After some initial bumps and starts, which are to be expected given any new undertaking, I’m pleased to report that the new newsletter format has been well received! The challenge now is working out which articles will appear in which newsletter. This, in addition to the slow news winter, makes this second new-format newsletter a little lighter content-wise, but perhaps that just confers greater weight to Hadley’s recap of her two inspiring trips to Tanzania and to the CANSCAIP spotlight on the incredibly talented Linda Granfield.
Eventually, I hope to have standard seasonal issues, much like the fashion magazine industry — but don’t worry, there will never, ever be a swimsuit issue!
An IBBY President receives the Order of Canada
I am using this president’s report to reflect on and honour the work of Patsy Aldana, publisher of Groundwood Books and past president of IBBY International, who was recently named a member of the Order of Canada, one of our country’s highest civilian honours.
As IBBY President from 2008 to 2010, Patsy was involved in numerous efforts to promote literacy and reading initiatives around the world. In Canada, she co-founded the National Reading Campaign, which aims to create a national reading strategy and ensure Canadian citizens are engaged and thoughtful readers. To her, reading isn’t just a solitary pleasure or educational tool; it is a way to connect with others and with oneself.
In a profile in The Globe and Mail, Patsy says books are “windows and mirrors,” echoing a stirring speech she wrote as IBBY President in 2008, which exemplifies the thought and passion she gives to children’s literature, its role, and its potential to change the world.
This honour recognizes what we at IBBY have always admired about Patsy: her complete commitment to the IBBY motto that “every child has the right to be a reader.” I am proud to be a part of this organization that has long pushed for a world where children everywhere may realize and benefit from this right, and I am inspired by Patsy and her leadership to continue reaching for this ideal.
The Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to community, and service to the nation. Patsy has certainly achieved, dedicated, and served. And so now we recognize, congratulate, and thank.
I am very pleased to become IBBY Canada’s Councillor-East. I am currently Associate Professor on the Faculty of Education, Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU), located in Halifax, NS. I have devoted most of my teaching and research career to improving literacy learning and teaching in rural Nova Scotia schools. This fall was particularly exciting as the university celebrated the arrival of the Canadian Children’s Book Collection, an extensive resource for scholars and teachers. It is wonderful to have over 6000 Canadian children’s books right on my doorstep!
Although I work in the city of Halifax, where MSVU is located, I live in Lawrencetown in the beautiful Annapolis Valley. Here I can watch foxes steal pears from beneath the trees in my back yard, listen to red-tailed hawks argue over a recently caught meal, smell the arrival of a family of skunks, and taste the wild blackberries that grow in our back fields. It is this appreciation and respect for the beauty of nature in all its forms and all its moments that I bring to my writing and teaching. I am also a strong advocate for equity and social justice and work to further Peace Education in schools.
As a former elementary school teacher and principal, and now as a teacher educator and author, I know the power of children’s literature to become a bridge between and among people, across borders and generations. It is this that draws me to IBBY and my hope is that I can enlist support throughout the Atlantic Region for the work that IBBY does.
In thinking about what I hope to accomplish over this first year, I would like to raise awareness, and hopefully increase membership, in the rural areas of the region, while maintaining involvement among those in towns and cities. I plan to enlist the help and support of the pre-service teachers in the MSVU Bachelor of Education program and those in the Literacy Graduate Program. I plan to engage students in a series of information sessions and invite them to make suggestions for future activities we can have both on and off campus. If successful, this model can be shared at other universities in the region. By compiling the ideas generated at these sessions, it will help determine future goals and initiatives.
I am also in the process of creating an IBBY display for future venues and am assembling a contact list across the region. I look forwards to helping further IBBY’s mission.
Et voilà, l’hiver s’est bel et bien installé au Québec! Tout est blanc, on est content! L’hiver cette année ne s’est pas encore fait gris: le ciel est lumineux, les pistes de ski lisses et brillantes si elles ne sont pas folles poudreuses et les périodes de lecture, elles, toujours prenantes et réconfortantes!
Prix du GG: doublé!
Dans le dernier bulletin, j’écrivais que les récipiendaires des Prix littéraires du Gouverneur Général allaient être dévoilés le 16 novembre. C’est depuis chose faite! Les grands gagnants de cette année du côté francophone sont Élise Turcotte et Daniel Sylvestre, puisque leur livre, Rose: derrière le rideau de la folie a raflé les prix dans les deux catégories jeunesse, soit le prix d’illustration et le prix pour le texte. Rose, publié en hors-collection aux éditions de la courte échelle, raconte en prose et en images l’internement physique et psychologique d’une adolescente durant un séjour à l’hôpital. Un texte illustré à la fois grave et lumineux.
