FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2011 CANADIAN CHILDREN'S BOOK CENTRE AWARDS

from our friends at the Canadian Children's Book Centre:

The Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) is pleased to announce the finalists for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l'enfance et la jeunesse, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction, Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People and the inaugural John Spray Mystery Award.

The winners of the English-language awards will be announced at an invitation-only gala event at The Carlu in Toronto on October 4, 2011. The winners of the Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l'enfance et la jeunesse will be announced at an invitation-only gala event at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on October 25, 2011. Overall, $115,000 in prize monies will be awarded.

This year's nominated titles are as diverse as they are captivating. Among the finalists are stories introducing readers to the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway; an African-Canadian woman who won't be budged as she stands up for her rights in Nova Scotia in the 1940s; young war guests from Britain arriving in Guelph, Ontario, the gritty world of Victorian London; and spoons and forks (along with young readers) that get a lesson in tolerance when they meet Spork. The books on the following shortlists exemplify some of the best work by Canadian authors and illustrators.

TD Canadian Children's Literature Award ($25,000)

Sponsored by TD Bank Group

• Burn (Dancing Cat Books) written by Alma Fullerton (Midland, ON)
• Canadian Railroad Trilogy (Groundwood Books) written by Gordon Lightfoot (Toronto, ON) and ilustrated by Ian Wallace (Brookline, MA)
• The Glory Wind (Fitzhenry & Whiteside) written by Valerie Sherrard (Miramichi, NB)
• I Know Here (Groundwood Books) written by Laurel Croza (Markham, ON) and illustrated by Matt James (Toronto, ON)
• Plain Kate (Scholastic Canada) written by Erin Bow (Kitchener, ON)

Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l'enfance et la jeunesse ($25,000)

Sponsored by TD Bank Group

• Le chasseur de loups-marins (Éditions Les 400 coups) written by Claire Vigneau (Sherbrooke, QC) and illustrated by Bruce Roberts (Westmount, QC)
• Devant ma maison (Éditions La courte échelle) written and illustrated by Marianne Dubuc (Montreal, QC)
• La fille d'en face (Éditions Leméac) written by Linda Amyot (St-Charles-Boromée, QC)
• Oh! La vache! (Soulières éditeur) written by Alain M. Bergeron (Victoriaville, QC), Édith Bourget (Saint-Jacques, NB), Colombe Labonté (Saint-Lambert, QC) and Guy Marchamps (Trois-Rivières, QC) and illustrated by Caroline Merola (Montreal, QC)
• Xavier-la-lune (Éditions Dominique et compagnie) written by Martine Audet (Montreal, QC) and illustrated by Luc Melanson (Laval, QC)

MARILYN BAILLIE PICTURE BOOK AWARD ($20,000)

Sponsored by A. Charles Baillie

• I Know Here (Groundwood Books) written by Laurel Croza (Markham, ON) and illustrated by Matt James (Toronto, ON)
• In Front of My House (Kids Can Press) written and illustrated by Marianne Dubuc (Montreal, QC) and translated by Yvette Ghione (Toronto, ON)
• Singing Away the Dark (Simply Read Books) written by Caroline Woodward (Victoria, BC) and illustrated by Julie Morstad (Vancouver, BC)
• Spork (Kids Can Press) written by Kyo Maclear (Toronto, ON) and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault (Montreal, QC)
• Stanley's Little Sister (Kids Can Press) written by Linda Bailey (Vancouver, BC) and illustrated by Bill Slavin (Millbrook, ON)

NORMA FLECK AWARD FOR CANADIAN CHILDREN'S NON-FICTION ($10,000)

Sponsored by the Fleck Family Foundation

• Case Closed! Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science (Kids Can Press) written by Susan Hughes (Toronto, ON) and illustrated by Michael Wandelmaier (Toronto, ON)
• Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be (Kids Can Press) written and illustrated by Daniel Loxton (Victoria, BC)
• Not Your Typical Book About the Environment (OwlKids) written by Elin Kelsey (Pacific Grove, CA) and Illustrated by Clayton Hanmer (Toronto, ON)
• Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged (Groundwood Books) written by Jody Nyasha Warner (Toronto, ON) and illustrated by Richard Rudnicki (Halifax, NS)
• Watch This Space: Designing, Defending and Sharing Public Spaces (Kids Can Press) written by Hadley Dyer (Toronto, ON) and illustrated by Marc Ngui (Cambridge, ON)

GEOFFREY BILSON AWARD FOR HISTORICAL FICTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ($5,000)

Sponsored by the Canadian Children's Book Centre's Bilson Endowment Fund

• Exiles from the War: The War Guests Diary of Charlotte Mary Twiss
  (Dear Canada) (Scholastic Canada) written by Jean Little (Guelph, ON)
• Folly (Tundra Books ) written by Marthe Jocelyn (Stratford, ON)
• The Glory Wind (Fitzhenry & Whiteside) written by Valerie Sherrard (Miramichi, NB)
• Queen of Hearts (Groundwood Books) written by Martha Brooks (Winnipeg, MB)
• Wild Geese (Red Deer Press) written by Caroline Pignat (Kanata, ON)

JOHN SPRAY MYSTERY AWARD ($5,000)

Sponsored by John Spray

• Borderline (HarperTrophyCanada) written by Allan Stratton (Toronto, ON)
• Dead Bird Through the Cat Door (Megabyte Mystery) (Gumboot Books) written by Jan Markley (Calgary, AB)
• The Mystery of the Cyber Bully (Marty Chan Mystery) (Thistledown Press) written by Marty Chan (Edmonton, AB)
• A Spy in the House (The Agency) (Candlewick Press) written by Y.S. Lee (Kingston, ON)
• Victim Rights (Ryan Dooley Mystery) (Red Deer Press) written by Norah McClintock (Toronto, ON)