James A. Conan
Children's Author
"A gentle family tale that reflects the diversity of a big city...This playful story proves that small spaces can feel large with a little imagination."
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About James
James A. Conan is the author of Our Big Little Place. He studied Politics and International Development at Trent University, and graduated from Centennial College's Book, Magazine, and Electronic Publishing Program. Through his studies there, he was introduced to some of the wonderful people at Annick Press that made Our Big Little Place possible.
His own big little place is in the east end of Toronto, where he's lived for most of his life. He enjoys days at the beach, cooking, and a good book.
He isn't really a cartoon, but that would be nice.
About Our Big Little Place
Our Big Little Place is my first story for younger audiences.
This book came about very naturally. I live in Toronto, I'm a millennial, and I have a tiny apartment. Myself and my friends in this city live, love, and in some cases start families in homes that are often much smaller than the ones we grew up in. Space is on my mind frequently.
Our Big Little Place was my response to that. I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful, happy childhood with a loving family. The imaginative play you see in the book is straight from my own life. My goal was to show that a happy home can exist anywhere there is love, play, and imagination.
I'll let you decide if I've succeeded.
-James A. Conan
Character Sketches
Here are some of the wonderful character sketches created by Nicolle Lalonde during the development of Our Big Little Place. You can find more of her work here.
