# Marie-Louise Gay

Marie-Louise Gay (born June 17, 1952) is a Canadian children's writer and illustrator. She has received numerous awards for her written and illustrated works in both French and English, including the 2005 Vicky Metcalf Award, multiple Governor General's Awards, and multiple Janet Savage Blachford Prizes, among others.

## Biography

Gay was born in Quebec City and lived in Montreal and Vancouver as a child. Gay lives in Montreal.
Gay co-wrote two longer books with her husband, Montreal novelist and translator David Homel, which included her black-and-white illustrations: Travels With My Family (2006) and On the Road Again! (2008). At the time, she said, "For the last twenty-five years, I have mainly been writing, illustrating and creating only for children."
Gay's books received renewed attention after a public school library system in Alabama mistakenly flagged Read Me A Story, Stella as potentially inappropriate for children, because of her surname.

## Awards and honours

In 2013, Canada Post released a series of stamps featuring Gay's character Stella.
Awards for Gay's writing :
| Year | Title | Award | Result |
| 1984 | Lizzy's Lion by Dennis Lee | Canada Council Children's Literature Prize | Winner |
| 1984 | Drôle d'école | Canada Council Children's Literature Prize | Winner |
| 1987 | Moonbeam On A Cat's Ear | Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award | Winner |
| 1987 | Rainy Day Magic | Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration | Winner |
| 1988 | Angel and the Polar Bear | Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration | Shortlist |
| 1988 | Rainy Day Magic | Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award | Winner |
| 1995 | Berthold et Lucrèce | Governor General's Award for French-language children's illustration | Shortlist |
| 2000 | Sur mon île | Governor General's Award for French-language children's illustration | Shortlist |
| 2000 | Yuck, A Love Story | Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration | Winner |
| 2001 | Stella: Queen of the Snow | Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award | Winner |
| 2002 | Stella, Fairy of the Forest | Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration | Shortlist |
| 2005 | | Vicky Metcalf Award | Winner |
| 2006 | Caramba | Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award for Children's Picture Book | Winner |
| 2006 | Caramba | Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award | Winner |
| 2007 | Houndsley and Catina | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection |
| 2007 | Stella étoile de la mer | Mr. Christie's Book Award for French: 7 and under | Winner |
| 2009 | When Stella Was Very, Very Small | Janet Savage Blachford Prize | Shortlist |
| 2009 | | Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award | Longlist |
| 2010 | When Stella was Very, Very Small | Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award for Children's Picture Book | Winner |
| 2010 | When Stella Was Very, Very Small | Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards | Shortlist |
| 2011 | Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth! | Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award | Winner |
| 2011 | Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth! | Forest of Reading: Blue Spruce Award | Shortlist |
| 2014 | Any Questions? | Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award | Winner |
| 2014 | Any Questions? | Janet Savage Blachford Prize | Shortlist |
| 2014 | Any Questions? | Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration | Shortlist |
| 2014 | Read Me a Story, Stella | Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award for Children's Picture Book | Finalist |
| 2015 | Any Questions? | Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award | Winner |
| 2015 | Any Questions? | CBC Fan Choice Award | Winner |
| 2015 | Any Questions? | TD Canadian Children's Literature Award | Finalist |
| 2017 | Short Stories for Little Monsters | Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration | Shortlist |
| 2018 | Mustafa | Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award | Finalist |
| 2019 | Mustafa | Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award for Children's Picture Book | Finalist |
| 2019 | Mustafa | TD Canadian Children's Literature Award | Shortlist |
| 2020 | Fern and Horn | Janet Savage Blachford Prize | Shortlist |
| 2020 | Mustafa | Forest of Reading Award | Shortlist |
| 2020 | The Three Brothers | Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award | Winner |
| 2020 | The Three Brothers | Janet Savage Blachford Prize | Winner |
| 2022 | I’m Not Sydney | Janet Savage Blachford Prize | Shortlist |

## Publications
### Stella and Sam series

Gay's Stella and Sam books have been published in more than twelve languages. They spawned a 52-episode cartoon series in 2013 that aired on Sprout and Family Junior.

#### Stella series

* Stella, Star of the Sea (1999)
* Stella, Queen of the Snow (2001)
* Stella, Fairy of the Forest (2002)
* Stella, Princess of the Sky (2004)
* When Stella Was Very, Very, Small (2009)
* Read Me A Story, Stella (2013)

#### Sam series

Sam is Stella's younger brother
* Good Morning, Sam (2003)
* Good Night, Sam (2003)
* What Are You Doing, Sam? (2006)

#### Travels with My Family series

The Travels with My Family series was co-written with David Homel.
* Travels With My Family (Groundwood, 2006)
* On the Road Again! (Groundwood, 2008)
* Summer in the City (Groundwood, 2012)
* The Traveling Circus (Groundwood, 2015)
* Travels in Cuba (Groundwood, 2021)

### Standalone books authored

* Lizzy's Lion (1984)
* The Garden: Little Big Books (1985)
* Moonbeam On A Cat's Ear (1986)
* Rainy Day Magic (1987)
* Angel and the Polar Bear (1988)
* Fat Charlie's Circus (1989)
* Willy Nilly (1990)
* Mademoiselle Moon (1992)
* Rabbit Blue (1993)
* Midnight Mimi (1994)
* Qui a peur de Loulou? (Who's afraid of Loulou?) (Montreal: VLB Editeur, 1994), 111pp, "Theatre for children"
* The Three Little Pigs (Canadian Fairy Tales Series) (1994)
* Rumplestiltskin (1997)
* Sur Mon Ile (1999)
* Caramba (2006)
* Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth! (2010)
* Caramba and Henry (2011)
* Any Questions (2014)
* Short Stories for Little Monsters (2017)
* The Three Brothers (2020)

### Books illustrated only

* The Last Piece (1993)
* When Vegetables Go Bad! (1993)
* The Fabulous Song (1996)
* Dreams Are More Real Than Bathtubs (1999)
* Yuck, a Love Story (2000)
* Didi and Daddy on the Promenade (2001)
* Houndsley and Catina (2006)
* Maddie series; Sophie series (1993–2003)