Celia Godkin

Celia Godkin; B.Sc., O.A.C.A., M.Sc. has enjoyed a number of complementary and overlapping careers that combine her love of art and nature. She began as a biologist and then transitioned to scientific illustration, drawing plants and animals for textbooks, scientific papers, zoo signs, and coins issued by the Royal Canadian Mint. While working as a freelance illustrator, she taught adult art classes and scientific illustration at the University of Toronto, where she was Associate Professor in Biomedical Communications.

An assignment to illustrate signage for the Assiniboine Park Zoo, Winnipeg, led to collaboration with Zoo Director, Clive Roots, on Endangered Species: Canada’s Disappearing Wildlife. Encouraged by this success, Ms. Godkin illustrated a story she’d written many years earlier and showed it to her publisher. The resulting book, Wolf Island, won the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada 1990 Best Information Book Award and launched her career as a respected author and illustrator of children’s picture books.

Ms. Godkin’s stories focus on the regenerative power of nature, showing how all life forms are connected. Though her books are nonfiction, her prose has been described as poetic and her images as fine art. She hopes to inspire a new generation of naturalists through her books and readings.