SYLV CHIANG (she/her) is a middle-grade teacher by day and a children’s book author by night. She wrote her middle-grade series, Cross Ups, for kids who love video games. Still My Tessa is Sylv’s first picture book and the inspiration for the story came from within her own family. Sylv lives with her family near Toronto, Ontario. Visit www.sylvchiang.com.
The Author's Journey
Hear Sylv Chiang share her circuitous path to becoming a children’s author. Despite knowing she wanted to be an author since the age of 6, she took a complicated path to get there. Sylv will talk about her journey to become a writer, her writing process, and the three Ps she sees as keys to success for reaching any goal: passion, planning, and perseverance. The presentation will end with a Q and A session.
1. Allies are Superheroes
Focus: Allyship
Audience: Kindergarten to Grade 3
Length: 30 minutes
Join Sylv Chiang for an interactive storytime with a focus on how we can all be allies. Sylv will introduce her 2024 CBC Kids Reads winning picture book, Still My Tessa, by sharing how the story is based on her own family. After we hear the story and talk about how the main character, Evelyn, is an ally to her non-binary sibling, we will share examples of allyship from the children’s everyday lives. Finally, to reinforce the concept of allyship, participants will have a chance to draw their own face on a superhero template and share how they can be an ally.
2. What's Your Super Power?
Focus: Growth Mindset
Audience: Grades 4-8
Length: 45-60 minutes
Join Sylv Chiang in an interactive session that gets kids thinking about their passions and how to use planning and perseverance to achieve their goals. Using examples from the life of Jaden, a 12-year old gamer in the Cross Ups series, as well as examples from her own life, Sylv will illustrate how people can use a Growth Mindset to change over time. We will then take a look at the video game characters from the Cross Ups series who all have the ability to transform into mythical creatures to do their “super” moves. Participants will be given a template to draw themselves as a video game avatar performing their own “super” move based on their passion.
1. Allies are Superheroes
Focus: Allyship
Audience: Kindergarten to Grade 3
Length: 30 minutes
Join Sylv Chiang for an interactive storytime with a focus on how we can all be allies. Sylv will introduce her 2024 CBC Kids Reads winning picture book, Still My Tessa, by sharing how the story is based on her own family. After we hear the story and talk about how the main character, Evelyn, is an ally to her non-binary sibling, we will share examples of allyship from the children’s everyday lives. Finally, to reinforce the concept of allyship, participants will have a chance to draw their own face on a superhero template and share how they can be an ally.
2. What's Your Super Power?
Focus: Growth Mindset
Audience: Grades 4-8
Length: 45-60 minutes
Join Sylv Chiang in an interactive session that gets kids thinking about their passions and how to use planning and perseverance to achieve their goals. Using examples from the life of Jaden, a 12-year old gamer in the Cross Ups series, as well as examples from her own life, Sylv will illustrate how people can use a Growth Mindset to change over time. We will then take a look at the video game characters from the Cross Ups series who all have the ability to transform into mythical creatures to do their “super” moves. Participants will be given a template to draw themselves as a video game avatar performing their own “super” move based on their passion.
