Nominated authors and illustrators visited schools across Ontario to meet with their young readers. Author Hazel Hutchins, who received a Red Maple nomination for her novel After, gave presentations to kids from kindergarten to grade 8 at schools across Toronto and London, Ontario. During one school visit, she was teaching a class of fifth graders the importance of opening a story with a strong emotion, such as fear. She was impressed when one student came up with the sentence, "I forced myself into the box," and went on to write about being trapped in a glass box. Scary!
Congratulations to all the winners!
At the Festival of Trees event, May 12
Front (left to right): Annick Press co-founder Anne Millyard and author Hazel Hutchins
Back: Annick staff Brigitte Waisberg and Joanna Karaplis
