Annick Titles Snap Up More Awards

It's been another week full of awards news, and we couldn't be prouder of our talented authors and illustrators!

• 50 Poisonous Questions (Tanya Lloyd Kyi) has been nominated for the 2012/2013 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Awards (she wrote a funny blog post about it, too: click here to read!)
  
• Held (Edeet Ravel) has been shortlisted for the CLA Young Adult Book of the Year
• Fatty Legs (Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton) has been nominated for the 2013 Young Readers Choice Award by the Pacific Northwest Library Association
• The sequel to Fatty Legs, A Stranger at Home, was chosen for the White Ravens 2012, the annual selection of outstanding international books for children and young adults, which will be presented at the Bologna Children's Book Fair next week

Finally, if you're in Toronto this weekend, stop by Little Island Comics on Saturday at 3 pm to meet with Fiona Smyth, who will be talking about her graphic novel The Never Weres. More details on the bookstore's blog: http://www.littleislandcomics.com/2012/march-17th-book-club-pick-the-never-weres/

Awards & The 49th Shelf Launch!

Happy Friday! Today we received great news: four of our titles made the Ontario Library Association's Best Bets list, and one also was a Notable Books for a Global Society Book Award winner for 2012. And the winners are (drum roll, please)...

OLA Best Bets list:

• Beyond Bullets by Rafal Gerszak and Dawn Hunter
• A Stranger at Home by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, illustrated by Liz Amini-Holmes
• 50 Underwear Questions by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, illustrated by Ross Kinnaird
• Held by Edeet Ravel

Notable Books for a Global Society Book Award:
Beyond Bullets by Rafal Gerszak and Dawn Hunter

In other news, The 49th Shelf officially launched this week. It's an online community showcasing, discussing, and celebrating Canadian books. In their own words:

Think of The 49th Shelf as an interactive, intimate virtual library stocked with Canadian books by authors both world-renowned and up-and-coming, writing in every genre. But not just a library: The 49th Shelf is also a community of avid readers who share the books on the site by making reading lists and book recommendations.

To celebrate their launch, they're running lots of book giveaways: click here to enter!

50 Burning Questions Wins Information Book Award

We're very proud to learn that the the winner of the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable's 2011 Information Book Award is 50 Burning Questions by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, illustrated by Ross Kinnaird.

But wait, there's more! The Honour Book is Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, illustrated by Liz Amini-Holmes.

The Information Book Award is given to a book that "arouses interest, stimulates curiosity, captures the imagination and fosters concern for the world around us." (More criteria here.) The winners were announced on November 15, and they will be presented with their award on February 25, 2012, at the Roundtable's annual Serendipity event.

Congratulations again to the winners and finalists!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! The Easter Bunny knew the Annick offices would be closed for Good Friday tomorrow, so he paid us a visit today instead.

And we didn't just get chocolate--advance copies of three of our Fall 2011 books arrived, and they look gorgeous! They'll be in stores this fall, so keep your eyes peeled for Chicken, Pig, Cow and the Class Pet (the latest in Ruth Ohi's series about three charming toy animals), Munsch at Play Act 2 (plays based on popular Robert Munsch stories--perfect for classrooms!), and Dogs Don't Eat Jam (a big sister's guide to growing up, by the author/illustrator team that brought you A Flock of Shoes).

We also received more good news on the awards front. Out of the five titles shortlisted for the CSWA's Science in Society Book Awards, four were Annick Press titles: 50 Burning Questions, Animal Snoops, Animals That Changed the World, and Lizards in the Sky. Congratulations to all of our shortlisted authors!

Congratulations are also due to Judie Oron, whose book Cry of the Giraffe won the Youth Literature category of the 2011 Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards. An awards ceremony will be held on May 30th in Toronto.

Three Annick Books Nominated for Willow Awards

Congratulations to Sharon McKay, Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, and Keltie Thomas, whose titles have been nominated for the SYRCA (Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Award). Thunder over Kandahar was nominated for a Snow Willow Award (grades 7–9); Fatty Legs and Animals That Changed the World have both been nominated in the Diamond Willow category (grades 4–6).

Eleven thousand children and teens throughout Saskatchewan will vote for their favourite book, and award winners will be announced in April 2012. We look forward to the results!

More Accolades!

We're just two weeks into 2011 and already we're proud to announce more awards and recognition for our Fall 2010 books. Congratulations to all the authors and illustrators!

Cry of the Giraffe 

By Judie Oron

• 2011 Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Teens
• 2011 USBBY Outstanding International Books Honor list
• Amelia Bloomer Project 2011 list

Fatty Legs

By Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton

Illustrated by Liz Amini-Holmes

• 2011 USBBY Outstanding International Books Honor list

Kings and Carpenters: One Hundred Bible Land Jobs You Might Have Praised or Panned

By Laurie Coulter

Illustrated by Martha Newbigging

• 2011 Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Older Readers

Thunder over Kandahar

By Sharon McKay

• 2011 USBBY Outstanding International Books Honor list
• Amelia Bloomer Project 2011 list

Rocky Mountain Book Award Shortlist

We're thrilled to announce that two Annick Press titles have been shortlisted for the Rocky Mountain Book Award: Born to Write, by Charis Cotter, and Kaboom! by Gillian Richardson.

Born to Write is the story of what six famous authors--Madeleine L’Engle, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Philip Pullman, Christopher Paul Curtis, C.S. Lewis, and E.B. White--were like as children. How did their childhood experiences and influences shape the writers they would become?