La lecture portée au Sommet
Le 20 et 21 janvier dernier s’est tenu à la Grande Bibliothèque, à Montréal, le 2e Sommet pour la lecture TD. Durant ces deux journées, les intervenant et participants ont tenté de répondre à plusieurs interrogations liées au thème de la lecture: «Que faire pour créer une véritable société de lectrices et de lecteurs? Quels sont les meilleurs moyens pour inciter les gens à lire ? Quel est l’avenir de la lecture à l’heure du Web? Comment amener nos garçons à lire? Comment la lecture aide-t-elle les nouveaux arrivants à s’intégrer?». Pour en savoir plus: http://campagnesurlalecture.ca/sommet-national-sur-la-lecture-td/
Portaits d’enfants d’Haïti
Élan pour le cœur et les yeux pour l’incroyable album grand format publié au début de l’année par les Éditions de la Bagnole, Haïti mon pays. Collaboration entre la Fondation du Renouveau pédagogique à Camp-Perrin et la maison d’édition, on retrouve dans les pages de ce livre les poèmes des élèves de la Fondation et des portraits d’enfants haïtiens illustrés par Rogé. Le livre est préfacé par Dany Lafferière.
Pas de panique: SOS devoirs est là!
L’année dernière, à presque pareille date, a été lancé SOS devoirs (http://bibliomontreal.com/sosdevoirs/) , un site conçu par les Bibliothèques de la Ville de Montréal qui propose aux jeunes de 6 à 12 ans différentes ressources pour les aider dans leurs projets scolaires. Pour faire la promotion de leur site, les Bibliothèques de Montréal ont créé une très chouette bande-annonce! Vous pouvez la visionner en cliquant ici: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ4VvYipbnw
Un quiz, une fête!
Le mars 29 mars prochain, pour souligner la Journée internationale du livre jeunesse qui a lieu à chaque année le 2 avril, le Centre québécois de ressources en littérature jeunesse de Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec invite tous les adultes passionnés par les livres jeunesse et les enfants à participer à un quiz littéraire! Cet événement qui sera tenu à la Grande Bibliothèque ne se veut pas un concours, au contraire: plutôt une grande fête pour célébrer les histoires, les livres et les enfants. Surprises et prix de participation!
There is not much to report although I keep plotting away at trying to promote IBBY and encouraging people to join.
The following activities happened during 2010:
• IBBY had a presence at Word on the Street, Vancouver thanks to CWILL
• IBBY’s birthday was celebrated with cupcakes during the annual Hycroft Book event
• I spoke about IBBY and its mandate during teacher conferences in Saskatchewan, the Yukon, and the Okanagan
• Several writers on the West coast joined IBBY Canada this year
• I brought books to children in Mongolia on behalf of IBBY
• Serving as chair of the North American Development Committee for IRA allowed me to ensure IBBY participation and recognition in different projects and articles
My aim for 2011 is to help create a wider awareness of IBBY by speaking at schools, leaving information in staff rooms and putting a detailed message on the CANSCAIP, CWILL and SCBWI lists.
The TD National Reading Summit II held in Montreal this past January involved participants from across Canada. Speakers from Canada, China, France, and the USA gave presentations on literacy programs for babies, school children, new Canadians, Aboriginal Canadians, boys and reading, and new technologies and reading. Highlights of the information gathered by the eight working groups (Babies/Pre-school; School-aged Children; High School/Universities; Adult life-long Learning/Reading Promotions; Aboriginals; Equity/Access; New Canadians, and Family Literacy), formed after the first Summit in Toronto, was also presented.
The Summit organizers will use the input from the working groups, new ideas from the second Summit in Montreal, and advice from policy-makers to draft a National Reading Plan. This draft plan will be debated and finalized at the third Summit which will take place in Vancouver in spring 2012.
There is still time for anyone interested to get involved. Advocating for the joy of reading and the creation of a reading Canada depends on all of us.
Video, slides and transcripts from the first Summit in Toronto, as well as the working groups’ final reports, can be seen at http://nationalreadingcampaign.ca. A report on the second Summit in Montreal will soon be available.
Le 2e Sommet sur la lecture TD s’est déroulé à Montréal en janvier dernier avec des participants provenant de tout le Canada. Des conférenciers du Canada, de Chine, de France et des États- Unis ont donné des présentations sur des programmes de lecture pour bébés, sur les enfants d’âge scolaire, sur les nouveaux arrivants, les Autochtones, les garçons et la lecture ainsi que les nouvelles technologies et la lecture. Un court résumé des rapports rédigés par les huit groupes de travail formés lors de la réunion du premier Sommet de la lecture à Toronto ont été présentés. (Les groupes de travail sont: Bébés et enfants d’âge pré- scolaire, Enfants d’âge scolaire, Secondaire et enseignement postsecondaire, Canadiens d’origine autochtone, Nouveaux arrivants, Égalité/ accès, Apprentissage continu des adultes et Répertoire des activités francophones de lecture au Canada.)
Les organisateurs du Sommet vont utiliser les recommendations des groupes de travail ainsi que les idées nouvelles formulées lors du second Sommet de Montréal pour conseiller les décideurs politiques afin de préparer une ébauche de Plan national pour la lecture. Cette ébauche sera présentée et discutée lors du prochain Sommet qui se tiendra à Vancouver au printemps 2012.
C’est encore le temps de s’impliquer pour ceux et celles qui sont intéressés. Plaider pour la joie de lire et la création d’un pays de lecteurs dépend de chacun de nous.
Des vidéos, des dispositives et des transcriptions du premier Sommet de Toronto ainsi que les rapports des groupes de travail se trouvent sur le site suivant: http://campagnesurlalecture.ca. Un rapport sur le Sommet de Montréal sera disponible sous peu.
