CARSTAIRS – A local publisher’s illustrated storybook recounting the tale of the real-life historical figure credited for organizing Alberta’s first-ever Stampede pancake breakfast that has since become a long-standing staple tradition, recently earned accolades at an annual event.
Flip Flop Flapjack: Wildhorse Jack and the First Stampede Breakfast was named Children’s and Young Adult Book of the Year at the 2024 Alberta Book Publishing Awards. It was written by Jack Morton’s granddaughter and Calgary-based author Brenda Joyce Leahy with illustrations by Melissa Bruglemans-LaBelle and published last year by Red Barn Books.
It was shortlisted as one of two titles not only in that category but also Book Illustration of the Year alongside another strong contender called Secrets of Yarrow, which for its part went on to win Mystery and Thriller Book of the Year, Graphic Novel of the Year as well as Book Illustration of the Year.
The artist behind the colourfully and uniquely stylized illustrations featured in Flip Flop Flapjack, who had never before been involved in such an endeavour, was over the moon that the Red Barn Books project ended up winning Children’s and Young Adult Book of the Year.
“I was thrilled. I was very honoured to be there,” said Bruglemans-LaBelle, adding she wasn’t quite sure how everything might pan out at the event.
The awards gala was hosted at the Varscona Theatre in Edmonton on Tuesday, Sept. 24 with delegates from across Canada gathering to celebrate the Alberta book publishing industry, with a total of 16 awards presented by the end.
“We were up against a pretty incredible book,” Bruglemans-LaBelle told the Albertan, referring to Secrets of Yarrow, written and illustrated by Bill Slavin.
“I did not know what to expect from something like that, it being the first publishing award gala that I’ve ever been to,” she added.
As Leahy was overseas in Spain and Red Barn Books founder Ayesha Clough had other priorities attending evening classes in pursuit of a bachelor of education, Bruglemans-LaBelle attended solo on behalf of the project’s team. But thanks to modern technology, the artist was able to bring her teammates along in spirit and wasted no time group texting her creative collaborators to share the good news.
“As soon as I sat down, I sent them off a picture of the award,” she said.
But she candidly confessed feeling a bit deflated by not also winning Book Illustration of the Year.
“I have to admit, I was a little sad,” she said, going on to recognize that she “was up against an artist who has been around for quite a while, and it was my first foray into doing a children’s book.”
However, she found plenty of solace in coming away with the title of Children’s and Young Adult Book of the Year, which was the first award presented that evening, and in the excitement of the moment when she was called up to the stage to accept the award and have photographs taken ended up forgetting about a speech she’d prepared in anticipation.
“I was pretty giddy,” she said. “It kind of just slipped my mind completely.”
Harbouring a life-long love of doodling and drawing since her childhood that ultimately led her to obtain two art degrees, she said the opportunity to work on the project “was definitely a dream come true, something that I always wanted to do – it was on my bucket list for sure.”
Once aspiring to join the ranks of talented hand-drawn animators at Disney, she was led down a different path having to pay off student loans as well as later providing for her family as a mother.
“But always in the back of my mind, I wanted to do children’s books,” she said, adding the stars seemed to align perfectly to open that door with this project.
“(Usually) you’d have to jump through some hoops to get to the point where a publisher or an author or anybody would really consider your work for their words,” she elaborated.
However, following a conversation with Clough over a cup of coffee seeking professional advice on how to get her feet in the door before the project had even taken off, one thing ultimately led to another.
When Clough learned about Bruglemans-LaBelle’s extensive background doing Stampede window paintings of horses and cowboys, the publisher’s interest was immediately piqued.
“That’s how it kind of started. It was just us getting together over coffee and then next thing you know, it just kind of went off from there,” she said.
“It was really quite an extraordinary experience,” she said. “I think I might be spoiled.”
For her part, Clough said she also enjoyed working on the project.
“Flapjack is such a cool story. I mean, I don’t know too many places where there’s a 100-year-old tradition that is carried on by volunteers,” the publisher said.
“The Stampede breakfast is such an icon of Calgary and to have a story written by Wild Horse Jack’s own granddaughter and to have someone as talented as Melissa illustrate it” made it all the more special, she said, adding Red Barn Books is focused on Western stories for both adults and children.
“The whole reason I started Red Barn was so that Alberta kids would grow up with Alberta stories,” she said.
“So, every time one of our kids’ books is recognized, it just tells me that I’m on the right path; keep doing what I'm doing, you know? It’s a huge shot in the arm.”
But after four consecutive years of earning titles at the annual awards gala, there won’t be another feather in their cap next year; if only because Red Barn Books did not publish a children’s book this year, she said.
However, Clough said the next instalment in Red Barn Books’ award-winning Howdy, I’m series remains in the works with plans to release the third title about Harnam Hari in the spring of 2025.
“And then we’ll have to see if we can make it five (awards),” she said, adding the story is essentially done but that finishing touches on the illustrations by Edmonton-based artist Ravina Toor remain under way.
With Sikh Heritage Month in April followed by Asian Heritage Month in May, Clough said the goal is to get Howdy, I’m Harnam Hari on the shelves before then.
“We want it out in time for both of those dates.”
