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.)

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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.

Puffin and Penguin

Written by Helaine Becker

Illustrated by Kevin Sylvester

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0654-9

80 pp.

Ages 6-9

October 2024

 

Who knew that Puffin's life would change so much when his mom got a new job at the United Avian Nations in New Stork City?! But a move from Iceland to their new home in Brookloon must also include the making of new friends, so there is that. 

From Puffin and Penguin, written by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Kevin Sylvester

At his new school, Puffin is introduced to a diverse group of students, from Eaglet the nervous Nellie; King Penguin, the cool kid; Screech Owl,the coding whiz; and Canada Goose, the fashionista. When his teacher, Ms. Grey, buddies Puffin up with Penguin, it's not a perfect match. Penguin already has so many responsibilities and activities that taking on one more, especially the enthusiastic Puffin for whom he has little time, is just too much.

From Puffin and Penguin, written by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Kevin Sylvester

 Initially Puffin is annoyed about being abandoned and with everyone calling him a "funny-looking lil' penguin" (p. 27) but his father advises him that there's no need "to get so hot under the feathers" (p. 29) and to give his new classmates a bit of "puffin pedagogy." (p. 31)

 

So Puffin hatches a plan–lots of fun word play in Puffin and Penguin–to inform his classmates about himself and puffins and to make some new friends by joining the Drama Club. But his efforts come across as bragging and he realizes he often comes on too strong and appears to be trying too hard. Still when there's a glitch with the lighting during the performance of "King Midas and the Golden Pinkie," it's Puffin's fluorescent beak that saves the day. 

From Puffin and Penguin, written by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Kevin Sylvester

Puffin and Penguin has this amazing blend of science–who knew puffins' beaks fluoresced?–and word play and humour and plain old fun. Helaine Becker's story of two birds who are unlikely buddies shows young readers ways to make friends and to accept differences. And by telling her story with a plethora of puns, Helaine Becker actually makes you laugh while demonstrating ways to be a friend and make a friend while being true to yourself. (Puffin makes it clear, for example, how much he dislikes being called Puffy.)

 

And then there's Kevin Sylvester's artwork that adds even more humour. From making Penguin truly look overextended and weary to Puffin ranting about Penguin's neglect and Puffin's "Too Cool for School" backpack–highly relevant for a bird coming from Iceland–Kevin Sylvester's cartoon illustrations tell more about the story, intensifying the fun and revealing more about the characters than words alone could. 

From Puffin and Penguin, written by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Kevin Sylvester

Because it's an early reader graphic novel, Puffin and Penguin has to work for younger readers in the 6 to 9-years-old audience, giving them more than a picture book but less than a middle grade novel. But Helaine Becker and Kevin Sylvester have found a perfect combo of message and medium, giving readers a relatable story of moving to a new place and making friends with the chuckles and brightness of an illustrated book. Puffin and Penguin is a perfect bundle of everything to entertain and even inform. They don't need more Penguin and Puffin to complete their story but I think young readers would be delighted if Helaine Becker and Kevin Sylvester would take us on a few more adventures with our new avian friends. Do I see a cultural exchange in their future perhaps?

Dad, I Miss You

Written by Nadia Sammurtok

Illustrated by Simji Park

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-482-0

40 pp.

Ages 9-12

August 2024

 

Dad, I Miss You is a conversation that only takes place in the minds of a father and son as the boy is returned, again, to a residential school, leaving his father, mother, and two-year-old sister behind. It is a heartbreaking exchange that never takes place in person but tells us so much about the family and what they went through.

From Dad, I Miss You, written by Nadia Sammurtok, illustrated by Simji Park

As a young boy recalls catching a fish, having learned from his father, his father watches his son out the window, also thinking about how proud he is for feeding the family and sure the boy will be a good provider for his own family when he is a man.

From Dad, I Miss You, written by Nadia Sammurtok, illustrated by Simji Park

When the child hears the plane that will transport him far from his home, in his mind he tells his dad that he doesn't want to go back there. Hearing the same plane, his father is hopeful that it will be over soon if the boy just does what they say. After all, "They said it will be better this way." (p. 9)

 

And as the boy packs his things, he wishes that his dad would stop them from taking him and not to let them take his baby sister too. His dad has the same worries about his daughter.

From Dad, I Miss You, written by Nadia Sammurtok, illustrated by Simji Park

As the boy is taken away and endures the horrors of residential school, from the cold and lack of food to punishment and loss of language, his father keeps hope that his child is learning and will be home soon. But things are different when he returns home. Thankfully there is still love and acceptance and the wisdom to understand what he may be going through.

I know you've forgotten some parts of yourself, but after some time, you'll find yourself again. (p. 37)

Every story that speaks to the residential school experiences of Indigenous families is heartbreaking. But Nadia Sammurtok approach of getting into the unspoken thoughts of both son and father remind us of the emotional toll on both parents and children. While the son knows what he must live with at the school, from hunger and abuse, loss of culture and homesickness, his father does not know. The boy's family has been told a sanitized and misleading version of what his child will learn and do, but without first-hand accounts they cannot know what happens there. Still, as both father and son show stoicism, revealing their feelings and thoughts only to themselves, Nadia Sammurtok shows us the depth of their connection. They think about similar things but from different perspectives and readers can only hope that this connection will sustain their relationship through the hardships of a child taken away to residential school. (As the story is based on Nadia Sammurtok's own family history of residential school separation, we hope that they found strength in that connection.)

