2021 Willow Awards

The Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards aims to promote reading and celebrate Canadian literature each year. We would like to congratulate Mireille Messier and Kass Reich whose Sergeant Billy has won the Shining Willow award.

Sergeant Billy: The True Story of the Goat Who Went to War
By Mireille Messier
Illustrated by Kass Reich
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 |  Hardcover
ISBN 9780735264427 | Tundra Books
During World War I, a goat named Billy was adopted by a platoon of soldiers and made his way across the ocean to be part of the war effort.
Billy . . .
•   Trained with the soldiers
•   Was smuggled across the ocean
•   Got snuck into the frontlines in a box of oranges
•   Ate some secret documents and was arrested for treason
•   Got trench foot
•   Head-butted soldiers into a trench and saved them from a shell
•   Came back home a decorated war hero
This charming true story follows Sergeant Billy from his small prairie town to the trenches of World War I and back, through harrowing moments, sad moments, moments of camaraderie and moments of celebration. This unforgettable goat and the platoon that loved him will capture your heart!

2020 Willow Awards

The Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards aims to promote reading and celebrate Canadian literature each year. We would like to congratulate Kelley Armstrong whose Aftermath won the Snow Willow Award and Cale Atkinson whose Sir Simon: Super Scarer won the Shining Willow Award.

Aftermath
By Kelley Armstrong
384 Pages | Ages 12+| Paperback
ISBN 9780385686471 | Penguin Teen Canada
Three years ago, Skye’s brother Luka died in a mass shooting at the local high school. But there’s no sympathy for Skye and her family because Luka wasn’t a victim – he was a shooter. Now, Skye returns to the small town she had fled to start anew. But the scars of the past don’t heal easily. And there’s one person Skye dreads seeing most: Jesse Matin. Her childhood crush and former best friend until the massacre tore them apart. Told in alternating points of view, Skye and Jesse wade into the mystery of what took place that fateful day. But someone clearly doesn’t want Skye back in town, and when she and Jesse uncover new evidence that could clear Luka’s name, it becomes obvious that someone wants the past to stay buried. In the aftermath of violence, someone has to pay. Blood for blood.

Sir Simon: Super Scarer
By Cale Atkinson
48 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781101919095 | Tundra Books
Meet Sir Simon, Super Scarer. He’s a professional ghost who has been transferred to his first house. And to top it off, this house is occupied by an old lady – they’re the easiest to haunt! But things don’t go as planned when it turns out a KID comes with this old lady. Chester spots Simon immediately and peppers him with questions. Simon is exasperated. . . until he realizes he can trick Chester into doing his ghost chores. After a long night of haunting, it seems that maybe Chester isn’t cut out to be a ghost, so Simon decides to help with Chester’s human chores. Turns out Simon isn’t cut out for human chores either. But maybe they’re both cut out to be friends . . .

The 2014 Shining Willow Award Winner

The Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice’s Willow Awards promotes reading by granting a Willow Award to the Canadian books voted by students to be the best of those nominated in three categories: Shining Willow, Diamond Willow, and Snow Willow. The 2014 Willow Awards winners were announced at the SaskEnergy Willow Awards Gala 2015 on May 14, 2015.

Congratulations to K’naan, Sol Guy, and Rudy Gutierrez for winning the Shining Willow Award!

When I Get OlderWhen I Get Older
The Story behind “Wavin’ Flag”

Written by K’naan and Sol Guy
Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-302-5
“Somali-Canadian musician K’naan’s first children’s book tells the inspirational story of his immigration to Canada to escape the Somali War. K’naan uses accessible yet poetic language to draw in young readers, exploring his adjustment to Canada and how music kept him connected to his family. Gutierrez’s artwork powerfully conveys a new immigrant’s sense of alienation.” – Parents Canada

2015 Willow Awards Nominations

The Willow AwardsThe Willow Awards have been announced! We are very happy to see that three of our titles have been nominated for the Shining Willow Award and one for the Diamond Willow. Congratulations to Roy MacGregor, Geneviève Després, Eric Walters, Eugenie Fernandes, Elise Gravel, and Charis Cotter for their fantastic work!

