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.
Personally, it was a great chance for people-watching for the who's who in Canadian children's literature. Although I was only able to speak with a handful of the amazing authors and illustrators in attendance (especially nice to finally meet
Willow Dawson, Susan Juby, Sarah Henstra,
Mireille Messier and
François Thisdale), I did glimpse the following, in no particular order:
Maureen McGowan, Helaine Becker, Rebecca Bender, John Spray, Karen Bass, Nancy Hartry, Adrienne Kress, Wallace Edwards, Jocelyn Shipley, Sylvia McNicoll, Vikki VanSickle, Deborah Kerbel, Alma Fullerton, Gillian O'Reilly, Marina Cohen, Marthe Jocelyn, Jess Keating, Rona Arato, Kathy Stinson, Peter Carver, Frieda Wishinsky, Natalie Hyde, Kari-Lynn Winters, Lena Coakley, Sarah Henstra, Mahtab Narsimhan, Heather O'Connor, Lisa Dalrymple, Kevin Sands, Willow Dawson, Lorna Schultz Nicholson, Ange Zhang, Cory Silverberg, Fiona Smyth, Anne Laurel Carter, Teresa Toten, Karen Krossing, Barbara Reid, Catherine Rondina, Suri Rosen, Renné Benoit, Michelle Barker, Erin Bow, R. J. Anderson, Ruth Ohi, Kelley Armstrong, Joyce Grant, Susan Juby, Ashley Spires, François Thisdale, L. M. Falcone, Joel Sutherland, Maria Birmingham, Sydney Smith, Danielle Daniel, Carolyn Beck, Melanie Florence, Jennifer Maruno, Sharon Jennings, Suzanne Del Rizzo,
Gisela Sherman, Jennifer Mook-Sang and ...but there were 600 people there so I've undoubtedly missed a few hundred! And I haven't even mentioned the many jurors, publishers, publicists, literacy specialists, and bankers (!) without whom the evening would not have been complete.
Before I go into the presentations, let me remind you that if you're interested in youngCanLit, it's important to become a member of the
Canadian Children's Book Centre and you too will get an invite to this event and be able to participate in its workshops and such, as well as receive copies of its publications
Canadian Children's Book News and
Best Books for Kids & Teens. Then you can people watch and celebrate youngCanLit with the rest of us.
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
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!)
TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award ($30,000) Sponsored by TD Bank Group
Missing Nimâmâ
by Melanie Florence
Illustrated by François Thisdale
Clockwise Press
Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse ($30,000) Sponsored by TD Bank Group
L’arbragan
par Jacques Goldstyn
Éditions de la Pastèque
Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000) Sponsored by A. Charles Baillie
Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox
by
Danielle Daniel
Groundwood Books
Reviewed here
Norma Fleck Award For Canadian Children's Non-Fiction ($10,000) Sponsored by the Fleck Family Foundation
Sex Is a Funny Word: A Book About Bodies, Feelings, and You
by Cory Silverberg
Illustrated by Fiona Smyth
Seven Stories Press
Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,000) Sponsored by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Bilson Endowment Fund
Uncertain Soldier
by Karen Bass
Pajama Press
John Spray Mystery Award ($5,000) Sponsored by John Spray of Mantis Investigation Agency
Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy ($5,000) Sponsored by HarperCollins Canada
The Scorpion Rules
by Erin Bow
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Amy Mathers Teen Book Award ($5,000) Sponsored by Amy Mathers' Marathon of Books
The Truth Commission
by Susan Juby
Razorbill Canada
Congratulations to all authors, illustrators,
publishers and readers.
We're all winners when we celebrate youngCanLit!
Fan Choice Contest Winner
TD Canadian Children's Literature Award
Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People 