It was my pleasure to return to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, twice in 2010: in May, to serve a second term on the jury of the Burt Award for African Literature, and in December, to once again co-facilitate a writing workshop with Lillian Tindyebwa of the Ugandan writing organization FemRite.
Budding authors at a writing workshop
Sponsored by Canadian William Burt and administered by the Canadian literacy organization CODE, the Burt Award promotes the writing of young adult novels by Africans and for Africans in English, the language of secondary schools in East Africa. The three titles selected for the 2010 shortlist were Face Under the Sea by W.E. Mkugya (Mangrove Publishers), In the Belly of Dar es Salaam by Eliesha Lema (E & D Vision Publishes), and Living in the Shade by Nahida Esmail (Oxford University Press). I’ve had the pleasure of meeting all three shortlisted writers—two of whom are also well respected editors—and look forward to finding out how they will ultimately be ranked as winners of the $12,000 CAD first prize, $6000 second prize, and $3000 third prize.
Allowing the shortlisted writers to revise their works in progress before the rankings are announced was just one change to the process last year. Another is that manuscripts are now submitted by publishers instead of writers. This helps ensure a higher standard of writing, encourages publishers to invest in developing authors, and involves the publishing industry in the process from the outset.
The Children’s Book Project for Tanzania coordinates the Burt Award locally and hosted the writing workshops. Both workshops—in December 2009 and December 2010—included about 25 participants, who spent four days honing their storytelling skills and learning more about the YA genre. Their progress, working in a second language and over a very short period of time, was inspiring.
Lillian and I toured a local school that has benefited from CBP programming, and were treated to an impromptu performance of “Shake Your Booty,” by a class of kindergarten students. Another highlight was meeting Tanzanian and Kenyan publishers and seeing children flock to the CBP booth at the Tanzania National Book Fair.
Hadley shares a book with keen young readers at the book fair. Photo courtesy of Christine Earnshaw.
Author Ted Staunton and Red Deer Press editor Peter Carver, both writing instructors at George Brown College in Toronto, are serving on Burt Award juries in Ethiopia and Ghana, respectively, and soon IBBY Canada will announce the lucky Canadian who will have the good fortune to journey to Kenya, where the award is making its debut later this year. IBBY Canada is also selecting a Canadian juror to replace me in Tanzania, now that I have served two terms.
Thank you once again, IBBY Canada, for these remarkable and life-changing experiences. It has been a privilege to work with our friends in Tanzania and to witness first-hand the development of their national literature for youth.
– Hadley Dyer
Hadley Dyer is a writer, editor, and Past President of IBBY Canada. back to top
Linda has been a member of CANSCAIP since 1988 and a long time member of IBBY. She is an award-winning author of non-fiction books for young readers and adults. She won the 2001 Vicky Metcalf Award as well as nearly fifty other honours. Her most recent title, Remembering John McCrae: Soldier-Doctor-Poet has been nominated for both the Hackmatack Award and the Silver Birch Award in 2011 and won a Toronto IODE.
DS: You have been nominated and won so many awards over the years including IBBY’s own Frances E. Russell Award in 1991. How did this award affect your career as an author?
LG: I had only written two books (now 30) when I happily received that grant. The funds enabled me to research and write an article about Ken Nutt (illustrator of Zoom at Sea and other titles). Not enough attention was being given to illustrators who were working in black and white then. The article gave me a chance to hone my research and interviewing skills, important parts of my work ever since.
DS: How and where have your books touched readers internationally?
LG: Non-fiction titles aren’t picked up for international sales to the extent that fiction/picture books are because other countries may not share the history. I write about mostly Canadian history. That said, some of my titles have been translated into Dutch, Italian, German (the Germans love cowboys!), and French.
DS: What have been your most moving experiences talking about war?
LG: It was a pleasure to present High Flight at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC while standing literally beneath a Spitfire (the teen pilot I wrote about had flown one) and in front of veteran fliers who served in the Second World War. I have kept in touch with all the veterans (and war brides) I’ve interviewed for my books and it is always a moving day when I hear that one of them has passed away. Documenting history means becoming close to many new “family” members, for better or worse, as they say.
I am always deeply moved when children share photographs and stories of their great-grandfathers who were veterans. One boy followed me to the school parking lot after a school presentation. He pulled a crumpled sketch out of his pocket. With the snow blowing around (and his coat wide open!) he told me that, “When I’m a man I’m going to build this box for my great-grandfather’s war diary.” He was maybe twelve years old; he had already planned what he would do when he had the money and the skills to produce this box for an important item. Moments like this stay with me. I wonder if that boy is a man yet? I know he WILL make that wooden box.
DS: Many of your award-winning books have been made into Braille and audio books for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Please share with us how it made you feel.
LG: I’m pleased that many of my books are available for vision-impaired children and adults to enjoy. Some of the books have been honoured by the CNIB by being nominated for their Tiny Torgi Awards. If authors haven’t seen the way their books are put together with Braille pages and descriptions of the images, they should visit the CNIB library, if they can. The process is amazing, for both the Braille books and the audio tapes.
DS: You have donated your manuscripts and research materials to the Osborne Collections of Toronto Public Library. Explain the process and what this entails.
