CanLit for LittleCanadians: Awards: 2016

Monday, 10 April 2017

2016/2017 Willow Awards nominees announced

Established in 2001, the Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice (SYRCA) awards, the Willow Awards, encourage reading by nominating a variety of Canadian titles in three categories. Young readers can participate in the reading programs through their schools and public libraries, selecting their favourite from one list. The Willow Awards are truly conferred according the choices of Saskatchewan's young readers.

These nominees were announced in 2016, will be voted on in 2017, awarded in 2017 and will be called the 2016/2017 nominees by some and 2016 Willows by others. It's a little confusing.

The nominated titles for the three Willow Awards i.e., Shining Willow, Diamond Willow and Snow Willow are detailed below.

For those books written for readers in Kindergarten to Gr. 3

The 2016/2017 Shining Willow nominees are:

Clover's Luck
Written by Kallie George

Illustrated by Alexandra Bolger

HarperCollins

Dojo Daycare
Written and illustrated by Chris Tougas

Owlkids

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear
Written by Lindsay Mattick

Illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Hurry Up, Ilua!
Written and illustrated by Nola Helen Hicks

Inhabit Media

If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur
Written by Linda Bailey

Illustrated by Colin Jack

Tundra

InvisiBill

Written by Maureen Fergus

Illustrated by Dušan Petričić

Tundra

Kyle Goes Alone
Written by Jan Thornhill

Illustrated by Ashley Barron

Owlkids

Today Is the Day
Written by Eric Walters

Illustrated by Engenie Fernandes

Tundra

When Santa Was a Baby
Written by Linda Bailey

Illustrated by Geneviève Godbout

Tundra

A Woodpecker's Tale

Written and illustrated by Sean Cassidy

Fitzhenry & Whiteside

For those books written for readers of Gr. 4 to 6

The 2016/2017 Diamond Willow nominees are:

Audrey (cow)
Written by Dan Bar-el
Tundra

Finding Grace
Written by Becky Citra
Second Story Press

Friend or Foe: The Whole Truth about Animals That People Love to Hate
Written by Etta Kaner

Illustrated by David Anderson

Owlkids

Frostbite Hotel
Written by Karin Adams

Lorimer

Lost in the Backyard
Written by Alison Hughes

Orca Book Publishers

Masterminds
Written by Gordon Korman

Scholastic

Rain Shadow
Written by Valerie Sherrard

Fitzhenry & Whiteside

Seven Dead Pirates

Written by Linda Bailey

Tundra

Speechless
Written by Jennifer Mook-Sang

Scholastic Canada

28 Tricks for a Fearless Grade 6
Written by Catherine Austen

Lorimer

For those books written for readers in Gr. 7 to 9

The 2016/2017 Snow Willow nominees are:

The Dogs
by Allan Stratton

Scholastic Canada

Enslavement

by Melinda Friesen

Rebelight Publishing

Fragile Bones
by Lorna S. Nicholson

Clockwise Press

The Gospel Truth
by Caroline Pignat

Red Deer Press

Julian
by William Bell

Doubleday Canada

The Unquiet Past

by Kelley Armstrong

Orca Book Publishers

Walking Home
by Eric Walters

Doubleday Canada

We Are All Made of Molecules
by Susin Nielsen

Tundra

Young Man With Camera
by Emil Sher

Scholastic

Zomboy
by Richard Scrimger

HarperTrophy

Because these nominees were announced last year, young readers have already been reading and choosing their favourites. Winners will be announced at the Willows Gala on May 4.

Friday, 18 November 2016

2016 TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards: Winners announced

Last night, a spectacular youngCanLit celebration was held at The Carlu in Toronto. It was the 2016 TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards, hosted by the Canadian Children's Book Centre and the TD Bank Group and emceed by Shelagh Rogers from CBC Radio's The Next Chapter. These awards honour a plethora of youngCanLit authors and illustrators who share those honours with their peers and a multitude of publishers, publicists, literacy experts, librarians, teachers and bloggers who sing their praises.

Before the awards were presented, the selection for this year's TD Grade 1 Book Giveaway was announced. In the next month or so, over half a million Grade 1 students (very fortunate ones, I might add) across Canada will be receiving a copy of this incredible picture book about acceptance and tolerance, Small Saul.

Small Saul

by Ashley Spires

Kids Can Press

Reviewed here

Finally, the first award was presented, the Fan Choice award, a young readers' selection from the finalists for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award. The winner, selected by over 2000 young readers, was

The Nest

Written by Kenneth Oppel
Illustrated by Jon Klassen

HarperCollins

Then the winners of other eight major children's book awards were announced (though the winner of the Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse had been awarded last week in Montreal).

Congratulations to the following winners

(as well as the finalists from which the winners were chosen!)