2020 IODE Jean Throop Book Award: Shortlist and Winner

Since 1974, IODE, the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire,  a women’s charitable organization that provides education support, community service and citizenship programs, has awarded the Jean Throop Book Award to encourage excellence in children’s literature. Originally awarded by the Municipal Chapter of Toronto IODE, the IODE Jean Throop Book Award is now funded from the IODE Toronto Legacy Fund and administered by IODE Ontario.

In March, IODE announced its shortlist for the Jean Throop Book Award. Congratulations to these picture book nominees published in 2020.

What If Bunny's Not a Bully? 

Written by Lana Button
Illustrated by Christine Battuz
Kids Can Press

Reviewed here

What Grew in Larry's Garden

Written by Laura Alary
Illustrated by Kass Reich
Kids Can Press
Reviewed here

The Nut That Fell from the Tree

Written by Sangeeta Bhadra
Illustrated by France Cormier
Kids Can Press

Reviewed here

 

Scrub: How a Simple Soap Saved the Day

Written by Suzanne Belliveau

Illustrated by Jennifer Thornhill

Captus Creations

Fast Friends

Written by Heather M. O'Connor
Illustrated by Claudia Dávila
Scholastic Canada 

Reviewed here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The winner of the 2020 IODE Jean Throop Book Award is...

 

What Grew in Larry's Garden

Written by Laura Alary
Illustrated by Kass Reich
Kids Can Press
978-1-5253-0108-7
32 pp.
Ages 4-7

2020

 

 

Congratulations 

to all nominated authors and illustrators 

and to the winners!

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

2019 Arthur Ellis Award winner for Best Juvenile/Young Adult Crime Book is...

On the evening of May 23, the Arthur Ellis Awards for Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing were awarded by the Crime Writers of Canada. Awarded annually since 1984, the Arthur Ellis Awards include the following categories:

• Best Crime Novel 
• Best First Crime Novel 
• Best Crime Novella
• Best Crime Short Story
• Best Crime Book in French
• Best Juvenile/Young Adult Crime Book
• Best Nonfiction Crime Book
• Best Unpublished Manuscript (a.k.a the Unhanged Arthur)

Here is the award information relevant to youngCanLit:

2019 Arthur Ellis Award for  

Best Juvenile/Young Adult Crime Book 

The nominees were . . .

And the award goes to...

Escape

Written by Linwood Barclay
Puffin Canada
978-0-143198789
256 pp.
Ages 8-12
2018

2017 MYRCA winner and honour books announced

Last March and April, young Manitoba readers ages 10-14 voted for their favourite book from eighteen nominated titles for the Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Awards (MYRCA)  The results announced in April were just given out today at the 27th Annual MYRCA ceremony.  Though there can only be one winner and two honour books selected, I believe all nominees are winners and should be acknowledged as so.  So congratulations everyone!

The 2017 winning title, as voted by young Manitoba readers of ages 10 to 14, is

The Dogs

by Allan Stratton

**********************

Congratulations to the readers' two  Honour Books:

The Blackthorn Key
by Kevin Sands

MiNRS

by Kevin Sylvester

  CONGRATULATIONS 

 to all Winners 

of this literacy awards program:
 authors, illustrators, publishers and readers!  

2017 Sunburst Awards for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic

In July, the Sunburst Award Society announced the shortlists for its three categories of Sunburst Awards for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, also known as the Copper Cylinder award.

These awards, presented annually in the categories of Adult and Young Adult speculative fiction, plus a category of Short Story, aim to recognize the speculative fiction of Canadian writers (citizens or landed immigrants), with a cash award and a Sunburst medallion. Winners were just announced this week.

Here were this year's nominees in the

Young Adult category

Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard
by Jonathan Auxier
Puffin Canada

Worlds of Ink and Shadow
by Lena Coakley
HarperCollins

The Inn Between
by Marina Cohen
Roaring Brook Press

Reviewed here

Julia Vanishes
by Catherine Egan
Doubleday Canada

Reviewed here

The Skids
by Ian Donald Keeling
ChiTeen

This year's 

WINNER 

in the Young Adult category 

is


The Skids

by Ian Donald Keeling
ChiTeen/ChiZine
978-1-77148-385-8
287 pp.
Ages 12-15
2016

2016 Sunburst Awards for Excellence in Canadian Lit of the Fantastic: YA nominees and winner

Earlier this year, the Sunburst Award Society announced the shortlists for its three categories of Sunburst Awards for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic.

