“OH, THE PLACES WE’LL GO THEN,”
DURING THE YEAR TWENTY-TEN
FEBRUARY
‘All systems go. Commencing countdown to lift-off…’
Small Print, The Little Paper & Rooster Studio (AKA Tot Squad) Present the Second Annual
TOTSAPALOOZA: THE SPACE AGE RODEO EDITION
“DIY Defies Gravity”
Toronto Life Magazine awarded last winter’s wildly popular tribute to the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) spirit, Totsapalooza, with number 14 on their 2009 list of “50 Reasons To Love Toronto”. Fasten your seatbelts, celestial explorers! For this year’s Totsapalooza: The Space Age Rodeo Edition, we’ve put together another amazing lineup of leading indie rockers, children’s authors and inventive crafts to celebrate how the DIY ethos defies gravity. Don Kerr & The Jet Pack Orchestra will beam the party into another galaxy with the help of Bellwoods Trinity, I Eat Kids and Sho, Mo & The Monkey Bunch. Also on the bill is Katie Van Camp’s award-winning tale, Harry & Horsie, (Harper Collins), Ashley Spires’ stellar feline, Binky The Space Cat (Kids Can Press) and Chris A. Rutkowski’s eye-opening I Saw It Too: Real UFO Sightings (Dundurn). Catch future literary all stars in action at the Volume One Project Showcase. Enjoy organic space snacks from gourmet caterer Pantry. Dynamic brother-sister duo Ryan and Lisa Kelly from The Centre For Art & Soul will run activity and dance sessions. Kids will build musical instruments and UFOs that can actually fly out of recycled materials. And, of course, there will be an intergalactic jam session featuring budding rockers and indie veterans!
Revival, 783 College St (At Shaw)
Sun Feb 21; 2pm (Doors 1:30pm)
Adults $10 / Kids $8 / Non-Walkers Free
Tickets Available At Our Online Kiosk, below, and on earth at TYPE Books (883 Queen St West – or call 416-366-TYPE) and Soundscapes (572 College St West – in person only). Proceeds will be donated to The Children’s Storefront.
OUTTA THIS WORLD SOUNDS:
Don Kerr & The Jet Pack Orchestra features some of the brightest stars in Toronto’s indie rock universe: Paul Aucoin, Kevin Lacroix, and Tim Vesely. Prepare to be dazzled by their original space-age sounds!. Chip Yarwood’s vintage marionettes, along with his trio Bellwoods Trinity’s fresh slant on old-timey music will keep your toes-a-tappin'. The musicians in I Eat Kids may only be between six and ten years old but they’ve been wowing crowds across the city for over a year now. And the high energy tunes of the much-loved local indie-kids collective Sho, Mo, & The Monkey Bunch will send your spirits soaring into the stratosphere.
STORIES FROM FARAWAY GALAXIES:
Prepare to hear some of the most amazing tales on earth. Katie Van Camp will present Harry & Horsie (HarperCollins Canada), the award-winning picture book she wrote while working as Nanny to Harry Letterman, son of renowned talk show host Dave Letterman. Illustrator and author Ashley Spires will give us earthlings a glimpse of what’s involved in creating the cosmic adventures of Binky, The Space Cat (Kids Can Press). Who says farmers on dirt roads in the middle of nowhere are the only people who see flying saucers? Chris Rutkowski helps to set the record straight with his eye-opening collection of children's close encounters, I Saw It Too: Real UFO Sightings (Dundurn Press). TYPE Books will be at the event.
VOLUME ONE PROJECT SHOWCASE:
Don't miss a special performance by the young writers and rockers who took part in January’s story-and-songwriting workshop with Dave Bidini and Evan Munday. Small Print runs The Volume One Project, a workshop series for scribes between the ages of 8 and 12. Kids get to write their own tales and leave with their own books.
CENTRE FOR ART & SOUL:
The Centre for Art & Soul is an eco-friendly centre for children’s arts and wellness. Brother-sister team, Ryan and Lisa Kelly coordinate and teach classes for students aged pre-school to 13 years old in art, music, theatre, drama and yoga. Their curriculum inspires, nourishes and supports people of all ages who want to foster a sense of creativity and personal well-being. Check out the range of their programs: http://www.centreforartandsoul.com.
