Mireille Messier

BIOGRAPHY
Mireille Messier is a Montreal-born, Ottawa-raised and now Nova Scotia-based children’s author with a background in theatre and broadcasting. She has published over thirty picture books and chapter books, some in French, some in English. Some have even won awards!

When she is not writing books, Mireille works in children’s television as a scriptwriter for various programs. She also enjoys doing translation and corporate writing of youth-oriented material for such clients as the Dairy Farmers of Canada, General Mills, Scholastic Canada, TFO, Kraft Foods and Via Rail.

On average, Mireille gives one hundred in-person and virtual school presentations per year to French, French immersion and English groups across Canada.

PUBLICATIONS

Nevin Knows
Mireille Messier – Ill. Elena Comte – Orca Book – 2025 – 32p.
(Also available in French with Orca Book)

LOUPE Tome 3 – Coupe et soucoupe à Sudbury
Mireille Messier – Éditions David – Coll. Pigeon voyageur – 2024 – 160 p.

LOUPE Tome 2 – Déclic à Toronto
Mireille Messier – Éditions David – Coll. Pigeon voyageur – 2024 – 174 p.

LOUPE Tome 1 – Une Twiga à Ottawa
Mireille Messier – Éditions David – Coll. Pigeon voyageur – 2024 – 118 p.

The Magic Cap
Mireille Messier – Ill. Charlotte Parent – Milky Way Books – 2023 – 40 p.
(also available in French with Comme des géants)

No Horses in the House: The Audacious Life of Artist Rosa Bonheur
Mireille Messier – Ill. Anna Bron – Orca Book – 2023 – 40 p.
(also available in French with Orca Book)

Star: The Bird Who Inspired Mozart
Mireille Messier – Ill. Matte Stephens – Tundra Books – 2022 – 40 p.

Je déteste les moustiques, mais…
Mireille Messier – Ill. Catherine Petit – Éditions de l’Isatis – Coll. Clin d’œil – 2022 – 24 p.

Tom-Aime-Tout
Mireille Messier – Ill. Alice Lemelin – Tête Haute – Coll. Petite poésie – 2022 – 24 p.

Nutcracker Night
Mireille Messier – Ill. Gabrielle Grimard – Pajama Press – 2020 – 40 p.
(also available in French with Éditions Scholastic)

Sergeant Billy : The True Story of the Goat Who Went to War
Mireille Messier – Ill. Kass Riech – Tundra Books – 2020 – 40 p.
(also available in French with Isatis)

Treasure
Mireille Messier – Ill. Irene Luxbacher – Orca Book – 2019 – 32 p.
(also available in French with Orca Book)

Tellement sauvage!
Mireille Messier – Ill. France Cormier – Éditions D’Eux – 2018 (juin) – 32 p.

À qui le coco?
Mireille Messier – Ill. Caroline Merola – Éditions de l’Isatis – Coll. Clin d’œil – 2018 – 24 p.

Moi aussi! Moi aussi!
Mireille Messier – Ill. Yves Dumont – Éditions de la Bagnole – Coll. Klaxon – 2017 – 32 p.

The Branch
Mireille Messier – Ill. : Pierre Pratt – Kids Can Press – 2017 – 32 p.
(also available in French with Éditions Scholastic)

Une bestiole à l’école
Mireille Messier – Ill. Catherine Petit – Éditions de l’Isatis – Coll. Clin d’œil – 2016 – 24 p.

Le voilier d’Olivier – une aventure en anagrammes
Mireille Messier – Ill. : Loufane – Éditions Scholastic – 2014 – 32 p.

La salade de César
Mireille Messier – Ill. : Julie Cossette– Éditions de la Smala – 2014 – 32 p.

AWARDS

Winner

Hackmatack Award (2022, non fiction, Sergeant Billy)

Christopher Award (2019, Sergeant Billy)

Prix du livre jeunesse AAOF (2021, Trésor)

Rocky Mountain Book Award (2020, Sergeant Billy)

Shining Willow Award (2020, Sergeant Billy)

Prix Mélèze, Forest of Reading  (2021, Sergent Billy FR)

Prix du livre jeunesse de l’Alliance française de Toronto (2015, Fatima et les voleurs)

Finalist

GG Award (2017, The Branch)

IODE Jean Throop Award (2023, No Horses in the House)

Prix Peuplier, Forest of Reading (Pas de chevaux dans la maison,  2024, et +)

Prix AAOF du livre jeunesse (Pas de chevaux dans la maison) 2024

Blue Spruce Award (2018, The Branch)

Chickadee Book Award (2018, The Branch)


Scroll to Top

Experience Levels

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) uses the following terms to describe writers’ experience levels:

  • New writers: those with less than two years’ creative writing experience and/or no short-form publications (e.g., short stories, personal essays, or poems in literary magazines, journals, anthologies, or chapbooks).
  • Emerging writers: those with more than two years’ creative writing experience and/or numerous short-form publications.
  • Early-career authors: those with 1 or 2 book-length publications or the equivalent in book-length and short-form publications.
  • Established authors: those with 3 or 4 book-length publications.
  • Professional authors: those with 5 or more book-length publications.

Please keep in mind that each form of creative writing (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children and young adults, and others) provides you with a unique set of experiences and skills, so you might consider yourself an ‘established author’ in one form but a ‘new writer’ in another.

The “Recommended experience level” section of each workshop description refers to the above definitions. A workshop’s participants should usually have similar levels of creative writing and / or publication experience. This ensures that each participant gets value from the workshop⁠ and is presented with information, strategies, and skills that suit their career stage. 

For “intensive” and “masterclass” workshops, which provide more opportunities for peer-to-peer feedback, the recommended experience level should be followed closely.

For all other workshops, the recommended experience level is just that—a recommendation—and we encourage potential participants to follow their own judgment when registering.

If you’re uncertain of your experience level with regard to any particular workshop, please feel free to contact us at communications@writers.ns.ca