Blending literary and life lessons

An Ottawa-based publisher of children’s books is creating engaging educational materials

 

Despite her company’s educational roots, Mei Dang wants to do more than create books kids associate with school.

She wants the books from DC Canada Education Publishing to tell engaging stories that impart valuable life lessons.

“Our mandate is to help children to learn and grow up to be the best [version] of themselves,” explains Dang, the Ottawa-based company’s publishing director.

Established in 1995, DC Canada started out publishing English as a Second Language (ESL) textbooks for China; the publisher later expanded its focus to include science, literature and math.

Renamed DC Canada Education Publishing in 2005, offerings now include a range of educational resources to supplement classroom textbooks, along with children’s storybooks designed to be enjoyed at home. 

“Reading is so critical in terms of learning anything,” says Dang on why she is so passionate about her work.

“Once parents discover our books, they love them,” she continues, adding that DC Canada Education Publishing sells directly to both parents and schools.

The company publishes 10 to 20 new books per year. Keeping it small is a purposeful choice: when selecting new stories, Dang emphasizes that the educational angle is paramount.

“Education is at the centre of our acquisition [process],” she explains. “We want to make books that stand out.”

Calm Down Counting is one such book, says Dang. Aimed at kids ages five to nine, Suzanne Elson’s picture book teaches the 5-4-3-2-1 method when dealing with anxiety, offering a coping strategy for navigating emotions and fears.

“When [kids] face some challenges, [they] can be panicked,” says Dang. “There’s a way to relax; it’s a survival skill.”

As a Canadian company, DC Canada prioritizes books authored and illustrated by Canadians.

“We have authors from different cultural backgrounds,” she says. “In this tough [economic] time, we are more likely to support local or Canadian than any other time.”

DC Canada’s books are available in countries around the world. To supplement ESL learning, the company launched a series called One Story a Day.

“We found that a textbook is not enough, so we started adding one short story to read every day,” explains Dang. “Our content is market proven, because we have sold millions of copies of One Story a Day – it’s worldwide.”

Parenting Times Magazine profiled authors and illustrators who work with DC Canada and contribute to Dang’s vision of sharing a love of learning and reading.

 

Who she is: Kalli Dakos, author

Ottawa native Kalli Dakos is a former teacher and reading specialist. She loves to visit schools to help children discover the joy of literacy. Dakos has published 23 books, including our Farm in the City (inspired by Ottawa’s Experimental Farm) and Recess in the Dark (inspired by her time teaching in the Inuvik, NT).

 

Parenting Times: What’s the challenging part about being in the Canadian book industry?

Kalli Dakos: The challenge is to get these amazing books into the hands of children. We need parents to realize that storytelling, a most ancient art, will give children the words that nurture inner growth in a way that phones, TV shows, and all the media in the world cannot.

PT: What do you love most about being a children’s author?

KD: I love when my words reach children in the deep corners of their souls. I especially love when a child says, ‘That’s exactly how I feel. I thought I was alone with my feelings, but I’m not.’ We live in a very stressful society and the right kinds of stories are like a medicine that helps children handle anger, grief and stress.

Fun facts: Dakos has a huge collection of toys that she uses for school visits. She has also written over 3,000 poems about classroom life.

 

Who she is: Suzanne Elson, author

A lifelong writer, Ilderton, Ont. resident Suzanne Elson has had a long career as an ESL teacher. Elson has published three books, including Calm Down Counting. Her poems and short stories have been published in books and magazines.

PT: What is the inspiration behind Calm Down Counting?

Suzanne Elson: My niece Brynlee was the inspiration behind the book; we camp along Lake Huron and she has a great fear of insects. Having Autism Spectrum Disorder, my sister uses this method with her. I thought it would be wonderful to write a book to help other kids that have anxiety in general – not just insects or the outdoors.

PT: What is the most challenging part about being in the Canadian book industry?

SE: There are many more publishers in the U.S. and abroad, [which] it makes it a lot less difficult to get published [elsewhere].

[In Canada], there’s such a move towards supporting and representing Canadian authors, but it’s still a difficult industry to break into. Calm Down Counting is my first book published in Canada.

Fun facts: Elson is an avid four-seasons camper. She’s working on her first chapter book series; her eight-year-old grandson is her muse.

 

Who she is: Esther Murris, author

 

Hungarian-born Esther Murris lived in several European countries before moving to Calgary, AB. Writing books in English and French with both languages on each page demonstrates the value she places on language learning. Murris has published a three-book series called Grandma and Grandpa’s Adventures, including On the Road, In the Wild and The Sleepover.

 

PT: What is the inspiration behind On the Road?

Esther Murris: My parents live in Europe and because of the [pandemic] restrictions, they couldn’t come visit. I came up with a story about grandma and grandpa trying to visit their grandkids, but since they don’t have a car, they must take different means of transportation. I wanted to write a bilingual book because I was speaking French to my son and my husband was speaking to him in English. I wanted to have a book that we can both read to him, in either language.

PT: What do you love most about being a children’s author?

EM: I enjoy writing stories about the special relationship between grandparents and grandkids; I was very close with my grandparents growing up and I love seeing my kids play with their grandparents.

 

Who she is: Meredith Luce, illustrator

Based in Kemptville, Meredith Luce illustrates children’s books and offers various graphic design services. Luce has illustrated 10 books, including many titles for The Charter for Children book series –– an introduction to the principles of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

PT: What is the inspiration behind The Case of the Missing Montreal Bagel?

 

Meredith Luce: The images in this book were product of my newly discovered passion for research. Montreal is an iconic city, so I had to dig deep to include lots of details in the images to ensure readers would recognize the locations in the story. I came to appreciate how essential research is to representing a story accurately and adding a deeper layer of connection for readers.

PT: What do you love most about being a children’s book illustrator?

ML: Illustration for children comes with a freedom of visual interpretation that’s much broader than illustration work for adult or corporate content. Children’s imaginations are generally unimpeded by expectations; they’re still learning about the world. As adults, we have more firm ideas of what things should look like. You could draw something completely silly or disproportionate and children generally embrace it.

Fun fact: In addition to illustration and design, Luce works in several different part-time positions; she’s a professor at Algonquin College, a coffee roaster, a relief milker on a sheep dairy farm and a facilitator for community nature education programs.

 

Who she is: Erin Mercer, illustrator

A freelance illustrator based in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, Erin Mercer creates illustrations for children’s books, greeting card designs, and custom prints. She is also a storyboard and background artist in children’s animation.

 

What does her work include? Mercer has illustrated 13 books, including Hide & Seek: Wild Animal Groups in North America, Grandma & Grandpa’s Adventures (a three-book series), My Lunchbox is Hopping, Our Farm in the City, and Recess in the Dark.

 

PT: What is the inspiration behind Recess in the Dark? 

Erin Mercer: Recess in the Dark was my first time illustrating a book, and it truly felt like a creative adventure. I wanted to capture the magic of winter – the joy of playing outside despite the 24-hour darkness, without making it feel dreary. I chose a rich blue palette, using a starry sky and snow that glowed softly under the moonlight, to create a sense of wonder and adventure.

PT: What is the most challenging part about being in the Canadian book industry?

EM: One of the biggest challenges is finding the right publishers or clients while balancing life’s other demands. As a first-time mom, I find myself juggling late-night work sessions and trying to stay active on social media to build my exposure. It’s a constant uphill climb, and finding well-paying book contracts has been tough without representation. But I’m persistent, and every step forward feels like progress.

Fact: Mercer lives with diabetes, which led to a partnership with the Diabetes Hope Foundation and two published books. She takes pride in illustrating books that help children with diabetes feel seen and heard.

 

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