iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Happy International Beaver Day! With gratitude to everyone who has ever turned the pages of "Once They Were Hats: In Search of the Mighty Beaver" and "Beavers: Radical Rodents and Ecosystem Engineers." #canlit #kidlit #beavers @ecwpress.bsky.social @orcabook.bsky.social

A toddler looking at a book about beavers.

A toy beaver "reading" a book about beavers.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Feb. 4 is World Read Aloud Day! This year’s theme is “celebrate learning” and I’ll be doing just that with virtual visits to classrooms in Canada and the U.S. Join me in honouring the power of reading and the importance of literacy as a foundational human right. #kidlit #WRAD @orcabook.bsky.social

A cartoon panda wearing a crown and holding a book marches beneath a banner that says 2 days to World Read Aloud Day.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

One week until my “Better With Bison” webinar at the North American Bison Discovery Center. Join me Oct. 25, 1PM CT, to learn about what makes bison so special. ✅ FREE to attend | virtual | kids and adults welcome 🔗 Join here: meet.google.com/ywx-uncf-nya... @orcabook.bsky.social #bison #kidlit

The cover of a book about bison superimposed over a photo of bison grazing in a mountain meadow. The book is "Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers" by Frances Backhouse. The photo on the cover of the book is of a bison cow and her calf.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

On this #EarthDay, I'm thinking of these Yellowbells (Fritillaria pudica) that I photographed during an April visit to the CSKT Bison Range in Montana a couple years ago. Despite cold, harsh winters and hot, dry summers, they reach for the light every spring and bring beauty to the world.

Four small plants with yellow flowers growing above old dead grasses in a field.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

It’s publication day for “Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers”! The Book Birthday edition of my Better With Bison newsletter has launch news, a peek inside the pages (highlighting the wonders of bison poop) and more. mailchi.mp/8906ca675612... #bison #kidlit @orcabook.bsky.social

A herd of bison in a mountain meadow with the cover of a kids' book about bison superimposed above.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Happy International Beaver Day! I've been writing about these guys for more than 15 years and they still amaze me. We came so close to wiping them out. Thank goodness enough concerned and determined individuals took action and changed the course of history. #InternationalBeaverDay #CanLit

Book cover: A painting of two beavers cutting down a tree. The book title (Once They Were Hats: In Search of the Mighty Beaver by Frances Backhouse) appears in the outline of a top hat, superimposed over the painting.

Book cover: The title (Beavers: Radical Rodents and Ecosystem Engineers) appears above a photo of a beaver sitting upright and holding a twig in its front paws.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

We can all celebrate and honour Indigenous languages by learning Indigenous names of a few local animals and plants. In my kids' books, I include examples, like these ones in "Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers." @orcabook.bsky.social #NationalIndigenousLanguagesDay #kidlit

A photo of bison grazing in a grassland with a bison calf in front. Over top of the photos are (1) a list of Indigenous uses for parts of a bison, (2) a list of Indigenous names for bison, and (3) the cover of a book titled Bison.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

My friendly Canada Post carrier showed up at my door today with a rain-spattered box in his hands. "Some reading material," he said with a smile. And there it was, "Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers," my latest from @orcabook.bsky.social. Yee-haw! #kidlit #Canlit #bison

A sealed cardboard box with a mailing label. A sticker on the side says "Orca: Canadian Creators, Stories, Owned."

The front cover of book showing a photo of a bison mother and calf, plus the title and author's name: "Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers" by Frances Backhouse.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Tomorrow is World Read Aloud Day! I'm delighted to be taking part with virtual visits to classrooms in both Canada and the U.S. Reading, writing, sharing stories and ideas -- we need them all now more than ever. #kidlit

A cartoon panda in a red dress standing with its arms in the air behind a banner that say 1 day to World Read Aloud Day.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

Feb. 5 is World Read Aloud Day and I'm excited to be participating. I'll be reading from "Owls: Who Gives a Hoot?" in my virtual classroom visits. And look who's featured in this graphic! WRAD champions the power of reading aloud to create community and share important stories. #kidlit #owls

A cartoon drawing of a owl waving one wing behind a banner that says 5 days to World Read Aloud Day.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

I can't imagine a book tour dress code that would work for all authors. When I'm promoting my adult books, I favour some version of author-business-casual. But my kids' books let me get playful, with t-shirts or socks that match the animals I write about. #kidlit #owls #beavers

A woman wearing a t-shirt with owls on it and a children's book about owls. The book title is "Owls: Who Gives a Hoot?" and the photo on the cover is of an adult long-eared owl and its chick in a nest.

A person's legs from the knees down. The person is wearing socks with a beaver design.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 22/12/2024

Happy Solstice to all, from barred owls, cedar trees and unseen insects tucked into the greenery to the humans who are blessed to share this precious place with such companions.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

The "Owwl be home for Solstice" edition of my Owls Are Awesome newsletter is now out -- with news about wandering snowies, snobbish barred owls and a burrowing owl rescued at sea, plus a peek inside the pages of "Owls: Who Gives a Hoot?". mailchi.mp/652332d614e2... #owls #kidlit #holidaypuns

A snowy owl skims across the Arctic tundra.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

My next kids' book has galloped off to the printer. The official pub date for "Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers" is April 15th, about the same time the 2025 calves will start appearing. Pre-orders and ARCs for reviewers through Orca Book Publishers. #kidlit #bison #buffalo

A bison cow and calf on the front cover of Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers by Frances Backhouse.

A herd of bison in a field on the back cover of Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers by Frances Backhouse.

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Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Beaver-maintained wetland complex along the Beaver Pond Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario.

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