SPACE SNACKS FROM PANTRY:
The family-run gourmet café and caterer Pantry will be serving space-themed snacks made entirely from earth-based materials. Their dishes and baked goods are prepared on-site daily, and use only farm-fresh, local, sustainably raised produce and meats. Visit: http://www.pantry.to
THE CHILDREN’S STOREFRONT:
For more than thirty years, The Children’s Storefront has been a community hub for parents of young children from all across Toronto. Last Halloween, fire destroyed the beloved Annex child-parent centre. Proceeds from this year’s Totsapalooza will be donated to help The Children’s Storefront secure a new permanent home. For information, visit: http://www.childrensstorefront.com/
SILENT AUCTION
As part of our fundraising drive for The Children’s Storefront, we will hold a silent auction throughout the afternoon. Some truly fabulous items will be on the block. For instance, Toronto painter, Liz Phillips, generously donated a certificate for one of her coveted child’s portraits. Celebrated designer Gretel Meyer Odell, of Fancy Pants Kids, contributed some play costumes. Don’t miss the gift packs from Fuzzy Logic Recordings and Penguin Group (Canada). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
WHAT’S “THE TOT SQUAD”?
The Tot Squad is a trio of undercover cultural operatives who join forces to serve and protect the DIY ethos on the mean streets of children’s programming. Rumor has it that they go by the aliases of Vicki Bell (Editor of The Little Paper), Don Kerr (Musician and Producer of Rooster Studio) and Chris Reed (Artistic Director of Small Print). The Tot Squad motto is, “indie never grows up and moves away”.
WHY RISK IT?
As many of you learned the hard way, last winter’s Totsapalooza completely sold out in just four days! Tickets for this year’s show are moving at the speed of sound. So, why risk it? Take a quick second and get your tickets now from our online kiosk, below, or swing by TYPE Books (883 Queen St West – 416-487-TYPE) and Soundscapes (572 College St West – in person only).
SUPPORT OUR SUPPORTERS
The Tot Squad thanks the following artists, businesses, and organizations for their generous support of Totsapalooza: The Space Age Rodeo Edition:
Arts & Crafts Records, Bookshorts Literacy Program, Bunch, Centre For Art & Soul, Dundurn Press, Fancy Pants Kids, Fuzzy Logic Recordings, HarperCollins Canada, Kids Can Press, The Little Paper, Liz Phillips, NOW Magazine, Pantry, Penguin Group (Canada), Soundscapes, Torontoist.com, TYPE Books, & The Yummy Mummy Club
Media Contact: Chris Reed, chris@smallprinttoronto.org, (416) 779-REED
Small Print & Penguin Group (Canada) present:
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
“The Piece By Piece Mash-Up”
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St West
Sunday March 28; 2pm (Doors 1:30pm) FREE
Open to writers between 12-19 years old.
Tell us about fitting into Canada.
Share your experience in one of the following ways:
· Spoken Word / Rap (2-5 pieces)
· Short Story - Fiction (500-1000 words)
· Short Story – Non-Fiction (500-1000 words)
· Drama (500-1000 words)
· Poetry (2-5 poems)
Send your work to: piece.by.piece.story@gmail.com
By Monday, March 1, 2010
We will select five artists from each category to work with one of the award-winning contributors to celebrated author and editor Teresa Toten’s forthcoming anthology, Piece By Piece: Stories About Fitting Into Canada (Penguin Group Canada).
Selected artists will collaborate on a five-minute performance piece, based on their submissions. They will present this collective literary mash-up at a public event on March 28 at Gladstone Hotel.
But wait, there’s more: selected artists can work and hang out with their literary heroes, receive an autographed copy of Piece By Piece and an awesome prize pack.
