FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Montreal (November 7, 2019) — The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) is thrilled to announce the winner of the 15th annual Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse. Anatole qui ne séchait jamais, written by Stéphanie Boulay, illustrated by Agathe Bray-Bourret and published by Éditions Fonfon, won the $50,000 prize and the title of the most distinguished French-language book of the year. The 3rd annual Prix Harry Black de l’album jeunesse, for the best French-language picture book, was given to Mémé à la plage, written by Rhéa Dufresne, illustrated by Aurélie Grand and published by Éditions Les 400 coups.
The announcement was made at a gala event tonight at L’Astral, where Quebec children’s literary community were on hand to celebrate the nominees. Once again, the CCBC and TD Bank Group worked with Radio-Canada to present the Choix du public littérature jeunesse. Young readers were asked to pick their favourite book from the shortlisted Prix TD titles in an online poll. This year, Stéphanie Boulay and Agathe Bray-Bourret also took home the $5,000 award for Anatole qui ne séchait jamais (Éditions Fonfon). Thank you to everyone who voted!
The publisher of Anatole qui ne séchait jamais, Éditions Fonfon, will be awarded $2,500, courtesy of TD Bank Group, to promote the winning book. The remaining four finalists of the Prix TD will share a $10,000 prize.
“Tonight’s winners are a testament to the voices of Quebec creators, their artful illustrations working with the text to bring us into the world of a child who just wants to wear a tutu and a grandmother who just wants some time to sit and read by herself,” says Rose Vespa, Executive Director of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. “Thank you to all of the finalists for making books that show that children’s literature is an art form. We would also like to thank our sponsors, TD Bank Group and Mary Macchiusi, for making these awards possible.”
“I would like to congratulate all of the finalists and Stéphanie Boulay and Agathe Bray-Bourret, winners of the 2019 Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse. Stéphanie Boulay’s children’s literature debut offers readers a striking and humane story that highlights the importance of self-discovery and self-acceptance in young people,” says Sylvie Demers, Chair, Quebec Market, TD Bank Group. “Each book a child reads when they’re young can help them develop literacy skills that are critical for continued success throughout life. That is why supporting early learning and children’s literature is an important part of TD’s corporate citizenship platform, The Ready Commitment.”
On October 15, the CCBC’s six English-language book awards were presented in Toronto. The winners and honour books are listed below.
In total, $72,500 was awarded tonight, and an additional $112,500 was awarded at a gala event in Toronto last month. Below is the full list of prizes presented, with comments from the jurors. Click here to see the shortlists. View the PDF version of this press release here.
Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists!
For more information, please contact:
Emma Hunter
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Canadian Children’s Book Centre
Tel: 416-975-0010 ext. 221
emma@bookcentre.ca
Mathieu Beaudoin
Directeur des affaires publiques
Groupe Banque TD
Tel: 514-289-1670
mathieu.beaudoin@td.com
Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse ($50,000)
Sponsored by TD Bank Group
Choix du public littérature jeunesse ($5,000)
Anatole qui ne séchait jamais
Written by Stéphanie Boulay (Montreal, QC)
Illustrated by Agathe Bray-Bourret (Montreal, QC)
Éditions Fonfon
for ages 10 and up
“Boulay tackles the themes of accepting differences in a way that is just and compelling for Anatole, an inconsolable brother, and Régine, his sister, who wants to understand him and help him in his quest for self-identity. Boulay’s naïve style of writing, combined with Bray-Bourret’s magnificent illustrations, is a powerful work of great significance and sensitivity.”
The Honour Books listed below will share $10,000.
- Jules et Jim, frères d’armes by Jacques Goldstyn (Bayard Canada)
- Moi, c’est Tantale, written by André Marois and illustrated by Julien Castanié (Éditions de l’Isatis)
- Nos héroïnes, written by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette and illustrated by Mathilde Cinq-Mars (Éditions Marchand de feuilles)
- Qui va bercer Zoé?, written by Andrée Poulin and illustrated by Mathieu Lampron (Éditions Les 400 coups)
JURY MEMBERS: Mathieu Arès, literary critic; Marika Brouillette-Drapeau, bookseller; Noë Crospal, facilitator of children’s literature; Marie-Ève Guibord, children’s librarian; Sophie Michaud, lecturer, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.
Prix Harry Black de l’album jeunesse ($5,000)
Sponsored by Mary Macchiusi
Mémé à la plage
Written by Rhéa Dufresne (Laval, QC)
Illustrated by Aurélie Grand (Montreal, QC)
Éditions Les 400 coups
for ages 5 and up
“With humour, this book addresses a moment in the life of a multi-generational family. Grand’s expressive illustrations blend perfectly with Dufresne’s short text… The surprise ending is undoubtedly funny. As soon as the book is closed, you will want to read it again to laugh a little longer.”
JURY MEMBERS: Raymond Bertin, cultural journalist; Danièle Courchesne, teacher; Sophie Kurler, librarian.
The English-language winners and honour books presented on October 15th include:
- Ebb & Flow by Heather Smith won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award ($50,000)
TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award honour books include:
- After Life: Ways We Think About Death by Merrie-Ellen Wilcox (Orca Book Publishers)
- Mustafa by Marie-Louise Gay (Groundwood Books)
- Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier (Puffin Canada)
- They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood Books)
The complete list of winners for the English awards are:
- Africville, written by Shauntay Grant and illustrated by Eva Campbell, won the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000)
- Turtle Pond, written by James Gladstone and illustrated by Karen Reczuch, won the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction ($10,000)
- The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis won the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,000)
- Sadie by Courtney Summers won the John Spray Mystery Award ($5,000)
- The House of One Thousand Eyes by Michelle Barker won the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award ($5,000)
- They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki won the CBC Fan Choice Award ($5,000)
About the Canadian Children’s Book Centre
The Canadian Children’s Book Centre is a national, not-for-profit organization founded in 1976. We are dedicated to encouraging, promoting and supporting the reading, writing and illustrating of Canadian books for young readers. Our programs, publications, and resources help teachers, librarians, booksellers and parents select the very best for young readers. For more information, please visit our website.
About TD Global Corporate Citizenship
TD has a long-standing commitment to enriching the lives of its customers, colleagues and communities. As part of its corporate citizenship platform, The Ready Commitment, TD is targeting CDN $1 billion (US $775 million) in total by 2030 towards community giving in four areas critical to opening doors for a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow – Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Through The Ready Commitment, TD aspires to link its business, philanthropy and human capital to help people feel more confident – not just about their finances, but also in their ability to achieve their personal goals in a changing world. For further information, visit td.com/thereadycommitment.
For more information about these awards, please visit bookcentre.ca.