Ellis, Wynne-Jones vie for kid-lit award
Deborah Ellis, Tim Wynne-Jones and Barbara Reid are among the popular authors vying for this year's Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards.
Organizers of the annual literary prize announced the short list for its children's picture books and young adult/middle reader books categories in Toronto Wednesday morning.
Students from Toronto's Parkdale Junior and Senior Public School will review the shortlisted titles and decide each category's winner, who will receive a $5,000 cash prize. The prize is shared between the author and illustrator for the picture book category.
The 2007 nominees are:
Children's Picture Books:
- Ancient Thunder, written and illustrated by Leo Yerxa.
- The Farm Team, written by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Bill Slavin.
- Fox Walked Alone, written and illustrated by Barbara Reid.
- Scaredy Squirrel, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt.
- Snow, written by Joan Clark and illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton.
Young Adult/Middle Reader Books:
- I Am a Taxi, by Deborah Ellis.
- Megiddo's Shadow, by Arthur Slade.
- Odd Man Out, by Sarah Ellis.
- Rex Zero and the End of the World, by Tim Wynne-Jones.
- Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen, by Glen Huser.
This year's winners will be announced June 1.
Toronto-based photographer Sylvia Schwartz set up the literary prize in 1976 in memory of her sister Ruth, a respected Toronto bookseller. In 2004, the Schwartz family decided to rename the prize to honour Sylvia as well.
The annual prize recognizes Canadian writers and illustrators who demonstrate excellence in English language children's literature.
Each year, the Ontario Arts Council selects the school and the juries, while the Ontario Arts Foundation, the Ruth Schwartz Foundation and the Canadian Booksellers Association select the short list of books.