One of Canada's all-time best-selling authors and British Columbia's most sought-after public speaker, David Bouchard has presented to hundreds of thousands of educators, parents and students the world over. Through his keynotes and presentations, he champions literacy and promotes Aboriginal culture. Canada's most published and respected Metis writer defines the roles and responsibilities of educators and parents in providing children with the gift of reading. A former teacher and principal, Bouchard is an award-winning author of over thirty five best selling books, published in many countries and languages. He also speaks and writes in Canada's both official languages, English and French. David Bouchard's books have won several prestigious awards, among them: Recipient of the Order of Canada for literature in 2009, the country's highest distinction, the Gold Medal in the Moonbeam Award from I am Raven in 2008, the Bronze Medal in the same Moonbeam Award for Nokum is my Teacher in 2007, the Governor General's Award for The Song Within My Heart in 2004, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry award for Voices from the Wild in 1997, the Red Cedar Award for The Great Race in 1999 and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon award for illustration for The Dragon New Year in 1999. His books have been short-listed many times for Canada's most outstanding awards, among them: the Mr. Christie Award for The Great Race in 1997, the Governor General's Award for The Great Race in 1997 and for The Dragon New Year in 1998, the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Book Prize for If You're not from the Prairie in 1996, the Silver Birch Award for If You're not from the Prairie in 1996, Voices from the Wild in 1997, If Sarah Will Take Me in 1998 and for A Barnyard Bestiary, the Hackamatack Award and the Rocky Mountain Award, both in 2000.If You're not from the Prairie is listed on MacLean's list of the Top Twenty Children's books in the history of Canada. If You're Not From the Prairie, Qu'Appelle, and The Song Within My Heart all appear on a Southam News list of 25 Canadian Children's Classics. His message is spelled out in his best selling book The Gift of Reading and expanded on in the sequel, For the Love of Reading. Shared responsibility is the first step to succeeding in promoting literacy. Bouchard shares his perspective: "We do not need new curriculum or harder working teachers in order to get our students to read. We need parents, teachers and administrators who read. The key lies in modeling." David is married to Vicki and their combined family totals five: Adrien, Etienne, Todd, Ashleigh and Victoria.