The 2020 CCBC Book Awards: Winners announced (English-language awards)

Tonight, the Canadian Children's Book Centre, in partnership with the Toronto International Festival of Authors, broadcast its awards ceremony live from the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. From impressive shortlists–see the website announcement here with pdf–the following books have been selected by juries as this year's winners.

Congratulations to all nominees and most especially tonight's winners!

Here are the six English-language awards given out tonight with details of the prize money and sponsors. (Winners of the two French-language awards will be announced on November 13.)

• TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award ($50,000) Sponsored by TD Bank Group;
• Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000) Sponsored by A. Charles Baillie;
• Norma Fleck Award For Canadian Children's Non-Fiction ($10,000) Sponsored by the Fleck Family Foundation;
• Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,000) Sponsored by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Bilson Endowment Fund;
• John Spray Mystery Award ($5,000) Sponsored by John Spray of Mantis Investigation Agency;
• Amy Mathers Teen Book Award ($5,000) Sponsored by Amy Mathers' Marathon of Books.

TD Canadian Children's Literature Award: WINNER

Birdsong

Written and illustrated by Julie Flett 

Greystone Kids

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award: WINNER 

Small in the City

Written by Sydney Smith 

Groundwood Books

Reviewed here

Norma Fleck Award For Canadian Children's Non-Fiction: WINNER

Killer Style: How Fashion Has Injured, Maimed, & Murdered Through History

Written by Serah-Marie McMahon and Alison Matthews David 

Illustrated by Gillian Wilson 

Owlkids Books

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People: WINNER 

Orange for the Sunsets

Written by Tina Athaide 

Katherine Tegen Books

John Spray Mystery Award: WINNER

The Starlight Claim
Written by Tim Wynne-Jones
Candlewick
Reviewed here

Amy Mathers Teen Book Award: WINNER

In the Key of Nira Ghani

Written by Natasha Deen 

Running Press Teens

Congratulations to all winners and nominees!

2021 Forest of Reading® nominees: Le prix Peuplier, Le prix Mélèze, Le prix Tamarac

This is the final listing of this year's nominated titles for the 2021 Forest of Reading which includes nine award reading programs:

• Blue Spruce: JK-Grade 2, picture books
• Silver Birch Express: Grades 3-4, fiction and non-fiction
• Silver Birch Fiction: Grades 3-6, fiction
• Yellow Cedar: Grades 4-8, non-fiction
• Red Maple: Grades 7-8, fiction
• White Pine: Grades 9-12, fiction
• Le prix Peuplier: French-language picture books, less text, simpler subject matters, perfect for read-alouds
• Le prix Mélèze: shorter French-language chapter books with maximum 100 pages or more mature picture books, larger text with pictures, simpler vocabulary and verb tenses
• Le prix Tamarac: French-language chapter books from 100 to 250 pages, smaller text with little or no illustrations, more complicated verb tenses and vocabulary

Listed below are the nominees for the French-language reading programs Le prix Peuplier, Le prix Mélèze and Le prix Tamarac.  Links for the other six reading programs follow.

LE PRIX PEUPLIER

La dinde qui voulait voter
Écrit par Carine Paquin
Illustré par Laurence Dechassey
Éditions Michel Quintin

Donner
Écrit par Andrée Poulin
Illustré par Yves Dumont
Éditions de la Bagnole

Un jardin pour Tipiti le colibri

Écrit par Lucie PapineauIllustré par Lucie Crovatto

Éditions de la Bagnole

 

Madame Grisemine et le petit chenapan
Écrit par Marie-Francine Hébert

Illustré par Mathieu Lampron
Éditions de la Bagnole 

 

Mon beau potager
Écrit par Anne-Marie Fortin, Illustré par Julien Castanié

Éditions de l’Isatis

 

Mon chien-banane
Écrit par Roxane Brouillard

Illustré par Giulia Sagramola
Éditions les 400 coups

 

