Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia

Pamela Hickman

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Pamela Hickman

Brief Biography

"It's neat for kids to read about things, but the best thing is for them to muck around and discover things on their own." - Pam on why her books are activity-based

Pamela Hickman was born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario. She holds an Honours Bachelor degree in Environmental Studies and Biology from the University of Waterloo. She was the Education Co-ordinator for the Federation of Ontario Naturalists for 7 years. During that period, Pamela wrote several education kits and other natural history material for children. In 1989, Pamela began a freelance writing career and has published over 35 books to date. She moved to Canning, N.S. with her husband and three daughters in 1992. Pamela divides her time between her writing, family and volunteer work in her community.

Pamela won the 1995 Lilla Sterling Memorial Award. In 2007, she also won the Green Prize for Sustainable Literature Award from the Santa Monica Public Library.

Selected List of Publications

It's Moving Day. Illustrated by Geraldo Valerio. Kids Can Press, 2008. ISBN 978-1554530748.
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Birds of Prey Rescue. Firefly Books, 2006. ISBN 1554071445.
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Animals Hibernating. KidsCan Press, 2005. ISBN 1-55337-662-5 (hc), 1-55337-663-3 (pbc).
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Turtle Rescue. Firefly Books, 2004.
Animals and their Mates. KidsCan Press, 2004.
Animals and their Young. KidsCan Press, 2004.
Animals Eating: How Animals Chomp, Chew, Slurp and Swallow. Illustrated by Pat Stephens. Kids Can Press, 2001. $14.95. ISBN 1-55074-577-8.
"The writer of several nature activity books for children, Hickman shapes her language accordingly. She engages readers by talking directly, conversationally, to them, and by including the facts and extreme trivia dear to their hearts." - from Animals Eating: How Animals Chomp, Chew, Slurp and Swallow, a review by Cora Lee, CM Magazine, Vol. 7, No. 21 (June 22, 2001).
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Animals in Motion: How Animals Swim, Jump, Slither and Glide. Kids Can Press, 2001. ISBN 1-55074-575-1.
"Pamela Hickman is very adept at presenting nature in a manner that will capture the interest of young readers." - Liz Greenaway, "Animals in Motion: How Animals Swim, Jump, Slither and Glide," CM Magazine: Canadian Review of Materials, Vol. VII, No. 8-(December 15, 2000).
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In the Woods. (illus. Twila Robar-DeCoste). Halifax: Formac, 1998. ISBN 0-88780-412-8.
Animal Senses. How Animals See, Hear, Taste, Smell and Feel . (illus. by Pat Stephens). Toronto: Kids Can Press Ltd., 1998. ISBN 1-55074-423-2.
"Her explanations are clear, without being simplistic, and, therefore, will be of use to children over a range of ages. . . . Highly recommended." - from "Animal Senses: How Animals See, Hear, Taste, Smell and Feel", a book review by Harriet Zaidman, CM: Canadian Review of Materials, Vol. 5, No. 4 (October 16, 1998).
My First Look Series. Kids Can Press, 1999:
A New Frog: My First Look at the Life Cycle of an Amphibian. ISBN 1-55074-615-4.
A New Duck: My First Look at the Life Cycle of a Bird. ISBN 1-55074-613-8.
"These two books form part of the series, "My First Look At Nature." They are extremely attractive, hard-covered books in a compact size for small hands. Each open-faced page illustrates a brightly coloured natural scene. A feature that makes them especially intriguing is a flap on each left hand page which opens to add details or a little quiz about the main picture." - "A New Frog/A New Duck." Joan Payzant. CM Magazine, Vol. VI, No. 3, October 1, 1999.
My First Look Series. Kids Can Press, 1997:
A New Butterfly: My First Look at Metamorphosis. ISBN 1-55074-202-7.
Hungry Animals: My First Look at a Food Chain. ISBN 1-55074-204-3.
A Seed Grows: My First Look at a Plant's Life Cycle. ISBN 1-55074-200-0.
"Each page spread features colourful and finely detailed illustrations with lots of small details to seek out [...] A note to parents at the back of each book offers simple suggestions as to how to carry the lessons further, making these books one of the season's hottest educational finds." - "We Recommend..." Darby Macnab. Children's Book News, Spring 1997.
The Jumbo Book of Nature Science. (illus. Judie Shore). Toronto: Kids Can Press Ltd., 1996. ISBN 1-55074-317-1.
At the Seashore. Formac Publishing, 1996. ISBN 0-88780-356-3.
The Night Book: Exploring Nature after Dark with Activities, Experiments and Information. Kids Can Press, 1996. ISBN 1-66074-318-X.
"The book is chock-full of fascinating tidbits on the night world, including how to tell the temperature by counting cricket chirps, and why plants grow most in the middle of the night. Included are such activities as making a starscope, identifying features of the moon, making a model of a cat's eye, and testing echolocation in bats." - "The Night Book." Valerie Nielsen. Quill & Quire, April 1996.
Kids Canadian Nature Series. Illustrated by Heather Collins. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 1996:
Plant. ISBN 1-55074-233-7.
Bug. ISBN 1-55074-231-0.
Tree. ISBN 1-55074-198-5.
Bird. ISBN 1-55074-196-9.
Wetlands. (illus. Judie Shore. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 1993. ISBN 1-55074-126-8.
Habitats. (illus. Sarah Jane English). Toronto: Kids Can Press, 1993. ISBN 1-55074-066-0.
Introducing Flowers. Markham: Pembroke, 1992. ISBN 0-921217-94-3.
Introducing Trees. Markham: Pembroke, 1992. ISBN 0-921217-91-9.
Introducing Insects. Markham: Pembroke, 1992. ISBN 0-921217-92-7.
Introducing Birds. Markham: Pembroke, 1992. ISBN 0-921217-93-5.