an artist himself, was a great influence on her. She grew up surrounded by paintings, and it became second nature for her to express herself through art. She graduated from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema and has received many awards for her animated short films and artwork. Qin has always loved to illustrate the innocence of children and has developed a passion for children’s books. She has illustrated numerous picture books for publishers in Canada, the United States, and South Korea.