You're contacting media contact of this press release
Title: Janis Latimore Oh Nigel, Is That You Book Exhibition at the 2026 Beijing International Book Fair
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 2nd Jun 2026 - Told entirely in verse, the collection follows Nigel from infancy through age twelve, with each short poem capturing a distinct season of his life—biting and climbing as a baby, running the stairs at one, losing a beloved grandmother at nine, and missing friends during the COVID-19 pandemic at ten. The recurring refrain “Oh, Nigel, is that you?” gives the book its heartbeat: a gentle, knowing question that acknowledges how children grow through their mischief and their grief alike.What distinguishes the collection is its emotional range. Latimore does not soften the harder passages of childhood. Nigel’s world includes real loss and real disruption, set alongside the joys of drumming, sports, and learning French. That balance gives the book an authenticity that will resonate with children who recognize their own lives on the page, and with the adults who remember theirs.The final poem—depicting Nigel at twelve as an altar boy who prays, sings, reads, and rings the bell—marks a quietly powerful turn. The refrain shifts from question to affirmation: “Oh, Nigel, this is you!” It is a moment of recognition and arrival, suggesting that identity is not assigned but accumulated through all the years that came before.Harriatt’s illustrations complement the verse with warmth and specificity, grounding each poem in a visual world that feels immediate and real. Photographs of the real Nigel appear throughout, bridging the illustrated story and the life behind it—an unusual choice that deepens the book’s sense of personal testimony.Latimore dedicated the collection to her nieces and nephews, and that dedication is felt throughout. Oh Nigel, Is That You? is the work of someone who has paid close attention to the ordinary detail...
This press release is issued by King Newswire