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Elise
Gravel

Elise Gravel is a writer and illustrator of more than 30 books for young people which have been translated into a dozen languages. Her books include Jessie Elliot is a Big Chicken, the Olga series, The Mushroom Fan Club, The Worst Book Ever, and the Disgusting Critters series. In 2012, Gravel’s book La clé à molette, won the Governor General’s Literary Award for French-language children’s illustration. Gravel lives in Montreal with her two daughters, her husband, her cats, and a few spiders.

Award History

Jury Citation

“Bottomless wit, an inimitable style, and a strong lacing of social commentary are just some of the elements that impressed the jury about Gravel’s extraordinary body of work. Informative and fact-based, yet often delightfully absurd, Gravel’s books cover a vast spectrum of topics, from gender identity and stereotypes to kids who adopt monsters, a mushroom fan club, and many disgusting critters. Gravel brilliantly introduces difficult topics in an accessible and engaging manner, with subversive humour that thrills readers of every age. To crack open a book by Gravel is to embark on an unpredictable and memorable journey with plenty of laughs along the way.”