Kaboom! takes young readers through the exciting world of explosions, from man-made blasts to those that occur in nature. From popcorn to fireworks to volcanoes, readers will explore how and why things blow up.

Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors and illustrators!

TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards

Last night's Canadian Children's Literature Awards celebration was an impressive affair. Held at The Carlu, the event attracted people from across the children's publishing industry--authors, illustrators, agents, editors, booksellers, publishers, librarians, members of literary organizations and committees.

After some time spent mingling while enjoying delicious hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, it was time for the presentations to begin. MC Garvia Bailey, from Radio One CBC, did a great job setting the tone and moving things along.

And the winners were:

• Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People: Vanishing Girl by Shane Peacock
• Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction: Adventures on the Ancient Silk Road by Priscilla Galloway with Dawn Hunter
• Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award: Timmerman Was Here by Colleen Sydor, illustrated by Nicolas Debon
• TD Canadian Children's Literature Award: The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade

We were very proud to have three of our authors nominated (Charis Cotter's book Born to Write was also a finalist for the Norma Fleck Award), and absolutely thrilled when Adventures on the Ancient Silk Road won. Priscilla Galloway gave a moving speech about persevering through some major health issues that delayed her book's publication, and how happy she was to finally see it not only published, but also recognized with such a prestigious award. She received a touching standing ovation after her speech.

(Above: Priscilla Galloway and Dawn Hunter accept the Norma Fleck Award for Non-Fiction)

Click here to check out the rest of our photos on Flickr!

Children's Authors Win Big at Physics Conference

Last month, authors Cora Lee and Gillian O'Reilly traveled to Portland, Oregon, to accept an American Institute of Physics writing award for their book The Great Number Rumble. Congratulations, Cora and Gillian! Here's Cora's account of their trip:

Come join the circus... or maybe a physics conference?

The American Institute of Physics and the American Association of Physics Teachers does controlled chaos quite well, juggling hundreds of sessions, workshops, committee meetings and receptions as well as, literally, balls in the air (more on that below). How would two writers know? We were there--last month we traveled to Portland, Oregon to receive our AIP Science Writing Award for The Great Number Rumble, and to speak on a panel discussion on publishing science in popular forms. When we weren’t needed, we peeked into various conference venues.

Highlights? Getting the award, of course. But also: surviving the panel discussion without a microphone... watching unicycles and contortionists, jugglers and jokesters in their Physics of Vaudeville show... overhearing a request for The Great Number Rumble and The Great Motion Mission at Powell’s, Portland’s humongous bookstore!

 Left to right: Philip W. Hammer, PhD, Associate Vice President, Physics Resources Center, American Institute of Physics; Cora Lee, author; Gillian O'Reilly, author.

Canadian Children's Literature Awards

Last night, the Canadian Children's Book Centre hosted a gala in which the winners of the Canadian Children's Literature Awards were announced. Eight Annick authors and illustrators were finalists, and we were thrilled to see five of them win! (You can read the full CCBC press release here.)

Mattland, written by Hazel Hutchins and Gail Herbert and illustrated by Dušan Petričić, won the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000). Here's Hazel giving her acceptance speech:


The Bite of the Mango, written by Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland, won the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction ($10,000). Mariatu is still on her European book tour, so Susan accepted the award. Here she is with Annick's Director, Rick Wilks:


The award winners were in good company: Shin-Chi's Canoe, written by Nicola I. Campbell and illustrated by Kim LaFave, won the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award ($25,000) and The Landing, by John Ibbitson, won the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,ooo).

Congratulations are also due to:

• Ruth Ohi, whose book Chicken, Pig, Cow was a finalist for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award
• Elizabeth MacLeod, whose book Royal Murder was a finalist for the Norma Fleck Award
• Melanie Little, whose book The Apprentice's Masterpiece was a finalist for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People

Click here for a list of all finalists, and check out more photos from the event on Annick's Flickr page.

Canadian Children's Book Centre Finalists

Everyone here at Annick is very proud to have five books (that's eight authors and illustrators!) on the list of finalists for the prestigious Canadian Children's Book Centre awards!

Allow me to introduce our finalists:

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000):

Chicken, Pig, Cow (Ruth Ohi)
Mattland (Hazel Hutchins and Gail Herbert; art by Dušan Petričić)


Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction ($10,000)

The Bite of the Mango (Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland)
Royal Murder (Elizabeth MacLeod)


Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,000)

The Apprentice's Masterpiece (Melanie Little)

The winners will be announced in three months (November 19, 2009) at a gala event at The Carlu in Toronto. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed!

More Award Nominations Blooming in Spring!

Today is officially the first day of spring, though it doesn't quite feel like it yet here in Toronto... I regret leaving my gloves at home! I can't really complain though: at least we have sunny blue skies. Something else is also putting me in a fresh spring mood: more award nominations for our authors!

Shadow-Town, by Duncan Thornton, has been shortlisted for the Manitoba Book Awards' McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award – Older Category.

The Canadian Library Association has also shortlisted two of our picture books for its illustration award, the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon award. Congratulations to illustrator Dusan Petricic for Mattland and Deirdre Betteridge for A Pocket Can Have a Treasure In It!

Finally, we also received a nice review in Quill & Quire for The Bears We Know, written by Brenda Silsbe and illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen.

Happy spring!