Children’s author and illustrator Barbara Reid is set to be appointed to the Order of Ontario. Reid will receive the province’s highest honour for her “unparalleled” influence on children’s publishing in Canada over the past 20 years, according to a statement from the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.

A life-long resident of Toronto, Reid has published more than 20 books, sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide, and is internationally recognized for her bold and unusual plasticine illustrations. She is the author of well-known titles such as Two By Two, Perfect Snow, and The Party, which won the Governor General’s Award for illustration in 1997. Her most recent book is Picture a Tree, published in 2011 by Scholastic Canada.

Lieutenant Governor David C. Onley will invest Reid and 26 other Ontarians at a ceremony at Queen’s Park on Jan. 26.