2013 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award

The winners were announced on Tuesday night for the 2013 Canadian Children’s Literature Awards. Tundra is extremely happy to tell you that we took home the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, an award that honours excellence in the illustrated picture book format, for children aged 3 to 8. Congratulations to Cary Fagan and Dušan Petričić!

Mr Zingers HatMr. Zinger’s Hat
Written by Cary Fagan
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
“A charming, marvelous tale surrounding the art of creating and telling stories, Mr. Zinger’s Hat celebrates the budding friendship between an elderly writer and a young boy who discovers a storyteller within … Fagan’s writing is beautifully crafted. The exchanges between his protagonists are so vivid that one feels as if one is eavesdropping in on a real conversation … Petričić’s engaging artwork deftly juxtaposes two distinct styles which portray a real-life setting and an imaginary world … The illustrations vividly depict the storyteller’s wry humour and the boy’s wide-eyed innocence.”

Many thanks to the jury memebers: Lorraine Filyer, former Literature Officer, Ontario Arts Council; Todd Kyle, CEO, Newmarket Public Library and President, Board of Directors, Canadian Children’s Book Centre; and Senta Ross, children’s book reviewer and former elementary teacher and teacher-librarian.

This year, TD Bank Group, sponsor of the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, partnered with CBC Books to present the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Fan Choice Award. Young readers were asked to pick their favourite book from the shortlisted TD Award titles in an online poll. Annaka Leib of Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, was in attendance to present the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Fan Choice Award to Polly Horvath for her novel, One Year in Coal Harbour. The other winners were:

TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award
One Year in Coal Harbour written by Polly Horvath

Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction
Kids of Kabul: Living Bravely Through a Never-Ending War written by Deborah Ellis

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People
The Lynching of Louie Sam written by Elizbeth Stewart

John Spray Mystery Award
The Lynching of Louie Sam written by Elizbeth Stewart

Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy
Seraphina written by Rachel Hartman

Congratulations to all the authors and we have photos from the ceremony on Instagram!

2012 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Awards

On November 21, 2012, the Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) announced the winners of its six major Canadian children’s book awards – the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction, Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, John Spray Mystery Award, and the inaugural Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy.

The winners were announced at a gala event at The Ritz-Carlton in Toronto. Swanky!

Garvia Bailey of CBC Radio’s Big City, Small World was the fabulous host of the night. She’s funny, entertaining, and keeps the energy in the room going – we hope she returns next year!

Tundra had a few finalists up for awards that night. The Dragon Turn by Shane Peacock and Stones for My Father by Trilby Kent were nominated for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. “Scribbling Women” by Marthe Jocelyn for the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction, The Case of the Missing Deed by Ellen Schwartz and The Dragon Turn by Shane Peacock were also nominated for the John Spray Mystery Award.

In the end, it came down to the big award…

The jury members of the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award this year were:

  • Gail Hamilton, Manitoba Chair, Best Books for Kids & Teens and former CCBC Regional Officer, teacher-librarian and Library Learning Resources Consultant, Manitoba Department of Education;
  • Carol-Ann Hoyte, children’s poet and Assistant Librarian, Selwyn House School;
  • Kathleen Martin, writer, editor, and President, Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia;
  • Judith Saltman, Associate Professor, School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, and Chair of the Master of Arts in Children’s Literature Program, University of British Columbia; and
  • Larry Swartz, Instructor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) and author of Good Books Matter.

Thank you to this year’s jury members! We know that being a juror isn’t easy, there are so many great Canadian children books to read, review, and evaluate. It’s already a tough enough job to narrow it down to five finalists!

Tim Hockey, President & CEO of TD Canada Trust, had the honour to reveal Stones for My Father by Trilby Kent as the winner of the 2012 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award! Yay!!!

The jury comments were: “A riveting book about the Anglo-Boer war at the turn of the last century and Canada’s place in it… Kent draws her characters and the landscape around them in penetrating prose… Today’s children will develop heartfelt admiration and respect for Corlie Rioux. Though this young heroine struggles with the loss of parental love, a special friendship, and her home, she holds steadfast, brave, and true and emerges a survivor… At times raw, but always gripping, this novel packs an emotional punch.”

You can also check out what readers said during the Stones for My Father Blog Tour last year!

Trilby takes the podium to deliver her grateful thank you speech!

Congratulations to all the winners:

What a night! Thank you to the great team at the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, the CBC, to all the jury members, the finalists, and to friends and family who show tremendous support for Canadian children’s literature!

We were live tweeting last night, so check instagram for photos and follow the hashtag #kidslitawards!