Finalists Announced for the 2009 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards

Toronto, April 22, 2009 – The finalists for the 2009 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards have been announced. The winners will be announced at Market Lane Junior and Senior Public School at 1pm on May 20, 2009..

The two awards recognize artistic excellence in writing and illustration in Canadian children’s literature and carry a cash prize of $6000 each. The winners are selected by two juries of young readers. Approximately 100 students will participate in this year’s event and book clubs are being established in each of the classes. Five Grade 3 and 4 students will choose the author and illustrator who will share the children’s picture book award and five students in Grades 7 and 8 will select the recipient of the young adult/middle reader award.

“We are delighted that the Market Lane Junior and Senior Public School created book clubs to allow so many students to participate in this experience”, said Janet Stubbs, Executive Director of the Ontario Arts Foundation.

“The jury process encourages students to discuss the books they read and think critically”, said John Degen, Literature Officer at the Ontario Arts Council.

The finalists in the Picture Book category are:

Just One Goal!
Written by Robert Munsch (Guelph, ON)
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko (Toronto, ON)
Scholastic Canada

M is for Moose: A Charles Pachter Alphabet
Written and illustrated by Charles Pachter (Toronto, ON)
Cormorant Books

A Pocket Can Have a Treasure in It
Written by Kathy Stinson (Rockwood, ON)
Illustrated by Deirdre Betteridge (Pickering, ON)
Annick Press

Chester's Back!
Written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt (Montreal, QC)
Kids Can Press

Stanley at Sea
Written by Linda Bailey (Vancouver, BC)
Illustrated by Bill Slavin (Millbrook, ON)
Kids Can Press

The finalists in the Young Adult/Middle Reader category are:

Starclimber
Written by Kenneth Oppel (Toronto, ON)
HarperCollins Publishers

Libertad
Written by Alma Fullerton (Midland, ON)
Fitzhenry & Whiteside

Before Green Gables
Written by Budge Wilson (Halifax, NS)
Penguin Group (Canada)

Word Nerd
Written by Susin Nielsen (Vancouver, BC)
Tundra Books

The Shadow of Malabron
Written by Thomas Wharton (Edmonton, AB)
Doubleday Canada

The Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards are funded by the Ruth Schwartz Foundation and the administration of these awards is shared by the Ontario Arts Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council which manages the jury process, and the Canadian Booksellers Association whose members choose the short list of books.

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Media Inquiries

Hamal Docter, Communications Coordinator, Ontario Arts Council
416-969-7434 / 1-800-387-0058, ext. 7434 | Mobile: 647-831-4295 | hdocter@arts.on.ca

Ontario Arts Foundation Inquiries

Janet Stubbs, Executive Director
416-969-7413 | jstubbs@arts.on.ca

The Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) offers donors effective and creative opportunities for charitable giving – helping to build a foundation for the arts in Ontario. OAF works with donors to build lasting endowments in support of the arts – a gift for this generation and the next.

The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is the province of Ontario’s primary funding body for professional arts activity. Since 1963, the OAC has played a vital role in promoting and assisting the development of the arts and artists for the enjoyment and benefit of Ontarians.