When Jon-Erik was a child, he spent time making booby traps under a white pine tree in his backyard, where he became good at daydreaming. He then progressed to writing rambling science-fiction stories, which he printed with a dot matrix printer and arranged on the basement floor. Today, he writes mostly at night, and scrolls through long drafts on his laptop to feel like he has accomplished something.

As a children’s author, he has published five books, including Tokyo Digs a Garden, illustrated by Kellen Hatanaka, which won the Governor General's Literary Award and was a finalist for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award. His book Maggie’s Treasure was selected as a 2021 White Raven International title, and The Language of Birds was named a 2026 Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year. Jon-Erik lives in Stratford, Ontario, with his family and a growing assortment of pets.

For inquiries regarding literary work or writing, please contact Emily van Beek at Folio Jr. / Folio Literary Management: Emily@foliolit.com · www.foliojr.com

Jon-Erik has a Masters of Education from the University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from York University, where he studied environment, culture and communication. 

As an educator with a passion for sustainability, Jon-Erik is available for school and library visits. His educational programming is designed to support literacy development, social‑emotional learning (SEL), and environmental education through story, guided discussion, and creative inquiry.

Other things Jon-Erik can be found doing in the on and off hours include looking for bags of money on roadsides, drinking too much coffee and forgetting why he walked into rooms.     

Jon-Erik lives in Stratford, Ontario with his wife, three daughters and a growing assortment of pets.