Picturing Canada: A History of Canadian Children’s Illustrated Books and Publishing by Gail Edwards and Judith Saltman has been awarded the 2011 International Research Society for Children’s Literature (IRSCL) Award. The award honours a distinguished work in the field of children’s literature research published in the two years prior to the IRSCL Congress. This year’s congress was held in Brisbane. Clare Bradford, outgoing President of IRSCL, read this citation at the Congress in Brisbane:

“This book comprises an account of the history of children’s English-language publishing in Canada, concentrating on illustrated works and picture books, from the beginnings of Canadian children’s literature to 2005. The authors have plotted the evolution of Canadian publishing for children against the cultural and political shifts which have characterised Canadian history. They focus in particular on how illustrated books and picture books have negotiated Canadian debates over nationhood and national identities, with particular reference to Indigenous peoples and texts, and ethnocultural diversity. The distinctive contribution Edwards and Saltman make is that this is not merely a literary history, but Picturing Canada investigates the networks of publishing, librarianship, education, retail, reviewing and research which attend the production and reception of Canadian books for children.”