2024 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards: English-language winners announced

Last night, a gala event was held to announce the winners of this year's English-language Canadian Children's Book Awards. From a fine list of nominees, the following winners were selected by juries of their peers from the kidCanLit world. (The French-language award will be announced on November 6, 2024.) 

In addition to the award announcements, two other important announcements were made.  First, the selection for the TD Grade One Book Giveaway was revealed. The following picture book will be gifted to all children in Grade 1 this fall. 

 

Violet Shrink

Written by Christine Baldacchino
Illustrated by Carmen Mok
Groundwood Books
978-1-77306-205-1
32 pp.
Ages 3-7

2020

Reviewed here

The second announcement is that of a new award. For 25 years, non-fiction books were awarded the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction. Next year, a new non-fiction award, the Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction will award $10,000 to an exceptional book of non-fiction for young people.

Here now are the winners of the following English-language awards:

• TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award ($50,000)
• Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000)
• Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,000)
• Amy Mathers Teen Book Award ($5,000)
• Jean Little First-Novel Award ($5,000)
• Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy ($5,000)
• David Booth Children’s and Youth Poetry Award ($3,500)
• Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award ($2,500)

• • • • • • •

 

Congratulations to all winners!

• • • • • • •

 

 

TD Canadian Children's 

Literature Award:   WINNER

 

Skating Wild on an Inland Sea 

Written by Jean E. Pendziwol
Illustrated by Todd Stewart
Groundwood Books

 

 

• • • • •

 

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award: WINNER 

 

When You Can Swim

Written and illustrated by Jack Wong
Orchard Books (Scholastic)

 

• • • • •

Geoffrey Bilson Award for 

Historical Fiction for Young People:   WINNER

 

Bernice and the Georgian Bay Gold

Written by Jessica Outram
Second Story Press

 

 

• • • • •

Amy Mathers Teen Book Award:   WINNER

 

Only This Beautiful Moment

Written by Abdi Nazemian 

Balzer + Bray

• • • • •

 

Jean Little First-Novel Award:   WINNER 

The Cricket War

Written by Thọ Phạm and Sandra McTavish
Kids Can Press

• • • • •

 

 

 

 

Arlene Barlin Award 

for Science Fiction and Fantasy:   WINNER 

 

Bonesmith 

 (House of the Dead, Book 1)

Written by Nicki Pau Preto
Margaret K. McElderry Books

 

 

• • • • •

 

 

 

 

David Booth Award for Children's and Youth Poetry :   WINNER

 

Robot, Unicorn, Queen: Poems for You and Me

Written by Shannon Bramer
Illustrated by Irene Luxbacher
Groundwood Books

 

 

• • • • •

 

 

 

Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award:   WINNER

 

Alone: The Journeys of Three Young Refugees

Written by Paul Tom
Illustrated by Mélanie Baillairgé
Translated by Arielle Aaronson
Groundwood Books 

 

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2024 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards: Finalists announced

On October 1st, the Canadian Children's Book Centre, our nationally-renowned authority on all things related to youngCanLit, announced the finalists for the 2024 English-language Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards. (See their website announcement here with videos of shortlists on Bibliovideo.) These finalists for the seven awards are a sampling of the extraordinary books for young people created by Canadian authors and illustrators. They are a great resource for exceptional reads from 2023 and 2024.

This year, the children's book awards include the following:

• TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award ($50,000)
• Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000)
• Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,000)
• Amy Mathers Teen Book Award ($5,000)
• Jean Little First-Novel Award ($5,000)
• Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy ($5,000)
• David Booth Children’s and Youth Poetry Award ($3,500)
• Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award ($2,500)

 (n.b. The French-language award short lists will be announced on October 16th and winners celebrated on November 13.)

