Author archive

Jeff Pinkney

# Children’s Books by Jeff Pinkney ## The Parry Sound Air Orchestra **by Jeff Pinkney (Author), Yazmin Gray (Illustrator)** Dev, an eleven-year-old newcomer to Parry Sound, gets a chance to be guest conductor at the Festival of the Sound’s, Music Scores, youth concert. He’s also in try-outs for the U-12 summer hockey selects. The big game is Saturday afternoon at two-o’clock, but so is the concert! Classical music has reached out and grabbed him, and he loves it, but he loves hockey too! Will Dev follow his heart? Will it be in time for the opening face-off or to lift the baton for the opening notes? Reading Age: 8-12 years Grade Level: 4, 5 & 6 Print Length: 90 pages [SeaFlea Bookworks](https://seaflea.ca), May 2025 EXCERPT “Be sure to take your practice shots. Bobby Orr shot pucks in his garage every night. The harder you work at practice the better. Gotta run, Dev. Love you, bye-bye.” As I give the phone back to Gramps, he says with a wink, “Mozart worked hard at practice, too.” That night I keep dreaming of music notes turning into hockey pucks, and back into music notes again  PURCHASE: [Ebook](https://www.amazon.ca/Parry-Sound-Air-Orchestra-ebook/dp/B0FLF83KR1/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.FyIDxcR8EF_O6m8VPj1g3Q.ZmOwqL8mSv6QtFlminp4HqlY2rcfkXHcfIBzoWUtkZM&qid=1769463918&sr=1-1) [Paperback](https://www.amazon.ca/Parry-Sound-Air-Orchestra/dp/B0FBLGW6NC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NKN0OWMKO0UR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.FyIDxcR8EF_O6m8VPj1g3Q.ZmOwqL8mSv6QtFlminp4HqlY2rcfkXHcfIBzoWUtkZM&dib_tag=se&keywords=parry+sound+air+orchestra&qid=1769463918&s=books&sprefix=parry+sound+air+orchestra%2Cstripbooks%2C153&sr=1-1)  PURCHASE: [Ebook](https://www.orcabook.com/Soapstone-Signs-P2255) [Audiobook](https://www.orcabook.com/Soapstone-Signs-P2255) [Paperback](https://www.amazon.ca/Soapstone-Signs-Jeff-Pinkney/dp/1459804007) ## Soapstone Signs **by Jeff Pinkney (Author), Darlene Gait (Illustrator)** **One spring, a nine-year-old boy is visited by a master soapstone carver named Lindy, who gives him four pieces of soapstone.** The primary secret to carving, the boy learns, is recognizing that each piece of soapstone already holds its true form inside. Lindy teaches the boy to listen to the soapstone and look to the world around him for signs as to what to carve. As the seasons change, the young boy’s experiences lend him opportunities to develop his carving skills and become attuned to the signs around him. He eagerly awaits the following spring, which will bring Lindy’s return and a chance to show off his carvings.  **First prize** – TWUC/CANSCAIP 11th Annual Children’s Writing Competition  **Best Book for 2015, Red Star** (denoting a title of exceptional caliber) -Canadian Children’s Book Centre Reading Age: 6 – 9 years Grade Level: 1-4 Print Length: 64 pages Orca Book Publishers, Nov 2014 EXCERPT Today, when Lindy finishes a carving, I become curious. “How do you know what you will carve next?” He pauses, looking thoughtful. “You ask the stone,” he says. “Whatever it is going to be, it is already there.” “How does the stone answer you?” “Sometimes, you might be given a sign, and then you will know what to carve.” I hold the soapstone to my ear all the way home but it does not speak to me. I ask it lots of questions but it doesn’t reply. I hold it up to a lamp, but I still can’t see into it. I cradle the stone until it is as warm as I am, but I still don’t know what it’s meant to be. ## Soapstone Porcupine **by Jeff Pinkney (Author), Darlene Gait (Illustrator)** **The dog shows up the way snow does on a winter’s day.** She just drifts