LG: Every few years I go through my shelves and cull the materials that I no longer need, such as notebooks of research findings and all the drafts, etc, for each title. When I have it all organized in notebooks, folders, whatever other form, I donate it to the Osborne Collection. This has been an ongoing process for many years, many titles, and I was invited to do so by the Library. I don’t give everything (they will get everything after I’m no longer around!) because some things are time sensitive, or material I don’t want to have to research again for another title yet to be written.
When students visit the Osborne and want to see the many stages of book writing and publication, they can see everything, including the outlines, edited drafts, stages of the printing process, etc, for my book about the circus, for instance. There’s even the promo material and poster done by Groundwood Books. Such donations enhance the learning experience for young readers who might be thinking about writing a book themselves one day.
I also donate one copy of each of my books to a non-circulating collection in my hometown library in Melrose, Massachusetts. I worked there through high school and university years and used to shelve books in that same Genealogy Room.
DS: What is your work-in-progress book, called Magee of Nanking, about and what type of research is involved?
LG: Magee of Nanking will be a biography for adults–about an American missionary who is a hero in China for work he did there in the Safety Zone Committee in 1937 when the Japanese invaded the city of Nanking. John Gillespie Magee was the father of the teen pilot I wrote about in High Flight. During that HF research I met two of Magee’s four sons and realized there is a huge, largely unknown, story to be told about this man and the horrible events now called the ‘Rape of Nanking’.
So, since 1998, I’ve been writing children’s books and all the while taking bits of time to transcribe thousands of pages of hand-written Magee material. Research has also included a year of night-school university classes in Mandarin (ah, difficult!) and a study-tour to parts of China, including Nanking and Shanghai where Magee lived and worked for nearly 30 years. My Magee notes now fill nearly 50 two-inch binders—and I’m not done yet. The next stage will be a trip to the Yale University libraries. It has been an added joy to work with the Magee family over all these years.
The first draft will be done this year. I have to say I’ve enjoyed being able to learn so much about China, a country I never dreamed of visiting. To write this kind of biography I need to know about the country’s history, mythology, art and music. I’m quite enjoying the erhu music I listen to while I work, but I’ll never learn to play that instrument! I’ve definitely stepped out of my comfort zone on this project and it’s been exhilarating!
DS: How do you inform, engage, and entertain your readers on serious topics such as the First and Second World Wars in Remembering John McCrae: Soldier-Doctor-Poet, The Unknown Soldier, In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae, Where Poppies Grow: A World War I Companion, and High Flight: A Story of World War II?
LG: Anyone can look up information about history. My job, as I see it, is to find the general information but also the ‘other’–the bits of history that are lesser known and incredibly indicative of the time period or the people involved. I also have to remember that it’s not my job to preach about what went ‘wrong’ in history; I have to keep myself out of the story. And let’s remember that the word ‘story’ is in the word ‘history.’ It is the story’s retelling that must engage and inform.
No matter how horrific the world’s history is, there are moments of great humanity or wonderful humour that demonstrate other aspects of the reality at the time. These are the bits I also want to get on the page. These are usually also the bits that encourage and incite further discussion, whether in a classroom or around the family dining room table.
By the way, I’m asked about where the pictures in my books come from. I do not use photo agencies–I DO locate all the images that are in my books and spend a lot of time doing so. I visit a lot of museums, archives, galleries, junk shops, antique stores, etc. to find images that will be new to readers, that haven’t been used in a number of other books about the same subjects. My books have a lot of adult readers, too, so I like to put something they’ve quite possibly never seen before. I have to chuckle when people ask me if I have someone who does my research (text or images) for me! Never!
DS: What was it like doing research for ‘The Real MASH’ documentary film regarding the Korean War and the television view of the medical services?
LG: I’ve enjoyed learning how to translate the visual and textual research for the documentaries I’ve been involved with. There’s a different ‘language’ for film work and it’s been fun to learn it. I have to thank some of the wonderful book designers I’ve worked with (like Michael Solomon and Kong Njo, to name two) for helping me see beyond the page layout. I’ve consulted on three documentaries now. I hope to work on more. It’s a pleasant way to get extra mileage out of the years of research I’ve accumulated, and a challenge for me.
DS: Was it difficult to divulge the “private you” in your autobiographical essay, “You’re Not From Around Here, Are You? ” in the anthology Piece by Piece?
LG: That essay was the most difficult piece of writing I’ve done. I didn’t think it would be so gut-wrenching when I agreed to take part in Teresa Toten’s project but I’m glad I did. The essay proved to me that it’s much easier to write about another person’s, a stranger’s, life than it is to actually sit down and think about your own journey. Sharing that journey is quite another consideration, but it boiled down to “jump in and do it honestly” or don’t even attempt to write the essay.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the reaction to my essay as the American-who-immigrated-to-Canada. After 37 years in Canada, I’m still asked where I’m from as if I just arrived (could be the bits of Boston accent that have lingered!) and I have to remind people that I’ve actually come back home as two of my grand-parents were from New Brunswick!
DS: How can your books help Canadian immigrant children?
LG: My books have affected children who have immigrated to Canada from war-torn countries. On a number of occasions, after a school visit, I’ve heard from the teachers about how a student from Bosnia, for example, a girl who had never spoken about what her family had gone through, stood up after I left, and began talking about her experiences. I was told that this girl felt she could speak of HER war because I had spoken in front of the class about other wars. The teacher reported that the fellow-students were transfixed by this girl. Here was someone among them who had personal experiences that were her story, her family’s part of world history.
