January 31, 2020 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: IBBY Canada (International Board on Books for Young People, Canadian section) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2020 Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award. Every year, the Cleaver Award is presented to a Canadian illustrator in recognition of artistic excellence in a picture book.
The winner and the honour books will be announced at the IBBY Canada Annual General Meeting on March 6, 2020. All are welcome to attend.
The jury reviewed over 150 picture books published in Canada in 2020. For their artistic excellence and outstanding visual storytelling, the jury has selected the following ten illustrators:
Josée Bisaillon for Dancing with Daisy, written by Jan Coates (Running the Goat Books)
Gary Clement for My Winter City, written by James Gladstone (Groundwood Books)
Geneviève Després for Laurent, c’est moi!, written by Stéphanie Deslauriers (Fonfon)
Emma FitzGerald for A Pocket of Time: The Poetic Childhood of Elizabeth Bishop, written by Rita Wilson (Nimbus Publishing)
Julie Flett for Birdsong, written by Julie Flett (Greystone Books)
Julie Morstad for It Began With a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way, written by Kyo Maclear (Tundra Books)
Dena Seiferling for King Mouse, written by Cary Fagan (Tundra Books)
Sydney Smith for Small in the City, written by Sydney Smith (Groundwood Books)
François Thisdale for Bon Voyage, Mister Rodriguez, written by Christiane Duchesne (Pajama Press)
Rachel Wada for The Phone Booth in Hirota’s Garden, written by Heather Smith (Orca Book Publishers)
The jury for the 2020 Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award was comprised of Josiane Polidori, Carol-Ann Hoyte, and Merle Harris.
IBBY Canada’s Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award, established in 1985, honours one of Canada’s pre-eminent book illustrators. Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver left funds in her will to annually recognize outstanding artistic talent in Canadian picture books; the winner receives $1,000.
IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People, was founded in 1953. It is a network of organizations in 79 countries committed to bringing books and children together. IBBY Canada, started in 1980, is a volunteer organization promoting quality Canadian children’s literature nationally and internationally.
For more information, please contact:
Mary Beth Leatherdale
President, IBBY Canada
president@ibby-canada.org