Blades, Ann (1947-…), is a Canadian author and illustrator of children’s books. Her watercolor illustrations have been praised for their portrayal of the northern British Columbia landscape and the emotions of young children confronting the problems of their daily lives. Blades has won a number of awards for her work, and her books have been published in several languages.
Ann Sager was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Nov. 16, 1947. She married Philip Michael Blades in 1966. The couple later divorced. Ann Blades received her teaching certificate from the University of British Columbia and graduated in 1970. She graduated as a nurse from the British Columbia Institute of Technology in 1974. She has worked both as a teacher and as a nurse.
Blades’s first book, Mary of Mile 18 (1971), which she wrote and illustrated, was set in northern British Columbia and was based on the life of a child she taught. It tells the story of a girl who finds a wolf pup but is forbidden to keep it as a pet, until it proves its worth on the family farm. The book caused a sensation when it was published and was made into a film distributed by the National Film Board of Canada in 1981.
Blades’s second book, A Boy of Taché (1973, revised edition 1984), is also based on Blades’s teaching experiences and is set in the Canadian far north. The Cottage at Crescent Beach (1977) and Back to the Cabin (1996) are summer vacation stories drawing on her own experiences and those of her children. Blades also wrote and illustrated By the Sea: An Alphabet Book (1985), four books of her “Seasons” series of board books (1989), Wolf and the Seven Little Kids (1999), and Too Small (2000).
Blades illustrated A Salmon for Simon (1978), written by the Canadian author Betty Waterton, who also lived much of her life in British Columbia. The story is set in a native fishing village and tells the story of a boy who wants to catch a salmon. One day, an unusual accident gives him an opportunity, and he changes his mind. It was the first children’s book published in British Columbia to win a Canada Council Prize for Children’s Illustration (now one of the Governor General’s Literary Awards). The Governor General’s Literary Awards are among the highest national prizes awarded for works published in Canada.
Blades also illustrated Jacques the Woodcutter (1977), written by the Canadian author Michael Macklem; Six Darn Cows (1979), written by the Canadian author Margaret Laurence; Pettranella (1979), written by Waterton; Anna’s Pet (1980), written by the Canadian author Margaret Atwood; A Candle for Christmas (1986), written by the Canadian author Jean E. Speare; Ida and the Wool Smugglers (1987), A Ride for Martha (1993), and Pond Seasons (1997), all written by the American author Sue Ann Alderson; The Singing Basket (1990), written by the Canadian author Kit Pearson; and A Dog Came, Too (1992), written by the Canadian author Ainslie Manson.
