Our annual Illustrator Battle is back! Watch as a brand-new lineup of illustrators battle it out from their own drawing tables through a series of hilarious, interactive challenges. Featuring Canadian illustrators Sid Sharp, Jack Wong, and our Illustrator-in-Residence Ruth Ohi, with host Ardo Omer and special guest Marty Chan, this virtual event is packed with creativity, comedy, and artistic talent. Grades 5–8.
This event is sponsored by Tundra Books/Penguin Random House Canada.
Author / Illustrator
Ruth Ohi is an illustrator of over 60 children’s books, 23 of which she is also the author. She is the 2026 Illustrator-in-Residence at FOLD Kids Book Fest.
Author / Illustrator
Author / Illustrator
Director of Youth Programming
Ardo Omer is a Somali Canadian writer of short fiction which includes a short story in A Thousand Nights anthology edited by Nafiza Azad and Intisar Khanani. She is the Director of Youth Programming at the FOLD.
Make the most of your festival experience! Use the 2026 Educator Guide to extend student learning with discussion prompts, activities, and curriculum-based resources, and check out the Festival Book List to discover books to bring into your home, classroom or library.
Attendees present their creations!
Patrick de Belen
A spoken word poetry workshop.
Sarena Nanua and Sasha Nanua
A creative writing workshop.
