FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TORONTO (September 27, 2012) – The two winners of the 2011 Lane Anderson Award were announced on September 27 by Hollister Doll and Sharon Fitzhenry, Directors of the Fitzhenry Family Foundation, at an intimate dinner in Toronto. The annual Lane Anderson Award honours two jury-selected books, in the categories of adult and young reader, published in the field of science, and written by a Canadian. The winner in each category receives $10,000. Nowhere Else On Earth: Standing Tall for the Great Bear Rainforest by Caitlyn Vernon, published by Orca Book Publishers, won the young reader category.
Weaving together biology, ecology, history, and the social sciences, Caitlyn Vernon demonstrates the interconnection of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada. Not only does this comprehensive book have substantial science content and current information about northern regions of this western province, it also offers engaging side-bars with personal stories, facts and trivia, and most importantly, calls to action, demonstrating the ways that even young children can make positive differences for a more sustainable future. A very important book, well designed with engaging and interesting information told in a conversational style. – The Jury
Environmental activist Caitlyn Vernon guides readers through a forest of information, sharing her personal stories, her knowledge, and her concerns. Caitlyn has a background in biology and environmental studies, and is currently a campaigner with Sierra Club BC.
The remaining finalists were What Does the Earth Sound Like by Eva Everything (ECW Press) and Totally Human: Why We Look and Act the Way We Do by Cynthia Pratt Nicolson with illustrations by Diane Eastman (Kids Can Press).
The Young Reader Jury for the 2011 Lane Anderson Award:
Cathy Sandusky is a primary school specialist with extensive hands-on experience in student-teacher workshops exploring links between science and literacy. She holds degrees in English and Psychology, and spent many years as a buyer of educational books and resources. Today, she is Fitzhenry & Whiteside’s Children’s Book Publisher.
Marlene Turkington is presently the Children’s Book Selector for GoodMinds.com. She recently retired from the Thames Valley District School Board after 42 years. She has been an elementary teacher, an elementary and secondary teacher-librarian at various schools, an itinerant resource librarian and a Library Coordinator. She has taught all three library courses as an instructor for the University of Western Ontario. She has served on the executive of ATLC (Association for Teacher-Librarians in Canada) and was the vice president, president and past president of CASL (Canadian Association of School Libraries). She served on the Woodstock Public Library Board for 12 years, being the chair for 5 of those years. Her Awards of Recognition include: Ontario Volunteer Recognition Awards, OSLA Award for Special Achievement and nominated twice for the TVDSB Award of Distinction.
Kari-Lynn Winters is an award-winning children’s author, playwright, presenter, and academic scholar. She is also an experienced teacher, who has taught a range of students in Canada and the United States, including pre-school, special education, primary and intermediate, high school, and university teacher education. Kari-Lynn is also an assistant professor at Brock University in St. Catharines, ON. Her research interests include: drama in education, science education, children’s literature, literacy, and multimodal forms of learning.
The Lane Anderson designation honours the maiden names of Robert Fitzhenry’s mother, Margaret Lane, and his wife, Hilda Anderson Fitzhenry. The Fitzhenry Family Foundation is a privately directed Canadian foundation established in 1987 by Canadian publisher Robert I. Fitzhenry (1918-2008). The Lane Anderson Award is administered by Christopher Alam, a partner at the law firm of Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP.
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For more information, please contact:
Debby de Groot | MDG & Associates | T: 647.295.2970 | debby@mdgassociates.com