DS: Why do you write books about war, rather than about peace?
LG: The best book about peace is a book about war. With the facts, not the fictitious stuff we see in films and video games, there can be understanding of the costs of war, the loss of humanity, the casualties of the soul. The facts, balanced with the true stories of people and their lives during conflicts, give a reader reasons to work for peace.
And what better place to learn to strive for peace than in the classroom where some kids have to deal with bullying and prejudice. Or literally on the home front. In the neighbourhood. It’s too much to expect young readers to think they must work for WORLD peace. It’s enough to begin with a family dinner conversation every night filled with laughter, and shared stories, and love. That’s a nice start on the road to peace.
DS: I would like to thank Linda Granfield, who is one of Canada’s stars in children’s non-fiction/information books. She expertly researches material and makes it reader-friendly. She is committed to connecting Canada’s young readers with our country’s veterans. Linda Granfield has educated her readers on a variety of topics such as the Korean War, slavery, the voting process, cowboys and the circus. She has developed national programs for remembrance (see Facebook ‘Each One Remembered’), successfully lobbied for 2006 to be named ‘The Year of the War Bride’ in Ontario, and is currently working with Toronto Public Library on the ‘Lest We Forget Program’. She has also served as an educational consultant for Veterans Affairs Canada, and is an associate historian for the Canadian Air Force (DND).
– Debbie Spring
Liaison CANSCAIP
liaisoncanscaip@ibby-canada.org back to top
Please join us for the next IBBY Canada Annual General Meeting on Saturday, February 26, 2011. This is your chance to meet your executive, including your regional councillor, and discuss past and future IBBY projects.
The Annual General Meeting will be held on the upper floor of the Runnymede Library (2178 Bloor Street West), which is two blocks east of the Runnymede subway station. There is a pay parking lot across the street on the south side of Bloor Street, metered parking along Bloor, and limited free parking on Glendonwynne Road.
Coffee will be served at 9:30 am, and the meeting will commence at 10 am. A light lunch will follow. We’re eager to see you there!
Proposals are now being accepted for the 2011 Frances E. Russell Grant. The $1000 grant is intended to support IBBY Canada’s mission “to initiate and encourage research in young people’s literature in all its forms” and is given in support of research for a publishable work (a book or a paper) on Canadian children’s literature. This grant supports scholarly work only; works of fiction are not eligible. The competition is open to Canadian citizens or landed immigrants. A jury, appointed by IBBY Canada, will select the successful applicant by June 1, 2011.
Three copies of the following materials are required: a proposal, a curriculum vitae, a synopsis of methods and stages by which the applicant will pursue the research, and a summary of what the funds are to be used for.
The Frances E. Russell Grant was established by the late Marjorie Russell in memory of her sister, Frances E. Russell, a longtime supporter of IBBY Canada. For more information, please click here. The deadline for proposals is May 1, 2011. back to top
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IBBY Canada Executive
President, Patricia Ocampo
Past President, Brenda Halliday
Vice-President, Susane Duchesne
Treasurer, Yvette Ghione
Membership Secretary, Randi Robin
Recording Secretary, Vasso Tassiopoulos
Promotions Officer, Helena Aalto
Liaison CANSCAIP, Debbie Spring
Liaison CCBC, Meghan Howe
Liaison Communication-Jeunesse, Louise Tondreau-Levert
Councillor-West, Margriet Ruurs
Councillor-Quebec, Pascale Grenier
Councillor-Ontario, Kate Newman
Councillor-East, Jane Baskwill
Alberta Chair, Merle Harris
Newsletter Editor, Jessica Fung
Website Chair, Jennifer Dibble
Cuba Twinning Project Chair, Patsy Aldana
Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award Chair, Lina Gordaneer
Frances E. Russell Grant Chair, Deirdre Baker
Hans Christian Andersen Award Chair, Josiane Polidori
IBBY (International) Executive Committee
President, Ahmad Redza Ahmad Khairuddin (Malaysia)
Vice-President, Wally De Doncker (Belgium)
Vice-President, Linda M. Pavonetti (USA)
Executive Director, Liz Page (Switzerland)
Visit www.ibby.org for a full list of the executive
IBBY Canada Newsletter
French Translations by Josiane Polidori
Proofread (English text) by Magdalen Lau and Patricia Ocampo
February Newsletter 2011
From the Editor
President’s Report
Regional Report: East
Du côté du Québec
Regional Report: West
National Reading Campaign / Campagne sur la lecture
Return to Tanzania
CANSCAIP Spotlight: Linda Granfield
Meet the IBBY Canada Executive and other members!
Call for Russell Grant submissions
Newsletter Masthead
From the Editor
After some initial bumps and starts, which are to be expected given any new undertaking, I’m pleased to report that the new newsletter format has been well received! The challenge now is working out which articles will appear in which newsletter. This, in addition to the slow news winter, makes this second new-format newsletter a little lighter content-wise, but perhaps that just confers greater weight to Hadley’s recap of her two inspiring trips to Tanzania and to the CANSCAIP spotlight on the incredibly talented Linda Granfield.
