Diane Carmel Léger
Diane Carmel Léger grew up in the village of Memramcook, NB, and taught for 20 years in Victoria, British Columbia. Homesickness for Acadie led her to write the bestselling youth novel, La butte à Pétard, which was the name of her village before the Acadian deportations. It was followed by another bestseller in 1990, Maxine’s Tree, a picture book inspired by her family’s involvement in saving Canada’s tallest tree.
Diane has written 10 books and, so far, has done her own translations. Her latest releases are La patate cadeau OU la “ vraie” histoire de la poutine râpée, finalist for the 2015 Prix Tamarac in Ontario, and her translation, Piau’s Potato Present.
She is the recipient of several awards and distinctions, and has toured schools in Canada and several American states since 1991. Most recently, she was honoured with the Prix Éloi for her writing and contributions to culture in New Brunswick and in Canada.
Diane’s four dynamic presentations can be done in either French or English. Having taught students from kindergarten to grade 11, she can easily adapt to all levels. Diane strives to inspire and to show how to use life’s experiences to build a story.
She is a member of WISP, AAAPNB, WFNS, WITS, amd Communication-Jeunesse.
Publications
La butte à Pétard, Les éditions de l’Acadie, 1989 (Mention spéciale Prix France-Acadie 1990)
Maxine’s Tree, Orca Book Publishers, 1990 (The Canadian Children’s Book Centre Choice 1991)
The Attic of All Sorts, Orca Book Publishers,1991 (The Canadian Children’s Book Centre Choice 1992)
Rosette and the Muddy River, Orca Book Publishers, 1991
Cédric et le porc-épic, Chenelière/McGraw-Hill, 2002
Charlotte et la dame aux corbeaux, Chenelière/McGraw-Hill, 2002
L’arbre de Maxine, Les Éditions des Plaines, 2004 (Finalist Prix France Acadie 200)
La butte à Pétard, Édition augmentée, Bouton d’or Acadie, 2004 (Hackmatack Award Winner 2006-French Fiction; Communication-Jeunesse-sélection (Québec) 2005-200; Choisir-un-livre-sélection (France) 2008)
Who’s in Maxine’s Tree? Orca Book Publishers, 2006 (Resource Links “The Year’s Best”)
Qui est dans l’arbre de Maxine ? Les éditions des Plaines, 2006
Le grenier d’Emily Carr, Les Éditions des Plaines, 2006
Emily Carr’s Attic, Orca Book Publishers, 2006 (Canada Selected for Best Books for Kids & Teens 2009)
Retour à la butte à Pétard, Bouton d’or Acadie, 2008 (Finalist for the Prix France-Acadie 2009; Choisir-un-livre-sélection (France 2009)
Échos de la butte à Pétard, Bouton d’or Acadie, 2011 (Finalist for the Prix France-Acadie 2011)
La patate cadeau ou la vraie histoire de la poutine râpée, Bouton d’or Acadie, 2014 (Finalist for the Prix Tamarac 2015)
Piau’s Potato Present, Bouton d’or Acadie, 2014
