The Canada Council for the Arts today announced the 2015 shortlist for the Governor General’s Literary Awards. The finalists in the children’s literature categories are listed below. This year, 970 titles in the English-language categories and 559 in the French-language categories were submitted.
“Our literature reflects who we are as a society. Our authors, illustrators and translators challenge us to learn more about ourselves and the world, whether through novels, works of non-fiction or translation, poetry, drama or books for children and young adults,” said Canada Council Director and CEO Simon Brault. “The Governor General’s Literary Awards shortlist is a great place to start putting together a fascinating reading list.”
Children’s Literature (English-language text)
Dan Bar-el (Vancouver) – Audrey (cow) (Tundra Books)
Darren Groth (Delta, B.C.) – Are You Seeing Me? (Orca Book Publishers)
Susin Nielsen (Vancouver) – We Are All Made of Molecules (Tundra Books / Penguin Random House Canada)
Caroline Pignat (Ottawa) – The Gospel Truth (Red Deer Press)
Emil Sher (Toronto) – Young Man with Camera (Scholastic Canada)
Jury: Jan L. Coates, Rachna Gilmore, David A. Poulsen
Children’s Literature (English-language illustrated Books)
Andy Jones and Darka Erdelji (St. John’s, N.L./ Maribor, Slovenia) – Jack, the King of Ashes (Running the Goat Books & Broadsides)
JonArno Lawson and Sydney Smith (Toronto) – Sidewalk Flowers (Groundwood Books)
Kyo Maclear and Marion Arbona (Toronto/Montreal) – The Good Little Book (Tundra Books)
John Martz (Toronto) – A Cat Named Tim and Other Stories (Koyama Press)
Mélanie Watt (Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka, Que.) – Bug in a Vacuum (Tundra Books)
Jury: Dawn Baker, Judd Palmer, Farida Zaman
Children’s Literature (French-language text)
Camille Bouchard (Quebec City) – Les forces du désordre (Éditions Québec Amérique)
Denis Côté (Quebec City) – Dessine-moi un martien (Soulières Éditeur)
Roger Des Roches (Montreal) – Boîtamémoire (Les Éditions de la courte échelle)
Sandra Dussault (Quebec City) – Direction Saint-Creux-des-Meuh-Meuh (Éditions Québec Amérique)
Louis-Philippe Hébert (Wentworth-Nord, Que.) – Marie Réparatrice (Les Éditions de La Grenouillère)
Jury: Melvin Gallant, Marthe Pelletier, Andrée Poulin
Children’s Literature (French-language illustrated books)
Patrick Doyon and André Marois (Montreal) – Le voleur de sandwichs (Les Éditions de la Pastèque)
Jacques Goldstyn (Mont-Royal, Que.) – L’arbragan (Les Éditions de la Pastèque)
Mireille Levert (Montreal) – Quand j’écris avec mon cœur (Les Éditions de la Bagnole/ Groupe Ville-Marie Littérature)
Mélanie Perreault and Marion Arbona (Sainte-Thérèse, Que./Montreal) – Rosalie entre chien et chat (Dominique et compagnie)
Renée Robitaille and Philippe Béha (Montreal/Acton Vale, Que.) – Douze oiseaux (Les Éditions de la Bagnole / Groupe Ville-Marie Littérature)
Jury: Robert Freynet, Roger Girard (Rogé), Badiâa Sekfali
In the English-to-French translation category, Rachel Martinez (Mont-Royal, Que.) is nominated for Ma vie (racontée malgré moi) par Henry K. Larsen (la courte échelle), the French translation of The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen (Tundra Books)
For the full shortlist and more information, please click here.