Eventually, I hope to have standard seasonal issues, much like the fashion magazine industry — but don’t worry, there will never, ever be a swimsuit issue!
– Jessica Fung
Newsletter Editor
newsletter@ibby-canada.org
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President’s Report
An IBBY President receives the Order of Canada
I am using this president’s report to reflect on and honour the work of Patsy Aldana, publisher of Groundwood Books and past president of IBBY International, who was recently named a member of the Order of Canada, one of our country’s highest civilian honours.
As IBBY President from 2008 to 2010, Patsy was involved in numerous efforts to promote literacy and reading initiatives around the world. In Canada, she co-founded the National Reading Campaign, which aims to create a national reading strategy and ensure Canadian citizens are engaged and thoughtful readers. To her, reading isn’t just a solitary pleasure or educational tool; it is a way to connect with others and with oneself.
In a profile in The Globe and Mail, Patsy says books are “windows and mirrors,” echoing a stirring speech she wrote as IBBY President in 2008, which exemplifies the thought and passion she gives to children’s literature, its role, and its potential to change the world.
This honour recognizes what we at IBBY have always admired about Patsy: her complete commitment to the IBBY motto that “every child has the right to be a reader.” I am proud to be a part of this organization that has long pushed for a world where children everywhere may realize and benefit from this right, and I am inspired by Patsy and her leadership to continue reaching for this ideal.
The Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to community, and service to the nation. Patsy has certainly achieved, dedicated, and served. And so now we recognize, congratulate, and thank.
– Patricia Ocampo
President
president@ibby-canada.org
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Regional Report: East
I am very pleased to become IBBY Canada’s Councillor-East. I am currently Associate Professor on the Faculty of Education, Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU), located in Halifax, NS. I have devoted most of my teaching and research career to improving literacy learning and teaching in rural Nova Scotia schools. This fall was particularly exciting as the university celebrated the arrival of the Canadian Children’s Book Collection, an extensive resource for scholars and teachers. It is wonderful to have over 6000 Canadian children’s books right on my doorstep!
Although I work in the city of Halifax, where MSVU is located, I live in Lawrencetown in the beautiful Annapolis Valley. Here I can watch foxes steal pears from beneath the trees in my back yard, listen to red-tailed hawks argue over a recently caught meal, smell the arrival of a family of skunks, and taste the wild blackberries that grow in our back fields. It is this appreciation and respect for the beauty of nature in all its forms and all its moments that I bring to my writing and teaching. I am also a strong advocate for equity and social justice and work to further Peace Education in schools.
As a former elementary school teacher and principal, and now as a teacher educator and author, I know the power of children’s literature to become a bridge between and among people, across borders and generations. It is this that draws me to IBBY and my hope is that I can enlist support throughout the Atlantic Region for the work that IBBY does.
In thinking about what I hope to accomplish over this first year, I would like to raise awareness, and hopefully increase membership, in the rural areas of the region, while maintaining involvement among those in towns and cities. I plan to enlist the help and support of the pre-service teachers in the MSVU Bachelor of Education program and those in the Literacy Graduate Program. I plan to engage students in a series of information sessions and invite them to make suggestions for future activities we can have both on and off campus. If successful, this model can be shared at other universities in the region. By compiling the ideas generated at these sessions, it will help determine future goals and initiatives.
I am also in the process of creating an IBBY display for future venues and am assembling a contact list across the region. I look forwards to helping further IBBY’s mission.
– Jane Baskwill
Councillor-East
councilloreast@ibby-canada.org
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Du côté du Québec
Et voilà, l’hiver s’est bel et bien installé au Québec! Tout est blanc, on est content! L’hiver cette année ne s’est pas encore fait gris: le ciel est lumineux, les pistes de ski lisses et brillantes si elles ne sont pas folles poudreuses et les périodes de lecture, elles, toujours prenantes et réconfortantes!
Prix du GG: doublé!
Dans le dernier bulletin, j’écrivais que les récipiendaires des Prix littéraires du Gouverneur Général allaient être dévoilés le 16 novembre. C’est depuis chose faite! Les grands gagnants de cette année du côté francophone sont Élise Turcotte et Daniel Sylvestre, puisque leur livre, Rose: derrière le rideau de la folie a raflé les prix dans les deux catégories jeunesse, soit le prix d’illustration et le prix pour le texte. Rose, publié en hors-collection aux éditions de la courte échelle, raconte en prose et en images l’internement physique et psychologique d’une adolescente durant un séjour à l’hôpital. Un texte illustré à la fois grave et lumineux.
La lecture portée au Sommet
Le 20 et 21 janvier dernier s’est tenu à la Grande Bibliothèque, à Montréal, le 2e Sommet pour la lecture TD. Durant ces deux journées, les intervenant et participants ont tenté de répondre à plusieurs interrogations liées au thème de la lecture: «Que faire pour créer une véritable société de lectrices et de lecteurs? Quels sont les meilleurs moyens pour inciter les gens à lire ? Quel est l’avenir de la lecture à l’heure du Web? Comment amener nos garçons à lire? Comment la lecture aide-t-elle les nouveaux arrivants à s’intégrer?». Pour en savoir plus: http://campagnesurlalecture.ca/sommet-national-sur-la-lecture-td/
Portaits d’enfants d’Haïti
Élan pour le cœur et les yeux pour l’incroyable album grand format publié au début de l’année par les Éditions de la Bagnole, Haïti mon pays. Collaboration entre la Fondation du Renouveau pédagogique à Camp-Perrin et la maison d’édition, on retrouve dans les pages de ce livre les poèmes des élèves de la Fondation et des portraits d’enfants haïtiens illustrés par Rogé. Le livre est préfacé par Dany Lafferière.