These awards, presented annually in the categories of Adult and Young Adult speculative fiction, plus a new category of Short Story, aim to recognize the speculative fiction of Canadian writers (citizens or landed immigrants), with a cash award and a Sunburst medallion. Winners were announced in September.

Here were this year's nominees in the

Young Adult category:

An Inheritance of Ashes 
by Leah Bobet
Scholastic Canada

Sight Unseen
by David Carroll
Scholastic Canada

The Unquiet
by Mikaela Everett
HarperCollins

The Nest 
by Kenneth Oppel
HarperCollins

Boo
by Neil Smith
Knopf

This year's 

WINNER 

in the Young Adult category 

is


An Inheritance of Ashes

by Leah Bobet
Scholastic Canada
978-0544281110
388 pp.
Ages 12+
2015


Reviewed here

2015 IBBY Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award winner announced

International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Canada, a non-profit volunteer organization that promotes quality French and English Canadian children's literature nationally and internationally, administers three National Awards (as well as submitting nominations for three International Awards) including the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award which is given annually to an artist of outstanding artwork in a Canadian picture book.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This year

 the winner of the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award 
from 2015

for the Illustrator of a Canadian children's book 

 goes to

Sydney Smith

for

Sidewalk Flowers

by JonArno Lawson

Illustrated by Sydney Smith

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-431-2

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

2015

Congratulations also to Honour Books:

L’arbragan
Written and illustrated by Jacques Goldstyn
La Pastèque

Orca Chief
Illustrated by Roy Henry Vickers
Co-written with Robert Budd
Harbour Publishing

That Squeak
Illustrated by Francois Thisdale
Written by Carolyn Beck
Fitzhenry & Whiteside

2015 Information Book Award: Finalists and winner

The Children's Literature Roundtable is a group of authors, editors, publishers, parents, teachers, librarians, booksellers and readers who come together to talk, promote, and enjoy children's literature.  First started in 1977 in Edmonton, the Canadian Children's Literature Roundtables have chapters in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Fredericton, Saint John, Winnipeg, Lethbridge, Grand Prairie and Kamloops.

First presented in 1987, the Information Book Award is a children's non-fiction award, presented by the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada and administered by its Vancouver chapter, for an English non-fiction book that, 

"arouses interest, stimulates curiosity, captures the imagination, and fosters concern for the world around us"

 (from http://eclr.ca/awards.html)

The winner of the Information Book Award for 2015 was just announced on Saturday from the following ten 2015 Information Book Award Finalists announced earlier in the year:

Any Questions? 
by Marie-Louise Gay
Groundwood Books

A Brush Full of Colour: The World of Ted Harrison
by Margriet Ruurs & Katherine Gibson
Pajama Press

Do You Know Komodo Dragons? 
by Alain M. Bergeron, Michel Quintin, and Sampar
Illustrated by Sampar
Translated by Solange Messier
Fitzhenry & Whiteside

Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices
Edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale
Annick Press

Not My Girl
by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
Annick Press

The Rat
by Elise Gravel
Tundra Books

Shapes in Math, Science and Nature: Squares, Triangles and Circles
by Catherine Sheldrick Ross
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Kids Can Press

Take Shelter: At Home Around the World
by Nikki Tate and Dani Tate-Stratton
Orca Book Publishers

Tastes Like Music: 17 Quirks of the Brain and Body
by Maria Birmingham
Illustrated by Monika Melnychuk
Owlkids

We All Count: A Book of Cree Numbers
by Julie Flett
Native Northwest

And the winner of the 2015 Information Book Award is...

A Brush Full of Colour: The World of Ted Harrison

by Margriet Ruurs and Katherine Gibson

Pajama Press

978-1-927485-63-7

40 pp.

All ages

September, 2014

Reviewed here

Though the winner was announced on November 6, 2015, the award will be presented Wednesday January 27, 2016 at the VCLR’s Celebrate Event: A Celebration of Award Winning BC Children’s Authors and Illustrators.

Congratulations to all!