Virginia Wolf

by Kyo Maclear, Isabelle Arsenault (Illustrator)

Vanessa's sister, Virginia, is in a "wolfish" mood --- growling, howling and acting very strange. It's a funk so fierce, the whole household feels topsy-turvy. Vanessa tries everything she can think of to cheer her up, but nothing seems to work. Then Virginia tells Vanessa about an imaginary, perfect place called Bloomsberry. Armed with an idea, Vanessa begins to paint Bloomsberry on the bedroom walls, transforming them into a beautiful garden complete with a ladder and swing ?so that what was down could climb up.? Before long, Virginia, too, has picked up a brush and undergoes a surprising transformation of her own. Loosely based on the relationship between author Virginia Woolf and her sister, painter Vanessa Bell, Virginia Wolf is an uplifting story for readers of all ages.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Art, Mental Health, Fiction, Graphic Novels

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Kyo Maclear is a children’s author, novelist and essayist. She was born in London, England and moved to Toronto at the age of four.

Kyo is the author of many critically-acclaimed children’s books including: Virginia Wolf (2012), illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault; The Liszts (2016) with Júlia Sardà; Operatic (2019), illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler; It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way (2019), illustrated by Julie Morstad (2018); and The Big Bath House (2021), illustrated by Gracey Zhang.

Kyo's non-fiction book Birds Art Life follows two artists on a yearlong adventure to find birds in a big city. It is an intimate and exuberant meditation on creativity and life—a field guide to things small and significant. She is also the author of two novels: The Letter Opener (2007) and Stray Love (2012).

Her essays and art criticism have been widely published and anthologized in North America, Europe and Asia/Australia.

She lives in Toronto with three musicians and two cats.