The CCBC is Nominated for the 2022 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Among the nominees are a full 282 names from 71 countries including some of the world’s foremost creators of literature for children and young people, as well as reading promoters. You can view the full list here.
Representing Canada are:
Isabelle Arsenault, Author/Illustrator
Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Organisation
Deborah Ellis, Author
Jacques Goldstyn, Author/Illustrator
Robert Munsch, Author/Illustrator/Storyteller
Eric Walters, Author
Canada/Iran
Nahid Kazemi, Illustrator
Canada/United States
Zetta Elliott, Author/Illustrator
Jon Klassen, Author/Illustrator
In memory of Astrid Lindgren
Few have done more for the right of children to a rich inner life than Astrid Lindgren. The creator of stories beloved the world over, she was a renewer of children’s literature. She was also a steadfast humanist who made her voice heard in the public debate, speaking with moral conviction, with humor, and always with her focus on children and their future. When, in 2002 at the age of 94, her voice finally fell silent, the Swedish Government decided to found an award to honour her memory and to promote interest in children’s and young adult literature around the world.
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is administered by the Swedish Arts Council. The award office is responsible for communication, support to the jury, finances and all activities related to the award. The laureates are chosen by a twelve-member expert jury.
High-quality literature
Astrid Lindgren was prominent in the development of children’s literature as an art form. The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is awarded to those who continue to work in her spirit: with imagination, bravery, respect and empathy, and maintaining the highest degree of artistic excellence. The attention of the award leads to more translations and to more children having access to high-quality literature—entertaining, innovative, challenging, or complex.
The prize amount of SEK 5,000,000 ($513,000) is a signal to the world that Sweden takes children’s reading very seriously. Reading books in translation fosters understanding among people and cultures. Children’s and young adult’s access to literature is a precondition for democracy and openness. What will happen if our children never gain access to the worlds opened up by reading?