THE TOT STUDIO: FANTASTIC JOURNEYS
A March Break Art Adventure With Laurel Croza, Matt James, & Patricia Storms
Laurel Croza and Matt James - I Know Here
Patricia Storms - The Pirate and The Penguin
Is anywhere on earth more exotic than the places we imagine? To celebrate March Break, the 2-to-8 set will take a fantastic creative journey with some of our country’s leading children's artists. Matt James' stunning visual art compliments Laurel Croza's poignant tale about a young girl whose family prepares to move from the wilds of northeastern Saskatchewan to a strange new place called ‘Toronto’, I Know Here (Groundwood Books). James and Crouza will guide the group in a dynamic craft and mapping activity. Noted illustrator and author Patricia Storms will perform a play with her husband based on her delightful new book, The Pirate And The Penguin (Owl Kids), featuring full body costumes and everything! Storms will then lead a group drawing exercise based on her characters' remarkable adventures. -A Small Print event presented with Gladstone Hotel, Groundwood Books, Owl Kids Books, The Little Paper and Torontoist.com.
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St West
Wed, March 17; 10AM (Doors 9:30AM)
$8 Adults / Kids $5 / Non-Walkers Free
Advance Tickets go on sale at www.smalprinttoronto.org on March 1.
I KNOW HERE The little girl in this story lives with her family in a trailer in northeastern Saskatchewan, where her father is building a dam. She knows everything about the place she lives -- her road, her school, the forest where she plays hide- and-seek and where the wolf howls at night, the hill where she goes tobogganing in winter . . . But the dam is nearly finished and when summer comes the family is moving to Toronto -- a place marked by a big red star on the map at school.
"Have people in Toronto seen what I've seen?" the little girl asks. And with her teacher's help she finds a way to keep everything she loves about home.
Laurel Croza’s simple, beautifully written story, complemented by Matt James's vibrant, imaginative illustrations, will resonate deeply with anyone who has had to leave their home for a new place.
LAUREL CROZA lived near four dam sites when she was a child, moving nine times and attending six schools before she was fourteen. I Know Here is based on her memories of leaving Saskatchewan for Toronto. Laurel lives in Markham, Ontario.
MATT JAMES is a painter, illustrator and musician. He held his first exhibition in 2003 and has contributed paintings and illustrations to numerous publications. Matt's band, Wayne Omaha, has toured Canada and released three full-length CDs. He grew up in Woodstock, Ontario, and now lives in Toronto.
THE PIRATE AND THE PENGUIN From the mind of veteran children’s illustrator Patricia Storms comes the tale of how two misfits found each other and, in the process, found the solution to all of their problems. Loosely based on the classic story of The Prince and the Pauper, The Pirate and the Penguin follows these two characters as they inevitably converge and playfully discover the lives they’ve been seeking all along.
Penguin is not your typical Antarctic bird. While his contented friends spend their days doing yoga, meditating, and meditating on yoga, this free spirit is planning his great escape. He’s done with the frigid, barren expanse of the South Pole. He’s had it with the communal escapades of his feathered fraternity. What he wants is adventure. And he’s ready to go it alone…
Pirate, on the other hand, wants no part in his vocation’s raucous, adventurous ways. Exploration? Treasure? Conquest? Bah! Caught under the pounding Caribbean sun, surrounded by a crew of dimwits, this captain longs for a simpler life. Free from his itchy sunburns. Free from the endless travel. If only he could find such a place…
Storms’ gift for both simple, touching rendering of her characters and keen, subtle details in her settings has yielded a book that is equal parts loving parable and energetic adventure. A true gem of a picture book!
PATRICIA STORMS is a freelance cartoonist and illustrator who loves to entertain readers of all ages. She has done work for Scholastic Canada, Kids Can Press, TD Bank, chickadee Magazine, National Post, Hallmark, Barnes and Noble, and Chronicle Books. She lives and creates in Toronto with her husband and two fat cats in a 92-year-old house that’s full to the brim with books. You can see more of her work at www.stormsillustration.com
Stay in touch: visit www.smallprinttoronto.org and www.littlepaper.com
And join the Small Print Facebook Group.
Media Contacts:
Laurel Croza & Matt James: Kate McQuaid, kate@anansi.ca, 416-363-4343 x 29
Patricia Storms: Kendal Gerrard, kendal.gerard@owlkids.com, 416.340.2700 x227
Small Print: Chris Reed, chris@smallprinttoronto.org, (416) 779-REED
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