IBBY Honour List

The IBBY Honour List is a biennial selection of outstanding, recently published books, honouring writers, illustrators and translators from IBBY member countries. The National Sections that can nominate one book for each of the three categories select the titles. For a country with a substantial and continuing production of children’s books in more than one language, up to three books may be submitted for writing and translation in different languages.

Important considerations in selecting the Honour List titles are that the books chosen be representative of the best in children’s literature from each country and that the books are recommended as suitable for publication throughout the world. The IBBY Honour List is one of the most widespread and effective ways of furthering IBBY’s objective of encouraging international understanding through children’s literature.

The Honour List diplomas are presented to the recipients at the IBBY Congresses where the catalogue is introduced and the books are shown for the first time. Thereafter five parallel sets of the books circulate around the world at exhibitions during conferences and book fairs. The catalogue is sent to all National Sections and IBBY correspondents and is available free of charge. Permanent collections of the IBBY Honour List books are kept at the International Youth Library in Munich, the Swiss Children’s Book Institute in Zurich and Bibiana Research Collection in Bratislava.

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IBBY Honour List

Every two years, in conjunction with the IBBY International Congress, member countries are asked to select their list of outstanding books for the prestigious IBBY Honour List. The list acknowledges writers, illustrators and translators.

The IBBY Canada Honour List selections for 2016 were:

  • Text: Teresa Toten. The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B (Doubleday Canada, 2013)
  • Illustration: Marianne Dubuc. Le lion et l’oiseau (Éditions de la Pastèque, 2013)
  • Translation: Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou. Jane, the Fox & Me (Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2013) Translation of Jane, le renard & moi by Fanny Britt. Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. (Éditions de la Pastèque, 2012)

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The IBBY Honour List Winners for 2014 were:

  • English text: Jennifer Lanthier. The Stamp Collector. Illustrated by François Thisdale. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2012.
  • French text: Rogé. Mingan, mon village: Poèmes d’écoliers innus. Illustrated by Rogé. Les Éditions de la Bagnole, 2012.
  • Illustration: Isabelle Arsenault. Virginia Wolf. Written by Kyo Maclear. Kids Can Press, 2012.
  • Translation English to French: Rachel Martinez. Les maux d’Ambroise Bukowski. Les Éditions de la Courte Échelle, 2013. Translation of Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen. Tundra Books,
  • Translation French to English: Helen Mixter. Harvey. Groundwood Books, 2010. Translation of Harvey by Hervé Bouchard. Illustrated by Janice Nadeau. Les Éditions de la Pastèque, 2009.

Press Release: English // French


In 2010, IBBY Canada selected six titles representing the best in recently published Canadian children’s literature. For the first time we submitted a book (in the translation category) in one of Canada’s First Nations official languages — Dogrib! The IBBY Honour List Winners for 2010 were:

  • English text: Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson (Penguin Canada, 2008)
  • French text: Hush! Hush! by Michel Noel (Éditions Hurtubise, 2006)
  • Illustration: La Petite Rapporteuse de Mots, illustrated by Geneviève Côté and written by Danielle Simard (Les Éditions Les 400 Coups, 2007)
  • Translation English to French: L’Ombre de Malabron, by Thomas Wharton; translated by Dominique Fortier (Les Éditions du Trécarré Groupe Librex, 2008)
  • Translation French to English: Pieces of Me (La Liberté? Connais pas…), by Charlotte Gingras; translated by Susan Ouriou (Kids Can Press, 2009)
  • Translation English to Dogrib: Yamoózha Eyits’ o Wets’èkeè Tsà – Yamozha and His Beaver Wife, by Vital Thomas; translated by Mary Siemens; illustrated by Archie Beaulieu (Theytus Books, 2007)

Press Release: English // French


The IBBY Honour List Winners for 2008 were:

  • English text: The Crazy Man by Pamela Porter. (Groundwood Books, 2006)
  • French text: Ma vie ne sait pas nager by Élaine Turgeon, illustrated by Stéphane Poulin (Éditions Québec Amérique, 2006)
  • Illustration: Fox Walked Alone written and illustrated by Barbara Reid (Scholastic Canada, 2006)
  • Translation English to French: Fausse identité (Mistaken Identity) written by Norah McClintock; translated by Claudine Vivier (Éditions Hurtubise HMH, 2006
  • Translation French to English: This Side of the Sky (Le ciel tombe à côté) written by Marie-Francine Hébert; translated by Susan Ouriou (Red Deer Press, 2006)