Jean E. Pendziwol and Jack Wong among winners for Canadian children's book awards
The annual awards celebrate literature for young people
Jean E. Pendziwol and Jack Wong are among the winning authors at the 2024 Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Awards.
The eight awards, which include prizes for nonfiction, YA and picture books, annually recognize the best in Canadian children's literature.
Ontario writer Pendziwol won the $50,000 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award — the largest cash prize in Canadian children's literature — with illustrator Todd Stewart for their book Skating Wild on an Inland Sea.
Skating Wild on an Inland Sea is about two children discovering the magic of skating on wild ice. It is also on the shortlist for the 2024 young people's literature — illustrated books Governor General's Award.
Pendziwol lives in Northwestern Ontario and is the author of eight children's books including When I Listen to Silence, illustrated by Carmen Mok; I Found Hope in a Cherry Tree, illustrated by Nathalie Dion; and Once Upon a Northern Night, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault.
Stewart is a Montreal-based illustrator and printmaker. His picture book The Wind in the Trees (Quand le vent souffle), was a nominated for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award and the Governor General's Literary Award.
Wong won the $20,000 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award for When You Can Swim. Written and illustrated by Wong, When You Can Swim is about an adult explaining to a young girl all the joys of swimming in lakes, rivers and at the beach.
Wong is a Halifax-based author and illustrator who was born in Hong Kong but grew up in Vancouver. When You Can Swim is his first book. It won the 2023 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — illustrated books. He's also the author of The Words We Share.
The complete list of winners is as follows:
- TD Canadian Children's Literature Award: Skating Wild on an Inland Sea by Jean E. Pendziwol, illustrated by Todd Stewart
- Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award: When You Can Swim by Jack Wong
- Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People: Bernice and the Georgian Bay Gold by Jessica Outram
- Amy Mathers Teen Book Award: Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian
- Jean Little First Novel Award: The Cricket War by Thọ Phạm and Sandra McTavish
- Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy: Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto
- David Booth Children's and Youth Poetry Award: Robot, Unicorn, Queen: Poems for You and Me by Shannon Bramer, illustrated by Irene Luxbacher
- Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award: Alone: The Journeys of Three Young Refugees by Paul Tom, illustrated by Mélanie Baillairgé and translated by Arielle Aaronson
"Tonight's winning books represent a spectrum of childhood experiences, including courage and resilience, being surrounded by the wonders and beauty of the natural world, and reflections on the joy and poignancy of growing up," said Stephanie Wells, the executive director of the CCBC, in a press statement.
"Woven throughout these books is hope for a brighter future and a recognition that with someone by your side, whether that is a pair of loyal dogs, a long-time foe, a stranger that steps up, family, or friends, none of us are alone. At a time when the world seems more and more divided, the books honoured tonight bring us closer together and remind us that we are more alike than different."
Some of the winning titles are available in accessible formats through the Centre for Equitable Library Access.
The French-language prize winners will be announced on Nov. 6.
