Children’s author inspired by walks around the city
In Andrew Larsen’s latest book, “The Bird Feeder,” a child spends time with his grandmother in her final days while sharing in the small-scale drama happening at a bird feeder outside her hospice window.
Montreal-born but Torontoraised, Larsen wrote the first draft after helping his own mother check into a hospice in 2019. “We went in on a Friday and by the end of the day Saturday, I had written most of the text,” he says. “I never showed it to her because I knew she wouldn’t like the ending. But it helped me get through that experience.”
Larsen has made a career of turning his experiences into picture books. He formerly worked in the restaurant industry, but when he and his wife Esther had kids, they decided she’d go back to work and he’d stay home. Based in the Annex, the family doesn’t have a car — Larsen doesn’t even drive — so it was parenting life that was all about walking around the neighbourhood.
“I was reading them a lot of stories. And then I thought maybe I could do this,” recalls Larsen, who took to writing about the world through the eyes of his kids, hence his books about libraries, hockey and baseball.
Now, many years and 18 books later, the kids don’t generate as many story ideas — the youngest is 17. “I guess it happens to urban parents as the kids get older, now I’m walking around with the dog. So I’m no longer thinking about parks and libraries, but dog parks.” Hence, his next book will be called “Sally’s Big Day,” inspired by his mini golden doodle’s experience in puppy school.
What are some places in the neighbourhood that you love?
I love libraries, and with my kids we went to a lot of libraries and their play groups. We went often to the Lillian H. Smith Library, which had a really good children’s group. Lillian Smith changed the face of what libraries are, and invited kids to engage in them at a time when kids weren’t really welcome in libraries at all. It’s got a fantastic children’s collection and amazing rooms for programs. The Wychwood Library, which was just renovated and reopened, is very interesting because it’s a Carnegie Library. Andrew Carnegie funded over 2,500 libraries around the world, including some in Toronto.
We love the Hot Docs cinema. We used to go a couple of times a month. I have a friend who is a documentary filmmaker so he often tells me about good things coming out.
What are some of your outdoor destinations in the area?
A favourite walk is in the Nordheimer Ravine. We used to call it “the nature walk.” It’s like you’re walking in the country. It’s not that long of a walk so when the kids got older we’d continue on along the Cedarvale Ravine. After my mom died, I walked through that ravine almost daily for months; it was a place where I sorted out my loss and did my grieving.
We live in a flat so when my kids were little, they learned to do stairs on the steps that go up to Casa Loma and the Spadina Museum (also known as Spadina House). I do those steps with the dog now. I love to walk on the grounds up there. A lot of the work that I do is thinking about how to move stories along, so when I’m walking the dog, I’m doing work in many ways. It’s pleasure, but it’s work too.
My son starting playing baseball when he was in Grade 1 or so and it grew to be a passionate thing for him. I would go to all the games and then I became a coach because they needed help with corralling the kids and schlepping stuff around. Over the years I have spent a lot of time at Christie Pits with baseball. I often watch the Toronto Maple Leafs (part of the Intercounty Baseball League). The dog likes to sit and watch people go by and I like to sit and watch baseball.
A lot of the work that I do is thinking about how to move stories along, so when I’m walking the dog, I’m doing work in many ways. It’s pleasure, but it’s work, too.
ANDREW L ARSEN CHILDREN’S AUTHOR
What are some of your favourite foods in the neighbourhood?
During the pandemic we started ordering in a lot. We order from Banjara on Bloor Street, which has amazing butter chicken. And we order in from Swatow on Spadina, which has what I think is probably the world’s greatest fried rice. It’s something I’ve tried to replicate at home but can’t. We order a ton of fried rice and then reheat it so we have leftovers for days.
We order pizza from Fresca Pizza & Pasta on College Street. It’s just really good old school pizza. If we eat there, we will sit on the picnic tables outside or just bring it home. We usually get the marinara or the pepperoni. You have to paint the basil garlic oil on your pizza, it’s delightful — it was my son who turned me on to this.
Where do you like to go beyond the Annex?
I have some friends at Yonge and St. Clair, Yonge and Eglinton, and we’ll go walking in Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Once upon a time I would never want to go walking in a cemetery, but it’s an extraordinarily beautiful pace with so many different trees, so many different birds. The gravestones get your mind wandering about who these people were and what their story was.
And there’s a place that I’ve just discovered called Dessert Lady, on Sultan Street near the old Windsor Arms. I like to go there and have a latte sitting outside on the patio. You’re a block from Bloor Street, but it doesn’t feel like that — it’s a beautiful little enclave.