Category: award

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Alcuin Awards

We are honored to announce that the Alcuin Society has chosen two of our titles to receive their Awards for Excellence in Book Design. The Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada is the only national competition for book design in the country. Congratulations to our illustrators and designers!

2nd place in the children’s category:
Book design by Julie Morstad and C.S. Richardson

Julia ChildJulia, Child
Written by Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Hardcover | 32 Pages
Trim Size: 8-5/8 x 11-1/4
ISBN: 978-1-77049-449-7

3rd place in prose fiction:
Book design by Kelly Hill

LMM_Page_2Anne of Green Gables
Written by L.M. Montgomery
Hardcover | 400 Pages
Trim Size: 5-5/16 x 7-7/8
ISBN: 978-1-77049-730-6

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Canadian Library Association Honours List

We are happy to announce that the Canadian Library Association has included two of our titles as honour books during this year’s award. Congratulations to Charis and Susan!

CLA Book of the Year for Children Honour Book:

The SwallowThe Swallow
A Ghost Story
Written by Charis Cotter
Hardcover | 320 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-591-3
eBook: 978-1-77049-593-7
“The novel alternates between Polly’s and Rose’s first-person points of view, and Cotter ably creates their two distinct voices, each of which is appealing in its own way. This is a novel about loneliness and friendship, feeling invisible, finding your voice, and long-buried secrets. But The Swallow is never heavy-handed, and, best of all, it’s genuinely spooky. Cotter builds suspense without artificially withholding information from the reader. And for bibliophiles, the author’s subtle hat tips to favourite books are a joy. Like all the best ghost stories, The Swallow tells us more about the living than the dead. It is a fantastic addition to Toronto literature, with all the makings of a classic.” – Starred Review, Quill & Quire

CLA Young Adult Book Award Honour Book:

The Voice Inside My HeadThe Voice inside My Head
Written by S.J. Laidlaw
Hardcover | 256 Pages | Ages 14+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-565-4
eBook: 978-1-77049-566-1
“With so much choice available on the Young Adult market, it’s refreshing to come across an engaging, authentic, and compelling first-person protagonist-and a male one at that. S.J. Laidlaw lays out a crisp, enticing, and realistic fictional piece of work with a grippingly vivid, unexpected ending. The beauty of the story here is one of the unfaltering friendship that can be found in siblings … the believable dialogue and dialect shines in The Voice inside My Head. This is quite simply a page-turner, and one that will leave voices inside your head for days after. Add it to your summer reading list, Central American island optional.” – Children’s Book Review

We are very excited for our colleagues at Penguin whose The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier won the Book of the Year for Children award. Congratulations to our honorees and all the other nominees!

The award will be presented during the CLA National Conference and Trade Show at the Shaw Conference Centre, Ottawa on Thursday, June 4th 2015 at the Book Awards Reception.

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Comstock Read Aloud Book Award 2015

We are happy to announce that the Comstock Read Aloud Book Award released its list of winners and The Bambino and Me by Zachary Hyman, illustrated by Zachary Pullen, was an honor book!

BambinoComstockThe Bambino and Me
Written by Zachary Hyman
Illustrated by Zachary Pullen
Read by Jason Alexander
Hardcover | 48 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-627-9
“Students grades 1 through 5 enjoyed the book. They laughed at the pictures, especially when George defied his mother and got his mouth washed out with soap. And children laughed at some of the phrases in the book such as, ‘I’d rather kiss a girl.’ Both boys and girls liked the story and they especially liked the theme of never giving up.” – Comstock Read Aloud Honor Books 2015

The Comstock Read Aloud Book Award for children’s literature, sponsored by the Curriculum Materials Center at Minnesota State University Moorhead, is for the best picture book of the year to read aloud to older children (ages 9-12).

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Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards Shortlist

We are very excited to announce that two of our titles have been nominated for the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards! Congratulations to Cybèle Young, Dan Bar-el and Tatjana Mai-Wyss!

Picture Book Category:

Nancy KnowsNancy Knows
Written by Cybèle Young
Hardcover | 40 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 978-1-77049-482-4
“Nancy Knows is a great example of the power and charm of simple storytelling. Young’s prose is clear; each brief sentence is composed of carefully chosen words that inspire readers to take their time and savour the story (a fitting approach for a book about memory). But it is Young’s artwork that elevates the narrative to extraordinary heights…. Young once again works her magic, combining intricately detailed miniature paper sculptures (which represent memories) with soft, pencil-sketched outlines of Nancy and her surroundings. The effect is utterly mesmerizing.” – Starred Review, Quill & Quire

Middle Reader Category:

audreyAudrey (cow)
Written by Dan Bar-el
Illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss
Hardcover | 240 Pages | Ages 7-10
ISBN: 978-1-77049-602-6
“Animal Farm meets The Great Escape…. The back-and-forth among the characters is over the top … but Bar-el pulls it off with great charm. The result is purely delightful, as are Tatjana Mai-Wyss’s appropriately vintage-looking spot illustrations. The short first-person passages help move the story along, ending with a comedy-of-errors that culminates in Audrey happily living out her days at an animal sanctuary. Bar-el manages to gently and thoughtfully introduce kids to the concept of the abattoir while also underscoring that a farm’s very purpose is producing food. At its heart, Audrey (Cow) encourages kids to think even as it entertains – the mark of wonderful children’s literature.” – Starred Review, Quill and Quire

About the Award
The award, made possible by the Ruth Schwartz Foundation, is presented annually to the authors/illustrators of two outstanding works of Canadian children’s literature – a picture book and a young-adult/middle-reader title.

Ruth Schwartz was a respected Toronto bookseller who ran a bookstore in the Park Plaza Hotel. She made a special effort to promote Canadian-authored children’s books. In 1976, after Ruth Schwartz’s death, her sister, Sylvia, established an award in her name. In honour of the late Sylvia Schwartz, the family recently added her name to the award.

The award is administered jointly – the Ontario Arts Council oversees the jury process and publicizes the award and the Ontario Arts Foundation publicizes the award.

The winners are selected by two juries of young readers, which this year are students at Alexander Muir / Gladstone Avenue Junior and Senior Public School in Toronto and will be announced there on Friday, May 15, 2015.

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Manitoba Book Award Shortlist 2015

The Manitoba Writers’ Guild and the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers have announced the Manitoba Book Awards shortlists. We would like to congratulate Eva Wiseman, The World Outside has been shortlisted for the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award!

The World OutsideThe World Outside
Written by Eva Wiseman
Hardcover | 240 Pages | Ages 12 and up
ISBN: 978-0-88776-981-8
eBook: 978-0-88776-982-5
“Wiseman is known for choosing unique time periods in Jewish history for her books. She authentically portrays a young woman torn between two worlds. Readers of all backgrounds will be able to empathize with Chanie…. Recommended for libraries looking to enhance their collections about cultural groups and self-identity.” – School Library Journal

Eva Wiseman won the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award for Puppet in 2010 and My Canary Yellow Star in 2001 and was shortlisted for the award in 2013 for The Last Song. Fingers crossed for another win!

UPDATE: We are thrilled to announce that Eva was chosen as the winner! This is the first time the award has been won three times by one author. Congratulations, Eva!

Tundra Book Group