Pas de panique: SOS devoirs est là!
L’année dernière, à presque pareille date, a été lancé SOS devoirs (http://bibliomontreal.com/sosdevoirs/) , un site conçu par les Bibliothèques de la Ville de Montréal qui propose aux jeunes de 6 à 12 ans différentes ressources pour les aider dans leurs projets scolaires. Pour faire la promotion de leur site, les Bibliothèques de Montréal ont créé une très chouette bande-annonce! Vous pouvez la visionner en cliquant ici: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ4VvYipbnw
Un quiz, une fête!
Le mars 29 mars prochain, pour souligner la Journée internationale du livre jeunesse qui a lieu à chaque année le 2 avril, le Centre québécois de ressources en littérature jeunesse de Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec invite tous les adultes passionnés par les livres jeunesse et les enfants à participer à un quiz littéraire! Cet événement qui sera tenu à la Grande Bibliothèque ne se veut pas un concours, au contraire: plutôt une grande fête pour célébrer les histoires, les livres et les enfants. Surprises et prix de participation!
À bientôt!
– Pascale Grenier
Conseillère-Québec
conseillerquebec@ibby-canada.org
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Regional Report: West
There is not much to report although I keep plotting away at trying to promote IBBY and encouraging people to join.
The following activities happened during 2010:
• IBBY had a presence at Word on the Street, Vancouver thanks to CWILL
• IBBY’s birthday was celebrated with cupcakes during the annual Hycroft Book event
• I spoke about IBBY and its mandate during teacher conferences in Saskatchewan, the Yukon, and the Okanagan
• Several writers on the West coast joined IBBY Canada this year
• I brought books to children in Mongolia on behalf of IBBY
• Serving as chair of the North American Development Committee for IRA allowed me to ensure IBBY participation and recognition in different projects and articles
My aim for 2011 is to help create a wider awareness of IBBY by speaking at schools, leaving information in staff rooms and putting a detailed message on the CANSCAIP, CWILL and SCBWI lists.
– Margriet Ruurs
Councillor-West
councillorwest@ibby-canada.org
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National Reading Campaign
The TD National Reading Summit II held in Montreal this past January involved participants from across Canada. Speakers from Canada, China, France, and the USA gave presentations on literacy programs for babies, school children, new Canadians, Aboriginal Canadians, boys and reading, and new technologies and reading. Highlights of the information gathered by the eight working groups (Babies/Pre-school; School-aged Children; High School/Universities; Adult life-long Learning/Reading Promotions; Aboriginals; Equity/Access; New Canadians, and Family Literacy), formed after the first Summit in Toronto, was also presented.
The Summit organizers will use the input from the working groups, new ideas from the second Summit in Montreal, and advice from policy-makers to draft a National Reading Plan. This draft plan will be debated and finalized at the third Summit which will take place in Vancouver in spring 2012.
There is still time for anyone interested to get involved. Advocating for the joy of reading and the creation of a reading Canada depends on all of us.
Video, slides and transcripts from the first Summit in Toronto, as well as the working groups’ final reports, can be seen at http://nationalreadingcampaign.ca. A report on the second Summit in Montreal will soon be available.
– Merle Harris
Alberta Chair
alberta@ibby-canada.org
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Campagne sur la lecture
Le 2e Sommet sur la lecture TD s’est déroulé à Montréal en janvier dernier avec des participants provenant de tout le Canada. Des conférenciers du Canada, de Chine, de France et des États- Unis ont donné des présentations sur des programmes de lecture pour bébés, sur les enfants d’âge scolaire, sur les nouveaux arrivants, les Autochtones, les garçons et la lecture ainsi que les nouvelles technologies et la lecture. Un court résumé des rapports rédigés par les huit groupes de travail formés lors de la réunion du premier Sommet de la lecture à Toronto ont été présentés. (Les groupes de travail sont: Bébés et enfants d’âge pré- scolaire, Enfants d’âge scolaire, Secondaire et enseignement postsecondaire, Canadiens d’origine autochtone, Nouveaux arrivants, Égalité/ accès, Apprentissage continu des adultes et Répertoire des activités francophones de lecture au Canada.)
Les organisateurs du Sommet vont utiliser les recommendations des groupes de travail ainsi que les idées nouvelles formulées lors du second Sommet de Montréal pour conseiller les décideurs politiques afin de préparer une ébauche de Plan national pour la lecture. Cette ébauche sera présentée et discutée lors du prochain Sommet qui se tiendra à Vancouver au printemps 2012.
C’est encore le temps de s’impliquer pour ceux et celles qui sont intéressés. Plaider pour la joie de lire et la création d’un pays de lecteurs dépend de chacun de nous.
