2009 Short List Announced Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Childrenís Book Awards

Toronto, April 22, 2009 – The winners of the 2009 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards will be announced at Market Lane Junior and Senior Public School, 246 The Esplanade, at 1 p.m. on May 20, 2009.

FACTS

ï The two awards, of $6000 each, recognize artistic excellence in writing and illustration in Canadian children’s literature.

ï The winners are selected by two juries of young readers. This year’s jurors are students at Market Lane Junior and Senior Public School in Toronto.

ï Approximately 100 students will participate in this year’s event and book clubs are being established in each of the classes.

ï Five grade 3 and 4 students will choose the author and illustrator who will share the children’s picture book award.

ï Five students in grades 7 and 8 will select the recipient of the young adult/middle reader award.

QUOTES

ìWe are delighted that the Market Lane Junior and Senior Public School created book clubs to allow so many students to participate in this experienceî, said Janet Stubbs, Executive Director of the Ontario Arts Foundation.

ìThe jury process encourages students to discuss the books they read and think criticallyî, said John Degen, Literature Officer at the Ontario Arts Council

 
LEARN MORE

ï The Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards are funded by the Ruth Schwartz Foundation.

ï The administration of these awards is shared by the Ontario Arts Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council which manages the jury process, and the Canadian Booksellers Association whose members choose the short list of books.


CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK AWARD CATEGORY

Just One Goal!
By Robert Munsch (Guelph, ON) and
Michael Martchenko (Toronto, ON)
Scholastic Canada Ltd.

M is for Moose: A Charles Pachter Alphabet
By Charles Pachter (Toronto, ON)
Cormorant Books Inc.

A Pocket Can Have a Treasure in It
By Kathy Stinson (Rockwood, ON)
Illustrations by Deirdre Betteridge (Pickering, ON)
Annick Press

Chester’s Back!
By Mélanie Watt  (Montreal, QC)
Kids Can Press

Stanley at Sea
By Linda Bailey (Vancouver, BC)
Illustrations by Bill Slavin (Millbrook, ON)
Kids Can Press

YOUNG ADULT/MIDDLE READER  AWARD CATEGORY

Starclimber
By Kenneth Oppel (Toronto, ON)
Firewing Productions Inc.
Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Libertad
By Alma Fullerton (Midland, ON)
Published in Canada by Fitzhenry & Whiteside

Before Green Gables
By Budge Wilson (Halifax, NS)
Penguin Group (Canada)

Word Nerd
By Susin Nielsen (Vancouver, BC)
Tundra Books

The Shadow of Malabron
By Thomas Wharton (Edmonton, AB)
Doubleday Canada

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MEDIA INQUIRIES
Hamal Docter, Communications Coordinator, Ontario Arts Council
416-969-7434 / 1-800-387-0058, ext. 7434 | Mobile: 647-831-4295 | hdocter@arts.on.ca

ONTARIO ARTS FOUNDATION INQUIRIES
Janet Stubbs, Executive Director
416-969-7413 | jstubbs@arts.on.ca

The Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) offers donors effective and creative opportunities for charitable giving – helping to build a foundation for the arts in Ontario. OAF works with donors to build lasting endowments in support of the arts – a gift for this generation and the next.

The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is the province of Ontario’s primary funding body for professional arts activity. Since 1963, the OAC has played a vital role in promoting and assisting the development of the arts and artists for the enjoyment and benefit of Ontarians.

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