From Dad, I Miss You, written by Nadia Sammurtok, illustrated by Simji Park

Simji Park, an artist based in England and the Netherlands, uses pencil and watercolours to create scenes of great heart and feeling. Just as the dialogue between father and son is repressed, Simji Park's illustrations are subdued, using soft tones and quiet lines to depict simple scenes of home and school. She still conveys the muted comfort of home and the angst of the residential experience, but she does so with hushed ambience, reflecting the unspoken dialogue between father and son.

Every book that speaks about the tragedy of families separated when Indigenous children were forced into residential schools is unique and revealing. By focusing on the unspoken thoughts of a parent and a child, Nadia Sammurtok makes us see something a little different. The bond between a parent and a child is stretched and almost severed and yet there is hope that there is enough resilience to reunite and strengthen. Dad, I Miss You is a story of tragedy but also one of the capacity of family to reconnect and prevail.

 

• • • • • • •

Teaching about the residential school experiences is a challenging one for teachers and parents. A QR code appended to the book links to downloads of educational support materials. 

• • • • • • •

Little Moons

Written by Jen Storm

Illustrated by Ryan Howe

Coloured by Alice RL

Lettered by Nickolej Villiger

HighWater Press

978-1-774921074

64 pp.

Ages 12–18

September 2024

 

Little Moons is a story of great loss. It's also a story of family and connection, even after loss. Sadly, it's also a story based too much in reality.

From Little Moons, written by Jen Storm, illustrated by Ryan Howe, coloured by Alice RL, lettered by Nickolej Villiger

Reena lives on the reserve with her mom, Andrea, 15-year-old sister Chelsea, young brother Theo and grandmother Koko. The kids' dad, Anthony, also lives there though Mom and Dad are not together anymore. Mom works tirelessly at traditional bead work which Chelsea learned to do, beading her own regalia after her woman's ceremony. 

 

And then Chelsea does not return from going shopping after school. Even with a community helping in the search and getting news out via social media and with involvement of the police, she is not found. The seasons come and go and still no Chelsea. 

From Little Moons, written by Jen Storm, illustrated by Ryan Howe, coloured by Alice RL, lettered by Nickolej Villiger

But what changes is the family. While Reena tries to connect with Chelsea, wearing her regalia to a Pow Wow, beading, and watching flickering lights that may mean Chelsea's spirit is around, Mom has gone beyond her depression and has headed to the city. First, it's just for a break but then she decides to move there. 

"I don't want to live and die on the Rez." (p. 23)

From Little Moons, written by Jen Storm, illustrated by Ryan Howe, coloured by Alice RL, lettered by Nickolej Villiger

Mom may think this will work to alleviate her grief, meeting new people, getting a non-Indigenous boyfriend–who is both a jerk and racist–and getting a job away from the Rez but Dad convinces her to let the kids remain with him. And Theo reveals to Reena that he sees ghosts that look like little moons, and that "Sister" has told him that she's sorry.

When Chelsea's bag is found buried in the forest near the highway, the family finds a way to connect with each other and to follow their traditions "to light her way to the other side." (p. 52)

From Little Moons, written by Jen Storm, illustrated by Ryan Howe, coloured by Alice RL, lettered by Nickolej Villiger

Little Moons may be another story of another missing or murdered Indigenous woman but it's not just another story. Jen Storm, an Ojibwe writer from Couchiching First Nation, has put her own experiences with a loved one who went missing and was later found dead into her story. She witnessed the range of expressions of grief and guilt and coping that family and friends showed. Most just do their best with what they have available and with what is familiar. Running away, looking for answers, insulating from others, these are just some ways, and Jen Storm does not judge. She just shows what it can be like. But she always shows that there is solace in spirituality and in traditions. Theo, based on Jen Storm's own son, is reassured when he connects with Chelsea who approaches him via his toys and the orbs that he sees. Reena buries medicine pouches, burning her cut braid in the sacred fire, and more. We all know there is no one way to grieve but it all changes when it is a missing and then presumed murdered Indigenous woman. Connecting with their sacred traditions and each other worked for this family.

From Little Moons, written by Jen Storm, illustrated by Ryan Howe, coloured by Alice RL, lettered by Nickolej Villiger

A lot of talent went into the creation of the graphics for Jen Storm's story. Saskatoon's Ryan Howe has created people and places that reflect the reserve on which this family resides, as well as the city to which Andrea moves. He gives us a family of a wise elder, a young and playful child, a forlorn Reena, and a restless Andrea, as well as a present but reserved Anthony. We see a community that sits around a fire but will take to social media when needed. He's given us the traditional and the urban, and his concepts of people and place evoke both the familiar and the less familiar. Ryan Howe's artwork is brought to life by the colouring of Alice RL, a non-binary Ojibwe artist living in Winnipeg, and the lettering of comic book artist and illustrator Nickolej Villiger of Lethbridge. Without these, the book would not be the graphic novel that is both heartrending and uplifting. There is no happy ending but there is still family and traditions that bind and elevate.