Parce que je t’aime
Écrit par Angèle Delaunois

Illustré par Marion Arbona
Alice éditions 

Pas moi
Écrit et Illustré par Elise Gravel
Éditions Scholastic

Prises de becs
Écrit par Émilie Demers

Illustré par Élodie Duhameau
Éditions de l’Isatis

Sofia et le marchand ambulant
Écrit par Katia Canciani

Illustré par Antoine Déprez
Éditions les 400 coups

LE PRIX MÉLÈZE

La Case 144
Écrit par Nadine Poirier

Illustré par Geneviève Després

Éditions D’eux

 

Une courtepointe pour Chehab
Écrit par Caroline Auger

Illustré par Jean-Luc Trudel
Bayard Canada 

El Kapoutchi 01 : Les bonbons maléfiques
Écrit par Pascale Richard et Alexandre Courteau

Illustré par Baptiste Amsallem
Éditions de la Bagnole

Le fantôme de la maison Scott
Écrit par Alain M. Bergeron

Illustré par Sampar
Éditions Michel Quintin

Il faut de tout pour faire un monstre
Écrit par Johanne Mercier

Illustré par Yvan Deschamps

Éditions FouLire

 

Juré, craché! 03 : Nés pour la gloire

Écrit par Carine Paquin

Illustré par Jean Morin
Éditions Petit Homme

 

Mérika l’étoile filante
Écrit par Noha Roberts

Illustré par Sabrina Gendron
Bayard Canada

Pet et Répète : la véritable histoire
Écrit par Katia Canciani

Illustré par Guillaume Perreault
Fonfon

Sergent Billy : La vraie histoire du chevreau devenu soldat
Écrit par Mireille Messier

Illustré par Kass Reich
Éditions de l’Isatis

Le tigre de porcelaine
Écrit par Danielle Marcotte

Illustré par Jean-Luc Trudel
Soulières éditeur

LE PRIX TAMARAC
 

Artémise, musicienne

Écrit par Diane Lavoie

Illustré par Jessie Chrétien
Soulières éditeur

Ciel 02: Dans toutes les directions
Écrit par Sophie Labelle
Éditions Hurtubise

Dix gars passionnés! 10 parcours inspirants
Écrit par Laïla Héloua et Corinne De Vailly

Illustré par Mika
Bayard Canada

Enterrer la lune

Écrit par Andrée Poulin

Illustré par Sonali Zohra

La courte échelle

 

Les héros de la canicule
Écrit par André Marois

Illustré par Cyril Doisneau
La courte échelle 

Lac Adélard
Écrit par François Blais

Illustré par Iris
La courte échelle

Mélie sous sa bonne étoile
Écrit par Mylène Goupil

Illustré par Chloloula
Éditions Québec Amérique

Un parfum de fausses nouvelles
Écrit par Pierre-Alexandre Bonin
Bayard Canada

@Raphaël_Cascadeur: Les productions 100 dangers
Écrit et illustré par Éric Péladeau
Éditions Z’ailées

La ville aux dos d’éléphants : une fable écologique
Écrit par Christine Nadeau

Illustré par Camille Pomerlo 

Éditions de l’Isatis

••••••••••••••••••••••••

Nominees for the other programs can be linked to from below:

Blue Spruce

Silver Birch Express

Silver Birch Fiction

Yellow Cedar

Red Maple

White Pine

2021 Forest of Reading® nominees: Blue Spruce™, Silver Birch®

Today the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading, Canada's largest readers' choice award program, announced the nominees for this year. The lists of all nominated books are available on the OLA website here. Young readers from JK through high school have the opportunity to read and vote on their favourite books in nine different categories:

• Blue Spruce: JK-Grade 2, picture books
• Silver Birch Express: Grades 3-4, fiction and non-fiction
• Silver Birch Fiction: Grades 3-6, fiction
• Yellow Cedar: Grades 4-8, non-fiction
• Red Maple: Grades 7-8, fiction
• White Pine: Grades 9-12, fiction
• Le prix Peuplier: French-language picture books, less text, simpler subject matters, perfect for read-alouds
• Le prix Mélèze: shorter French-language chapter books with maximum 100 pages or more mature picture books, larger text with pictures, simpler vocabulary and verb tenses
• Le prix Tamarac: French-language chapter books from 100 to 250 pages, smaller text with little or no illustrations, more complicated verb tenses and vocabulary

Because there are ninety nominated titles, I will break up the posts listing them in three groupings. Here are the lists of this year's nominated titles for the 2021 Blue Spruce™, Silver Birch Express® and Silver Birch Fiction® Awards of the Forest of Reading. Links to the other lists follow.

