2018 Governor General's Literary Awards: Finalists of books for young people

Yesterday, the Canada Council for the Arts announced the finalists for the highly prestigious Governor General's Literary Awards.

The seven categories of books, both in French and English, for which awards are given are:

• Fiction
• Non-Fiction
• Poetry
• Young People's Literature (Text)
• Young People's Literature (Illustration)
• Drama
• Translation

Congratulations to the finalists 

of all the awards
and I present here those nominees of

works for young people.

English-language: Young People's Literature (Text)

Ebb & Flow
Written by Heather Smith
Kids Can Press
Reviewed here

Learning to Breathe
Written by Janice Lynn Mather
Simon & Schuster

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster
Written by Jonathan Auxier
Puffin Canada

The Journey of Little Charlie
Written by Christopher Paul Curtis
Scholastic
Reviewed here

Winnie's Great War
Written by Lindsey Mallick and Josh Greenhut
Art by Sophie Blackall
HarperCollins

English-language:  Young People's Literature (Illustration)

Africville
Written by Shauntay Grant
Illustrated by Eva Campbell
Groundwood Books
Reviewed here

At the Pond
Written and illustrated by Werner Zimmermann
North Winds Press (Scholastic Canada)

Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes
Written by Wab Kinew
Illustrated by Joe Morse
Tundra Books

Ocean Meets Sky
Written and illustrated by the Fan Brothers
Simon & Schuster Books for Young People

They Say Blue
Written and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
Groundwood Books

 French-language: Young People's Literature (Text)

13000 ans et des poussières

par Camille Bouchard

Soulières éditeur

Ferdinand F., 81 ans, chenille
par Mario Brassard
Soulières éditeur

Les Marées
par Brigitte Vaillancourt
Les Éditions du Boréal

Maman veut partir
par Jonathan Bécotte
Leméac Éditeu

Un dernier songe avant le grande sommeil
par Jocelyn Boisvert
Soulières éditeur





French-language: Young People's Literature (Illustration)

Jules et Jim, frères d'armes
par Jacques Goldstyn
Bayard Canada








Le chemin de la montagne
par Marianne Dubuc
Comme des géants

 






Les mots d'Eunice

par Gabrielle Gendreau 

Illustré par Nahid Kazemi

Édtions de l'Isatis

Lili Macaroni: Je suir comme je suit

par Nicole Testa 

Illustré par Annie Boulanger

Dominique et compagnie

Une histoire de cancer qui finit bien

par Marianne Ferrer 

Illustré par India Desjardins

Les Éditions de la Pastèque




 

Winning titles will be announced 

on October 30, 2018

and 

presented on a later date at Rideau Hall.

2015 Governor General Literary Awards: Shortlists announced today!

I know that I've created a blog just for book awards but I think that several major awards always bear mentioning on both blogs.  Here is an abbreviated posting about the recently-announced shortlists for the 2015 Governor General's Literary Awards.

The Governor General's Literary Awards are Canada's national book awards, honouring the best of our literature in seven categories, in both official languages.  Today, the finalists for the 2015 Governor General Literary Awards were announced on the Canada Council website. Below are the nominees for the children's literature awards for English and French texts and illustrations.

English Children’s Literature: Text 

Audrey (cow)
by Dan Bar-el
Tundra Books

Are You Seeing Me?
by Darren Groth
Orca Book Publishers

We Are All Made of Molecules

by Susin Nielsen
Tundra Books / Penguin Random House Canada

Reviewed here

The Gospel Truth

by Caroline Pignat
Red Deer Press

Reviewed here

Young Man with Camera

by Emil Sher
Scholastic Canada

English Children’s Literature: Illustration 

Jack, the King of Ashes
by Andy Jones and Darka Erdelji
Running the Goat Books & Broadsides

Sidewalk Flowers
by JonArno Lawson and Sydney Smith
Groundwood Books

Reviewed here

The Good Little Book
by Kyo Maclear and Marion Arbona
Tundra Books

A Cat Named Tim and Other Stories
by John Martz
Koyama Press

Bug in a Vacuum
by Mélanie Watt
Tundra Books

French Children's Literature: Text 

Les forces du désordre
par Camille Bouchard
Éditions Québec Amérique

Dessine-moi une martien
par Denis Côté
Soulières Éditeur

Boîtamémoire
par Roger Des Roches
Les Éditions de la courte échelle

Direction Saint-Creux-des-Meuh-Meuh
par Sandra Dussault
Éditions Québec Amérique

Maria Réparatrice
par Louis-Philippe Hébert

Les Éditions de La Grenouillère

French Children's Literature: Illustration

Le voleur de sandwichs
par Patrick Doyon et André Marois
 Les Éditions de la Pastèque

L'arbragan
par Jacques Goldstyn
 Les Éditions de la Pastèque

Quand j'écris avec mon coeur
par Mireille Levert 
Les Éditions de la Bagnole/ Groupe Ville-Marie Littérature

Rosalie entre chien et chat
par Mélanie Perrault et Marion Arbona
Dominque et compagnie

Douze oiseaux
par Renée Robitaille et Philippe Béha
Les Éditions de la Bagnole/ Groupe Ville-Marie Littérature

The winners will be announced on Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at http://ggbooks.ca/   

But wait, there's more!

Until the winners are announced, get involved in the Canada Council for the Arts contests for a chance to win an iPad and the 2015 GGBooks collection.  It's as simple as taking a selfie with a nominated book and posting it tagging the Canada Council for the Arts on Facebook or @CanadaCouncil on Twitter, and using #GGBooks and #MyCanLit.  Be sure to watch for my selfies at @HelenKubiw to see that #MyCanLit always includes great #youngCanLit!

Promote Canadian!

My first presentation of the Canadian Library Association's Book of the Year for Children Award in 2009 ended with this very purple slide.  Its purpose was to acknowledge the contributions of so many to the wealth of exceptional literature for Canadian children and young adult readers.  They are so fortunate!  But who knows this?  The authors and illustrators who create their works?  The publishers?  The librarians, both public and school, who purchase them? Yes, yes and yes.  But it's not enough.

As a voracious reader of children's literature, for my own pleasure as well as for award selection committees, I know that it's not always the best books to which young people are drawn - it's the ones with the most media coverage, or the movie tie-in, or the controversy, or the gimmick.  We know that writing and publishing are no longer the singular tasks of putting thoughts to words and words to paper.  Usually the more money put behind a text and author, the more likely it is to succeed.