2006 Shortlist for Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Childrenís Book Awards

Toronto, April 12, 2006 ó The short list of authors and illustrators nominated for the 2006 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards was announced today. (See list.) These national awards ó one for a children’s picture book and one for a young adult/middle reader book ó recognize writers and illustrators from across Canada who demonstrate artistic excellence in children’s literature.

Two juries of schoolchildren from Lord Dufferin Junior and Senior Public School in Toronto, Ontario, will review the books and announce the winners on May 9, 2006 at a special 2 p.m. reception at Queen’s Park hosted by The Honourable James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

The young adult/middle reader book category is judged by students in grades 7 and 8. The winning author will receive a $5,000 prize. Students in grades 3 and 4 will award the $5,000 children’s picture book prize, which is split between the author and illustrator.

The Ruth Schwartz Children’s Book Award was established in 1976 by Sylvia Schwartz in memory of her sister, the late Ruth Schwartz, a respected Toronto bookseller. In 2004, the family decided to rename it the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards to honour Sylvia. Sylvia was a well-known photographer in Toronto from the 1940s to the early 1960s who had a great love of children.

The administration of these awards is shared annually by the Ontario Arts Council, which selects the school and the juries, the Ontario Arts Foundation, the Ruth Schwartz Foundation and the Canadian Booksellers Association, whose members select the short list of books.

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Short List for the 2006
Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards

Picture Books

  • Caramba
    written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay
    Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press
  • Forever: The Annual Hockey Classic
    written by Roy MacGregor, illustrated by Brian Deines
    Red Deer Press Inc.
  • Gretzky’s Game
    written by Mike Leonetti, illustrated by Greg Banning
    Raincoast Books
  • The Nutcracker
    written by Karen Kain, illustrated by Rajka Kupesic
    Tundra Books
  • Shi-shi-etko
    written by Nicola I. Campbell, illustrated by Kim LaFave
    Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press

Young Adult/Middle Reader Books

  • Alice MacLeod, Realist at Last
    by Susan Juby
    HarperCollins Canada
  • The Crazy Man
    by Pamela Porter
    Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press
  • The Gravesavers
    by Sheree Fitch
    Doubleday Canada
  • Skybreaker
    by Kenneth Oppel
    HarperCollins Canada
  • Swimming in the Monsoon Sea
    by Shyam Selvadurai
    Tundra Books

For more information, please contact:

Ann Boyd, Associate Director, Ontario Arts Foundation, 416-969-7411 or toll-free in Ontario at 1-800-387-0058 ext.7411 or email aboyd@arts.on.ca
Daphnée Nostrome, Communications Assistant, Ontario Arts Council, 416-969-7446 or toll-free in Ontario at 1-800-387-0058 ext.7446 or email dnostrome@arts.on.ca

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