DOUBLE-WINNER CHRISTOPHER PAUL CURTIS AWARDED $25,000 AT CANADIAN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE AWARDS CELEBRATION

Hugh Brewster and author-illustrator team Frieda Wishinsky and Marie-Louise Gay also receive top honours.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Toronto (November 7, 2008) ― The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) is thrilled to announce the winners of the four major children’s book awards it administers. The winners were announced last night at a gala event at The Carlu in Toronto.

Christopher Paul Curtis took home two of the four awards for his internationally acclaimed novel, Elijah of Buxton. Hugh Brewster and author-illustrator team Frieda Wishinsky and Marie-Louise Gay were also awarded prizes. Another big winner for the evening was Scholastic Canada whose books were honoured with three of the four awards.

This year’s winning titles will captivate the hearts and imaginations of children and adults everywhere. Readers will be introduced to 11-year-old Elijah, the first African Canadian child to be born into freedom in Buxton, Ontario, a settlement for runaway slaves; told the true story of the Battle of Vimy Ridge—the battle that helped young Canada discover its national pride; and meet Louise, the little sister who pesters her older brother so much so that he wishes she would just disappear… and she does!

These books exemplify some of the best work by Canadian authors and illustrators. The Canadian Children’s Book Centre is proud to share these titles with you. For a complete shortlist for each award, please visit www.bookcentre.ca.

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TD CANADIAN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE AWARD ($20,000)
Sponsored by TD Bank Financial Group

GEOFFREY BILSON AWARD FOR HISTORICAL FICTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ($5,000)
Sponsored by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Bilson Endowment Fund

Elijah of Buxton
Written by Christopher Paul Curtis of Windsor, Ontario
Scholastic Canada

“Christopher Paul Curtis's genius is his ability to inject humour while he writes about serious subjects. Elijah of Buxton, a book about escaped slaves, slavery and its effects on people, is no exception. He is a master storyteller who weaves a tale of compassionate characters swept along on a page-turning journey. This story has the heart and soul of a classic.”

TD JURY MEMBERS: Maya Munro Byers, owner, Livres Babar Books, Montreal; Theo Heras, Children’s Literature Resource Collection Specialist, Lillian H. Smith Library, Toronto Public Library; Dr. Dave Jenkinson, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba; Dr. Ron Jobe, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia; and Norene Smiley, author, Pugwash, Nova Scotia.

“In this deceptively hard-hitting novel, Christopher Paul Curtis tells the unique and powerful coming-of-age story of Elijah, the first child to be born into freedom in Buxton, Ontario, a settlement of freed slaves. A masterful storyteller, Curtis, through Elijah's eyes and dialect, introduces readers to a group of escaped slaves. This story inevitably allows readers to truly understand and appreciate the meaning of freedom.”

BILSON JURY MEMBERS: Albert Fowler, author and storyteller; Merle Harris, author and storyteller; Arlene Lipkewich, teacher-librarian; and Gail de Vos (chair), storyteller and professor, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta.

. . . .

NORMA FLECK AWARD FOR CANADIAN CHILDREN’S NON-FICTION ($10,000)
Sponsored by the Fleck Family Foundation

At Vimy Ridge: Canada's Greatest World War I Victory
Written by Hugh Brewster of Toronto, Ontario
Scholastic Canada

“It's hard to get to the ‘heart’ of a war story through non-fiction, but this book does it perfectly. We feel the pain, the pathos and the triumphs and we are aware throughout that war is ultimately about people's lives. Filled with valuable resources about this important event in Canadian history, readers of all ages will be drawn into this immensely powerful book.”

FLECK JURY MEMBERS: Mala Dayal, teacher-librarian, Peel District School Board; Polly Fleck, Governor General’s Award-nominated poet and member of the Fleck family; Todd Kyle, branch manager, Churchill Meadows Library, Mississauga Library System; Rachel Steen, selection manager at S&B Books; and Frieda Wishinsky, author.

. . . .

MARILYN BAILLIE PICTURE BOOK AWARD ($10,000)
Sponsored by A. Charles Baillie

Please, Louise!
Written by Frieda Wishinsky of Toronto, Ontario
Illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay of Montreal, Quebec
Groundwood Books

“This warm, witty exploration of an older brother-little sister relationship unfolds in a lyrical dance of words and watercolour by two of Canada’s best creators of children’s books. Gay’s tender, whimsical illustrations are the perfect match for Wishinsky’s trademark insight and humour… Two professionals at the top of their game!”

BAILLIE JURY MEMBERS: Brenda Halliday, librarian, book reviewer and sessional lecturer, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto; Judi McCallum, training coordinator, Markham Public Libraries; and Joanne Schwartz, children's librarian, Lillian H. Smith Library, Toronto Public Library.

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TD CANADIAN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE AWARD
The TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award was established in 2005 to honour the most distinguished book of the year for children aged 1 to 12. Entries are judged on the quality of the text and illustrations and the book’s overall contribution to literature. All books for children, in any genre, written by a Canadian, are eligible for the award. The winner receives $20,000 and there is $10,000 to divide amongst the finalists. The publisher of the winning book receives $2,500 for promotional purposes.

NORMA FLECK AWARD FOR CANADIAN CHILDREN’S NON-FICTION
The Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction was established by the Fleck Family Foundation in 1999 to recognize Canada’s exceptional non-fiction books for young people. The award honours Norma Fleck (1906—1998), who inspired a deep love of reading in her children and grandchildren. Dr. James Fleck, who initiated award, is the son of Norma Fleck. The winner receives $10,000.

MARILYN BAILLIE PICTURE BOOK AWARD
The Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award honours excellence in the illustrated picture book format, for children aged 3 to 6. Charles Baillie, retired Chairman and CEO of the TD Bank Financial Group, is delighted to give the prize in his wife Marilyn’s name. As an award-winning children’s book author and an early learning specialist, Marilyn is involved in and passionate about children’s literature. The winner receives $10,000.

GEOFFREY BILSON AWARD FOR HISTORICAL FICTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
The Geoffrey Bilson Award was established in 1988 in memory of the respected historian and children's author, Geoffrey Bilson. The $5,000 prize is awarded annually to the Canadian author of an outstanding work of historical fiction for young people. In 2005, the Bilson Endowment Fund was created to support this award. If you wish to contribute to this fund, please contact the CCBC.

THE CANADIAN CHILDREN’S BOOK CENTRE
The Canadian Children’s Book Centre is a national, not-for-profit organization and registered charity founded in 1976 to promote, support and encourage the reading, writing and illustrating of Canadian books for children and teens. With book collections and extensive resources in five cities across Canada, the CCBC is a treasure-trove for anyone interested in Canadian books for young readers. For more information, please visit www.bookcentre.ca

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For more information, please contact:

Charlotte Teeple
Executive Director
The Canadian Children’s Book Centre
40 Orchard View Blvd., Suite 101
Toronto, Ontario M4R 1B9
Tel: 416.975.0010
Fax: 416.975.8970
charlotte@bookcentre.ca
www.bookcentre.ca