BLUE SPRUCE™

Bad Dog
Written and illustrated by Mike Boldt
Doubleday Books For Young Readers

Be You!
Written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Scholastic
Reviewed here

 

Boxitects

Written and illustrated by Kim Smith

HarperCollins

Reviewed here

 

Fast Friends
Written by Heather M. O’Connor

Illustrated by Claudia Dávila

Scholastic Canada

Reviewed here

 

Going Up!
Written by Sherry J. Lee

Illustrated by Charlene Chua

Kids Can Press 

Reviewed here

Grandmother School
Written by Rina Singh

Illustrated by Ellen Rooney

Orca

My Day with Gong Gong
Written by Sennah Yee

Illustrated by Elaine Chen

Annick Press

 

The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family
Written by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S.K. Ali

Illustrated by Hatem Aly

Little, Brown and Company 

Reviewed here

Salma the Syrian Chef
Written by Danny Ramadan

Illustrated by Anna Bron

Annick Press

The Truth About Wind

Written by Hazel Hutchins and Gail Herbert

Illustrated by Dušan Petričić

Annick Press

SILVER BIRCH EXPRESS

Cells: An Owner’s Handbook
Written by and illustrated by Carolyn Fisher
Beach Lane Books

 

 

 

 

Genius Jolene
Written by Sara Cassidy
Illustrated by Charlene Chua
Orca Book Publishers

Ghost’s Journey: A Refugee Story

Written by Robin Stevenson

Illustrated by Rainer Oktovianus

Rebel Mountain Press

 

The Grizzly Mother
Written by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw

Illustrated by Natasha Donovan

HighWater Press

A Last Goodbye
Written by Elin Kelsey

Illustrated by Soyeon Kim

Owlkids Books

Peter and Ernesto: Sloths in the Night
Written by and illustrated by Graham Annable

First Second

Reviewed here

The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden
Written by Heather Smith

Illustrated by Rachel Wada

Orca Book Publishers

Planet Hockey: First Star of the Game
Written by J. Torres

Illustrated by Tim Levins

Scholastic Canada

Terry Fox and Me
Written by Mary Beth Leatherdale

Illustrated by Milan Pavlović

Tundra

The Train
Written by Jodie Callaghan

Illustrated by Georgia Lesley

Second Story Press

SILVER BIRCH FICTION

All The Ways Home
Written by Elsie Chapman

Feiwel & Friends

The Barren Grounds: The Misewa Saga Book 1
Written by David A. Richardson

Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers

A Boy is Not a Bird
Written by Edeet Ravel

Groundwood Books

Dog Driven
Written by Terry Lynn Johnson

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Ember and the Ice Dragons
Written by Heather Fawcett
Published by HarperCollins

The Ghost Collector
Written by Allison Mills

Annick Press

Harvey Comes Home
Written by Colleen Nelson

Illustrated by Tara Anderson

Pajama Press

Reviewed here

The Jigsaw Puzzle King
Written by Gina McMurchy-Barber

Dundurn

Music for Tigers
Written by Michelle Kadarusman

Pajama Press

Reviewed here

Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summer

Written and illustrated by Gillian Goerz

Dial Books

 

 

 

 

 

 

•••••••••••••••••••••••

Nominees for the other programs can be linked from below:

Yellow Cedar

Red Maple

White Pine

Le prix Peuplier

Le prix Mézèle

Le prix Tamarac