Today, the Canadian Children's Book Centre,
our nationally-renowned authority on all things related to youngCanLit,
announced the finalists for the 2023 English-language Canadian Children's Book Centre
Awards. (See their website announcement here with pdf here and video of shortlists on Bibliovideo.)
This year, the children's book awards include seven awards, both long-established and newly founded:
- TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award ($50,000), Sponsored by TD Bank Group;
- Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000), Sponsored by A. Charles Baillie;
- Norma Fleck Award For Canadian Children's Non-Fiction ($10,000), Sponsored by the Fleck Family Foundation;
- Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,000), Sponsored by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Bilson Endowment Fund;
- Amy Mathers Teen Book Award ($5,000), Sponsored by Amy Mathers' Marathon of Books;
- Jean Little First-Novel Award ($5,000);
- Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy ($5,000), Sponsored by Elly Barlin-Daniels;
(n.b. The French-language award short lists will be announced on October 18th and winners celebrated on November 8.)
• • • • • • •
Here are the short lists for each award category, as announced by the Canadian Children's Book Centre:
TD Canadian Children's Literature Award
Berani
Written by Michelle Kadarusman
Pajama Press
Kunoichi Bunny
Written by Sara Cassidy
Illustrated by Brayden Sato
Orca Book Publishers
Sitting Shiva
Written by Erin Silver
Illustrated by Michelle Theodore
Orca Book Publishers
Weird Rules to Follow
Written by Kim Spencer
Orca Book Publishers
The Witness Blanket: Truth, Art and Reconciliation
Written by Carey Newman and Kirstie Hudson
Orca Book Publishers
Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award
Boobies
Written and illustrated by Nancy Vo
Groundwood Books
Fox and Bear
Written and illustrated by Miriam Körner
Red Deer Press
I'm Not Sydney!
Written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay
Groundwood Books
Lizzy and the Cloud
Written and illustrated by the Fan Brothers
Simon & Schuster Canada
Mina
Written and illustrated by Matthew Forsythe
Simon & Schuster Canada
Norma Fleck Award For Canadian Children's Non-Fiction
Better Connected: How Girls Are Using Social Media for Good (Orca Think)
Written by Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Julia Kyi
Illustrated by Vivian Rosas
Orca Book Publishers
Pink, Blue, and You! Questions for Kids About Gender Stereotypes
Written by Elise Gravel with Mykaell Blais
Illustrated by Elise Gravel
Anne Schwartz Books
Sun in My Tummy
Written by Laura Alary
Illustrated by Andrea Blinick
Pajama Press
Why Humans Build Up: The Rise of Towers, Temples and Skyscrapers (Orca Timeline)
Written by Gregor Craigie
Illustrated by Kathleen Fu
Orca Book Publishers
The Witness Blanket: Truth, Art and Reconciliation
Written by Carey Newman and Kirstie Hudson
Orca Book Publishers
Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People
Hidden on the High Wire (A Holocaust Remembrance Book for Young Readers)
Written by Kathy Kacer
Second Story Press
How to Be a Goldfish
Written by Jane Baird Warren
Scholastic Canada
The Ribbon Leaf
Written by Lori Weber
Red Deer Press
The Secret Diary of Mona Hasan
Written by Salma Hussain
Tundra Books
Weird Rules to Follow
Written by Kim Spencer
Orca Book Publishers
Amy Mathers Teen Book Award
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
Written by Zoulfa Katouh
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
The Red Palace
Written by June Hur
Feiwel and Friends
Road of the Lost
Written by Nafiza Azad
Margaret K. McElderry Books
TJ Powar Has Something to Prove
Written by Jesmeen Kaur Deo
Viking Books for Young Readers
Wrong Side of the Court
Written by H.N. Khan
Penguin Teen Canada
Penguin Teen Canada
Jean Little First-Novel Award
The Grave Thief
Written by Dee Hahn
Puffin Canada
How to Be a Goldfish
Written by Jane Baird Warren
Scholastic Canada
Scout Is Not a Band Kid
Written and illustrated by Jade Armstrong
RH Graphic
Weird Rules to Follow
Written by Kim Spencer
Orca Book Publishers
The Wolf Suit
Written and illustrated by Sid Sharp
Annick Press
Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy
Blood Scion
Written by Deborah Falaye
HarperTeen
Ghostlight
Written by Kenneth Oppel
Puffin Canada
The Limitless Sky
Written by Christina Kilbourne
Dundurn Press
A Magic Steeped in Poison (The Book of Tea, Book 1)
Written by Judy I. Lin
Feiwel and Friends
Sneaks
Written by Catherine Egan
Knopf Books for Young Readers
📚📚📚
The
winners of these awards will be announced on October 23, 2023 at a
ticketed event in Toronto. (Tickets go on sale September 25.)