Click here for a bookmark checklist for the Shining Willow nominees and click here for the Diamond Willow bookmark.

Shining Willow Nominees:

The Highest Number in the WorldThe Highest Number in the World
Written by Roy MacGregor
Illustrated by Geneviève Després
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-5753
“MacGregor’s writing packs an emotional punch without relying on sentimentality (‘Gabe’s heart felt as if a skate had just run across it’). Expressive pencil drawings, brightened with color washes, perfectly capture the characters’ feelings. From the moment Grandma begins to share her past and her passion for hockey, the story’s context becomes broader, more complex, and more meaningful. A memorable, intergenerational picture book perfect for sharing.” – Starred Review, Booklist

My Name Is BlessingMy Name Is Blessing
Written by Eric Walters
Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes
Hardcover | 32 Pages |Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-301-8
“This expressive picture book, based on a real family, lovingly tells a hard story with a twist. It’s difficult to broach poverty, disability and custody issues in so few pages without sounding maudlin, but Walters manages by speaking simply…. With dignity and quiet acceptance, this story illustrates that blessings, like family, can take unexpected forms.” – Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews

The WormThe Worm
Written by Elise Gravel
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-633-0
“Gravel covers basics like worm anatomy and diet with simple text and bold, hand-lettered typography. But it’s the earthworm protagonist, sporting a beret and greeting readers with a worldly ‘Énchanté!’, that helps make the book so entertaining. It has a witty quip for every wormy fact…. But even the book’s more aesthetically challenged creatures-tapeworms, I’m looking at you-can’t help but woo with their cute dot-eyes and expressive mouths. The Worm is gross, silly, and informative-the perfect combo for maximum kid appeal.” – Science Friday

Diamond Willow Nominee:

The SwallowThe Swallow
A Ghost Story
Written by Charis Cotter
Hardcover | 320 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-591-3
“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

2013 Willow Award Nominations

The Willow AwardsThe Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Award (SYRCA) has three awards-the Shining Willow Award, kindergarten to grade 3; the Diamond Willow Award, grades 4 to 6; and the Snow Willow Award, grades 7 to 9. Ten books written by Canadian authors are nominated at each level. We are happy to announce the following Tundra nominations for the 2013 Willow Awards:

Shining Willow:
Here Comes Hortense!Here Comes Hortense!
Written by Heather Hartt-Sussman
Illustrated by Georgia Graham
Hardcover | 32 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-221-9
What could be more fun for a six-year-old than having your nana and her new husband take you to a theme park? But Nana and Bob announce that they’ve planned a surprise: they are going to be joined by Bob’s granddaughter, Hortense. It turns out to be the worst surprise ever.

Diamond Willow:
A Tinfoil SkyA Tinfoil Sky
Written by Cyndi Sand-Eveland
Hardcover | 224 Pages
Pub Date: January 2012
ISBN: 978-1-77049-277-6
eBook: 978-1-77049-294-3
Twelve-year-old Mel and her mother Cecily live in poverty, and eventually end up homeless. When Cecily is jailed, Mel must live with her grandmother Gladys, who is very distrustful. Mel is determined to beat incredible odds and steer her own destiny, but she has some tough decisions to make.

Snow Willow:
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K LarsenThe Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larson
Written by Susin Nielsen
Hardcover | 256 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-372-8
eBook: 978-1-77049-373-5
Henry’s family is trying to put back the pieces of their lives, after the worst-case bully scenario leaves them each shattered in their own way. Henry tries to keep his past a secret, and his new group of oddball friends help him navigate the waters of life after “IT”.

Congratulations to our authors!

In 2011, over 13,000 children and young adults throughout the province voted for their favourite book. That same year, Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom by Susin Nielsen won the Snow Willow Award.

Students are still in the process of voting for the 2012 awards. Award winners will be announced in April at the annual Gala. Tundra’s 2012 Shining Willow nominees include Ella May and the Wishing Stone by Cary Fagan, illustrated by Geneviève Côté and In the Bag! by Monica Kulling, illustrated by David Parkins.

For more information, please visit www.willowawards.ca.

Tundra Book Group