“In her more than 20 books for preschoolers, elementary school children, and young adults, Jocelyn demonstrates a rich versatility with genre, medium, and style. She has published compelling narratives in a wide range of genres, including young adult realism, historical fiction, biography/memoir, fantasy, and picture books. The emotional range of tone in her work is as broad and deep as her exploration of genre: she writes with equal conviction in the voice of satire, comedy, and tragedy. Inventiveness, humour, and a sharp understanding of human nature underlie her work for all ages.
She is a visual artist as well as a verbal one, as her numerous picture books show. Her collage art glories in the beauty and grace of the child’s domain, rich in artefacts, objects of play and contemplation. Her subtle use of endpapers and framing, textured materials, fabrics and found objects — her use of real ‘kid things’ — creates a visual world of identity, interest, and choice, showing the creative possibilities and thoughtfulness in the child’s world.”
— 2009 Vicky Metcalf Award Jury (Deirdre Baker, Julie Johnston, and Judith Saltman)