Photo Credit: Matthew Stephens
Email:
c/o Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia
Jill Bryant is a writer who specializes in children's non-fiction. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Jill grew up in Elora and Eden Mills, Ontario. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English (Applied Studies option) and a minor in Drama from the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. After university, she spent ten months travelling overland from England to India with her now-husband, Daryn. A year later, Jill and Daryn travelled to South-East Asia for three months and then taught English in Japan for one year.
Jill has worked as an in-house editor for former Toronto publishers Houghton Mifflin Canada, D.C. Heath, and Somerville House Books. She currently freelances for many publishers, including Scholastic, Pearson, and Nelson. Her first book, Sew Your Own Bean Bag Friends, was published in 1998.
Jill, Daryn, and their daughter Zoë moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2000 when Daryn accepted a position at King's College. Their second daughter, Mari, was born in Halifax. They spent four years there, living on the ocean. Next, Jill's family moved to Princeton, New Jersey for a year and then to Manchester, UK for two years. Jill and her family spent the 2007-2008 school year in Berlin, Germany. In August, 2008, Jill and her family moved to Kingston, Ontario where they hope to stay for many years!
- Dazzling Women Designers. Second Story Press, 2010. ISBN - 10: 1897187823; ISBN - 13: 9781897187821.
- Backyard Circus. Annick Press, 2006. ISBN 13: 978-1-55451-011-5 and/or 1-55451-011-2.
- "A dynamic guide to creating a circus in your backyard [...] bursting with good ideas." - Quill & Quire, November 2006
- "Readable, enjoyable, practical and informative, Backyard Circus is an excellent classroom resource and reading book." - CM Magazine, Vol. XIII No. 7, November 24, 2006
- Click here for more information.
- Making Shadow Puppets. Kids Can Press, 2002. (co-author) ISBN 1-55337-028-7.
- "This book is excellent. It provides enough background for interest and certainly sufficient directions for success." - CM, Vol. IX No. 18, May 9, 2003.
- Amazing Women Athletes. Second Story Press, 2001. ISBN 1-896764-44-4
- "This well-written collection, which includes photographs, informative sidebars, and a bibliography of sources, websites, and suggested further reading, will be a valuable addition to school library collections." - Quill & Quire, February 2002.
- Make Your Own Bean Bag Bears. Somerville House Books, 1999. ISBN 1-894042-86-7.
- Sew Your Own Bean Bag Friends. Somerville House Books, 1998. ISBN 1-894042-20-4.
- The Wilderness Cookbook: A Guide to Good Food on the Trail. Second Story Press, 1999. (co-author) ISBN 1-896764-18-5.
- "The Wilderness Cookbook is the perfect guide to having a satisfying trail adventure." - Bruce Trail News, Autumn 1999.
- "Icky Sticky", KNOW, Mar./Apr. 2010.
- "Caribou", KNOW, Nov./Dec. 2009.
- "A Short, Sweet History of Ice Cream" and "Lickety-Yum: A World of Frozen Fun," KNOW, July/Aug. 2009.
- "Red Pandas, KNOW, Mar./Apr. 2009.
- "Ice Device," KNOW, Nov./Dec. 2008.
- "Blades of Bone" and "People Power," KNOW, July/Aug. 2008.
- "Medicine and Mummies" and "Fun and Games in Ancient Egypt," KNOW, Mar./Apr. 2008.
- "Your Hair-story," KNOW, Jan./Feb. 2008.
- "SOS: Save Our Sharks," KNOW, Sep./Oct. 2007.
- "The Very Clicky Caterpillar," KNOW, Sep./Oct. 2007.
- "The Sweetest Beans," KNOW, May 2007.
- "Writing on Stone," KNOW, Mar./Apr. 2007.
- "How Do Ventriloquists Talk with Closed Lips?" Owl, Sept. 1998.
2003 Parents' Choice, Approved Award Winner, Making Shadow Puppets.
2003 Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice 2003 list, Making Shadow Puppets.
2004 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award, Shortlist, Amazing Women Athletes.
