Joan Betty Stuchner–Oy Vey!–Funniest Children's Book Award: Winners announced (2017 and 2019)

Recently, I learned of a new Canadian children's book award which delightfully celebrates humour. The Joan Betty Stuchner–Oy Vey!–Funniest Children's Book Award was started by a small committee to honour children's author Joan Betty Stuchner who passed away in 2014. Stuchner wrote books both funny and serious, including Sadie the Ballerina (Scholastic Canada, 2006), Honey Cake (Tradewind, 2007), Can Hens Give Milk? (Orca, 2011), and Bagels Come Home (Orca, 2014). The award's Facebook page says this about award and its namesake:

Joan was many things — brave, gracious, warm, generous, kind and absolutely hilarious to boot. (“Oy vey!” she’s probably saying now…) With this award we honour Joan’s life-affirming humour and encourage other children’s writers to laugh it up on the page the way she did. 

(Retrieved from post dated April 1, 2017 at

 https://www.facebook.com/The-Joan-Betty-Stuchner-Oy-Vey

-Funniest-Childrens-Book-Award-389442461425578/)

The award which is presented biennially was first awarded in 2017 to

Kabungo

Written by Rolli

Illustrated by Milan Pavlović

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-804-4

173 pp.

Ages 7-10

2016

Reviewed here

••••••••••••••••

This year, two awards were presented, one for picture book/board book and a second for a chapter book.

The 2019 winners of the Joan Betty Stuchner–Oh Vey!–Funniest Children's Book Award are:

In the Picture Book/Board Book Category:

Sterling, Best Dog Ever

Written and illustrated by Aidan Cassie 

Farrar, Strauss and Giroux

978-0-374-30614-4
40 pp.
Ages 3-6

2018 

Reviewed here

In the Chapter Book Category:

Mort Ziff is Not Dead

Written by Cary Fagan

Puffin Canada

978-0143198475

176 pp.

Ages 10-14

2018