• • • • • • •

 

Here are the short lists for each award category, as announced by the Canadian Children's Book Centre:

TD Canadian Children's Literature Award

 

Do You Remember?
Written and illustrated by Sydney Smith
Groundwood Books

Reviewed here

 

Green Papayas
Written by Nhung N. Tran-Davies
Illustrated by Gillian Newland
Red Deer Press

Simon Sort of Says
Written by Erin Bow
Scholastic Canada

Skating Wild on an Inland Sea
Written by Jean E. Pendziwol
Illustrated by Todd Stewart
Groundwood Books

The Umbrella House
Written by Colleen Nelson
Pajama Press

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award

 

 

Love Is in the Bear
Written by Judith Henderson
Illustrated by Nahid Kazemi
Owlkids Books

 

Our Pool
Written and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins
Atheneum Books for Young Readers 

Skating Wild on an Inland Sea
Written by Jean E. Pendziwol
Illustrated by Todd Stewart
Groundwood Books

A Tulip in Winter: A Story About Folk Artist Maud Lewis
Written by Kathy Stinson
Illustrated by Lauren Soloy
Greystone Kids

When You Can Swim
Written and illustrated by Jack Wong
Orchard Books (Scholastic)

Reviewed here

 

 

 

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People 

 

Bernice and the Georgian Bay Gold

Written by Jessica Outram

Second Story Press

 

The Cricket War
Written by Thọ Phạm and Sandra McTavish
Kids Can Press 

Focus. Click. Wind.
Written by Amanda West Lewis
Groundwood Books

Mall Goth
Written and illustrated by Kate Leth
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Out of the Dark
Written by Julie Lawson
Nimbus Publishing

Amy Mathers Teen Book Award

Brighter Than the Sun

Written by Daniel Aleman

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Delicious Monsters

Written by Liselle Sambury

Margaret K. McElderry Books

 

Only This Beautiful Moment
Written by Abdi Nazemian
Balzer + Bray

 

Something More
Written by Jackie Khalilieh
Tundra Books 

The Space Between Here & Now
Written by Sarah Suk
Quill Tree Books

Reviewed here

Jean Little First-Novel Award

Bee Bakshi and the Gingerbread Sisters
Written by Emi Pinto
HarperCollins Publishers

The Boy Who Woke the Sun
Written by A.T. Woodley
Illustrated by Mike Deas
Red Deer Press

The Cricket War
Written by Thọ Phạm and Sandra McTavish
Kids Can Press

The Secret of the Ravens
Written and illustrated by Joanna Cacao
Clarion Books

Reviewed here

Where the Water Takes Us
Written and illustrated by Alan Barillaro
Candlewick Press

 

Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy 

 

Bonesmith (House of the Dead, Book 1)
Written by Nicki Pau Preto
Margaret K. McElderry Books

 

The Boy, the Cloud and the Very Tall Tale
Written by Heather Smith
Orca Book Publishers 

City of Nightmares (City of Nightmares, Book 1)
Written by Rebecca Schaeffer
Clarion Books

Nightbreaker (Nightbreaker, Book 1)
Written by Coco Ma
Viking Books for Young Readers

The Stars of Mount Quixx (The Brindlewatch Quintet, Book 1)
Written by S.M. Beiko
ECW Press

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David Booth Award for Children's and Youth Poetry

 

Forever Our Home
Written by Tonya Simpson
Illustrated by Carla Joseph
Orca Book Publishers

I Want to Build a Seahouse
Written by Whitney Moran
Illustrated by Josée Bisaillon
Nimbus Publishing

 

Like a Hurricane
Written by Jonathan Bécotte
Translated by Jonathan Kaplansky
Orca Book Publishers

 

The Prisoner and the Writer
Written by Heather Camlot
Illustrated by Sophie Casson
Groundwood Books 

Robot, Unicorn, Queen: Poems for You and Me
Written by Shannon Bramer
Illustrated by Irene Luxbacher
Groundwood Books

The Yellow Leaves Are Coming
Written by James Gladstone
Illustrated by François Thisdale
Red Deer Press

Reviewed here

 

 

Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award

Alone: The Journeys of Three Young Refugees
Written by Paul Tom
Illustrated by Mélanie Baillairgé
Translated by Arielle Aaronson
Groundwood Books

The Halifax Explosion: 6 December 1917, at 9:05 in the Morning
Written by Afua Cooper
Illustrated by Rebecca Bender
Plumleaf Press

Reviewed here

The Secret Pocket
Written by Peggy Janicki
Illustrated by Carrielynn Victor
Orca Book Publishers

Shizue's Path
Written by Mark Sakamoto
Illustrated by Rachel Wada
HarperCollins Publishers

A Star Explodes: The Story of Supernova 1054
Written by James Gladstone
Illustrated by Yaara Eshet
Owlkids Books

Reviewed here

 

 

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The winners of these awards will be announced on October 28, 2024 at a ticketed event in Toronto.