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PRESS RELEASE
Version française
IBBY CANADA IS pleased to announce that author Brian Doyle (who lives in Ottawa) and illustrator Pierre Pratt (who lives in Montreal) are Canada's nominees for the 2008 Hans Christian Andersen Awards.
Chosen for the outstanding value of their complete work and announced every two years, the Hans Christian Andersen Awards recognize a lasting and significant contribution to literature for children and young people and are recognized around the world as the highest honour for children's authors and illustrators. Known as the "little Nobel," the Andersen Awards, which were first established in 1956, are the hallmark of international distinction. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is the patron of the Awards.
A jury of Canadian children's book experts selected Canada's nominees for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards. The jury's comments on the nominated author: "Brian Doyle is one of our finest writers. Although all his books are centred on Ottawa and the Gatineau region, his stories resonate with universal themes, full of humanity and understanding, loss and forgiveness. His writing is of the highest literary quality and takes us from laughter to tears with the turn of a page." A list of Brian Doyle's books follows.
Of the illustrator nominee, the jury said: "Pierre Pratt's illustrations are full of emotion and speak to children with whimsy and humour. Whether drawn or painted, his characters have an intensity and vitality and express a love of life. Pratt's distinctive style is bold outlines or, more recently, finer outlines, with a varied and luminous palette. He creates pictures that are by turns sensitive or playful, but always imaginative. In the expressive simplicity of his illustrations, something in them always winks at the reader." A list of Pierre Pratt's books follows.
This year's IBBY Canada Hans Christian Andersen Awards jury consisted of Josiane Polidori, head of children's literature, Library and Archives Canada and past president IBBY Canada; Gillian O'Reilly, freelance children's writer and editor; Todd Kyle, manager, Churchill Meadows Branch, Mississauga Public Library; Brigitte Moreau, researcher in children's literature and reading and children's bookseller Librairie Monet in Montreal; and Theo Heras, children's librarian, Lillian H. Smith Branch, Toronto Public Library.
IBBY Canada is one of over 70 national sections within the International Board on Books for Young People. Each national section is invited to nominate candidates for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards, presented every other year. An international jury, comprised of 10 children's literature experts around the world, will meet to make their selection, taking the complete work of the nominees into consideration, while adjudicating books on literary and artistic criteria. The winners will be announced at the Bologna Children's Book Fair in April 2008 and the Awards will be presented to the winners at the IBBY Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark in September 2008.
Previous Canadian nominees for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards include Marie Louise Gay, Christiane Duchesne, Dennis Lee, Michèle Lemieux, Ian Wallace, Jean Little, Gilles Tibo, Monica Hughes, Phillipe Beha, Laszlo Gal, and Eric Beddows.
IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People (www.ibby.org), founded in Switzerland in 1953, represents an international network of people who are committed to bringing books and children together and believes in the ability of children's books to bridge cultures and promote peace. Formed in 1980, IBBY Canada (www.ibby-canada.org) is one of over 70 national sections worldwide. IBBY Canada is a volunteer organization that promotes quality French and English language Canadian children's literature nationally and internationally. Members include authors, illustrators, librarians, booksellers, educators, and publishers.
A selection of books written by Brian Doyle
- Angel Square, Groundwood Books, Toronto, 1991
- Boy O'Boy, Groundwood Books, Toronto, 2003
- Covered Bridge, Douglas & McIntyre, Toronto, 1990
- Easy Avenue, Douglas & McIntyre, Toronto, 1988
- Mary Ann Alice, Groundwood Books, Toronto, 2001
- Pure Spring, Groundwood Books, Toronto, 2007
- Spud Sweetgrass, Douglas & McIntyre, 1992
- Uncle Ronald, Douglas & McIntyre, Toronto, 1996
- Up to Low, Groundwood Books, Toronto, 1982
A selection of books illustrated by Pierre Pratt
- La bottine magique de Pipo written by Rémy Simard, Annick Press, Toronto, 1995
- Mon chien est un éléphant written by Rémy Simard; Annick Press, Toronto, 1994
- Le jour où Zoé zozota; Les 400 coups, Montréal, 2005
- The Ladder, written by Halfdan Rasmussen; Candlewick Press, Cambridge (originally published in Danish), 2006
- Monsieur Ilétaitunefois; Annick Press, Toronto, 1998
- Marcel et André; Gallimard/Le sourire qui mord, Paris, 1994
- That New Animal, written by Emily Jenkins; Farrar Straus & Giroux, New York, 2005
- Where's Pup? written by Dayle Ann Dodds;Tundra Books, Toronto, 2003
For more information, please contact:
Helena Aalto
Promotion Officer, IBBY Canada
(416) 658-3144
helena.aalto@rogers.com
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