Biography
Kyo is a self-professed spork — her father is British and her mother is Japanese. She was born in England, where she enjoyed a brief theatrical career in London’s West End. Little did she know when she appeared in The King and I that her one line — “I believe in snow” — would be prophetic. At age four, in the midst of a very snowy winter, she and her parents moved to Toronto, Canada. #Later Kyo attended university, where she did not study dentistry or architecture (much to the great vexation and sorrow of her parents), but instead pursued a degree in Art History. She followed this degree with another vexing degree in Cultural Studies (her poor parents). Alas, though she acquired several useful skills as a longtime student (e.g. pencil sharpening, binder organization and laundry folding), neither degree led to particularly enriching employment. This is just as well because there is nothing like being hungry and bored and underemployed to fire up one’s imagination.#Kyo now resides in Toronto, where she shares a home with two children, a cat, a musician and a lot of books. In addition to writing, she likes to listen to music, watch old movies, do yoga, make art and play around in her bright, open kitchen. Spork, the story of a mixed kitchen utensil and Kyo’s debut book for children, was originally conceived with her husband to celebrate the birth of their first child. As well as writing for children, Kyo is a novelist and a visual-arts writer.
Awards
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The Specific Ocean
2016 - Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre, Winner
2015 - The Huffington Post's Best Picture Books of 2015, Huffington Post, Winner
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Mr. Flux
2014 - Best Books of the Year for Children and Young Adults - Outstanding Merit, Bank Street Children's Book Committee, Winner
2014 - Rainforest of Reading, Ontario Library Association, Commended
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Virginia Wolf
2014 - Digital Book Award, Best ebook — Fixed Format/Enhanced: Children, Digital Book World Conference, Winner
2014 - IBBY Honour List Children’s Books for 2014, Illustration, IBBY Canada, Winner
2013 - Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award, Canadian Library Association, Commended
2013 - CCBC Choices, Cooperative Children's Book Center, Commended
2013 - Outstanding International Book, USBBY, Winner
2013 - Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, International Youth Library, Commended
2013 - White Raven Award, Ontario Library Association, Winner
2012 - Best Bets, Picture Books, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Commended
2012 - Best Books for Kids & Teens, Starred Selection, Quill & Quire, Winner
2012 - Books of the Year, IBBY Canada, Winner
2012 - Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award, Canada Council for the Arts, Winner
2012 - Governor General’s Literary Award, Children’s Illustration, , Winner
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Spork
2019 - Three Communities One Story, Libraries of Peel Region, Winner
2011 - Best Books for Kids & Teens, Starred Selection, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Winner
2011 - Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street Children's Book Committee, Winner
2010 - Horace Mann Upstanders Book Award, IBBY, Short-listed
2010 - Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities, , Winner
Picture Books
The Specific Ocean, 2015
Mr. Flux, 2013
Virginia Wolf, 2012
Spork, 2010