Des vidéos, des dispositives et des transcriptions du premier Sommet de Toronto ainsi que les rapports des groupes de travail se trouvent sur le site suivant: http://campagnesurlalecture.ca. Un rapport sur le Sommet de Montréal sera disponible sous peu.
– Merle Harris
Conseillère Alberta
alberta@ibby-canada.org
Traduction libre de Josiane Polidori
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Return to Tanzania
It was my pleasure to return to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, twice in 2010: in May, to serve a second term on the jury of the Burt Award for African Literature, and in December, to once again co-facilitate a writing workshop with Lillian Tindyebwa of the Ugandan writing organization FemRite.
Sponsored by Canadian William Burt and administered by the Canadian literacy organization CODE, the Burt Award promotes the writing of young adult novels by Africans and for Africans in English, the language of secondary schools in East Africa. The three titles selected for the 2010 shortlist were Face Under the Sea by W.E. Mkugya (Mangrove Publishers), In the Belly of Dar es Salaam by Eliesha Lema (E & D Vision Publishes), and Living in the Shade by Nahida Esmail (Oxford University Press). I’ve had the pleasure of meeting all three shortlisted writers—two of whom are also well respected editors—and look forward to finding out how they will ultimately be ranked as winners of the $12,000 CAD first prize, $6000 second prize, and $3000 third prize.
Allowing the shortlisted writers to revise their works in progress before the rankings are announced was just one change to the process last year. Another is that manuscripts are now submitted by publishers instead of writers. This helps ensure a higher standard of writing, encourages publishers to invest in developing authors, and involves the publishing industry in the process from the outset.
The Children’s Book Project for Tanzania coordinates the Burt Award locally and hosted the writing workshops. Both workshops—in December 2009 and December 2010—included about 25 participants, who spent four days honing their storytelling skills and learning more about the YA genre. Their progress, working in a second language and over a very short period of time, was inspiring.
Lillian and I toured a local school that has benefited from CBP programming, and were treated to an impromptu performance of “Shake Your Booty,” by a class of kindergarten students. Another highlight was meeting Tanzanian and Kenyan publishers and seeing children flock to the CBP booth at the Tanzania National Book Fair.
Author Ted Staunton and Red Deer Press editor Peter Carver, both writing instructors at George Brown College in Toronto, are serving on Burt Award juries in Ethiopia and Ghana, respectively, and soon IBBY Canada will announce the lucky Canadian who will have the good fortune to journey to Kenya, where the award is making its debut later this year. IBBY Canada is also selecting a Canadian juror to replace me in Tanzania, now that I have served two terms.
Thank you once again, IBBY Canada, for these remarkable and life-changing experiences. It has been a privilege to work with our friends in Tanzania and to witness first-hand the development of their national literature for youth.
– Hadley Dyer
Hadley Dyer is a writer, editor, and Past President of IBBY Canada.
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CANSCAIP Spotlight: Linda Granfield
Linda has been a member of CANSCAIP since 1988 and a long time member of IBBY. She is an award-winning author of non-fiction books for young readers and adults. She won the 2001 Vicky Metcalf Award as well as nearly fifty other honours. Her most recent title, Remembering John McCrae: Soldier-Doctor-Poet has been nominated for both the Hackmatack Award and the Silver Birch Award in 2011 and won a Toronto IODE.
DS: You have been nominated and won so many awards over the years including IBBY’s own Frances E. Russell Award in 1991. How did this award affect your career as an author?
LG: I had only written two books (now 30) when I happily received that grant. The funds enabled me to research and write an article about Ken Nutt (illustrator of Zoom at Sea and other titles). Not enough attention was being given to illustrators who were working in black and white then. The article gave me a chance to hone my research and interviewing skills, important parts of my work ever since.
DS: How and where have your books touched readers internationally?
LG: Non-fiction titles aren’t picked up for international sales to the extent that fiction/picture books are because other countries may not share the history. I write about mostly Canadian history. That said, some of my titles have been translated into Dutch, Italian, German (the Germans love cowboys!), and French.
DS: What have been your most moving experiences talking about war?
LG: It was a pleasure to present High Flight at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC while standing literally beneath a Spitfire (the teen pilot I wrote about had flown one) and in front of veteran fliers who served in the Second World War. I have kept in touch with all the veterans (and war brides) I’ve interviewed for my books and it is always a moving day when I hear that one of them has passed away. Documenting history means becoming close to many new “family” members, for better or worse, as they say.
I am always deeply moved when children share photographs and stories of their great-grandfathers who were veterans. One boy followed me to the school parking lot after a school presentation. He pulled a crumpled sketch out of his pocket. With the snow blowing around (and his coat wide open!) he told me that, “When I’m a man I’m going to build this box for my great-grandfather’s war diary.” He was maybe twelve years old; he had already planned what he would do when he had the money and the skills to produce this box for an important item. Moments like this stay with me. I wonder if that boy is a man yet? I know he WILL make that wooden box.
DS: Many of your award-winning books have been made into Braille and audio books for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Please share with us how it made you feel.
LG: I’m pleased that many of my books are available for vision-impaired children and adults to enjoy. Some of the books have been honoured by the CNIB by being nominated for their Tiny Torgi Awards. If authors haven’t seen the way their books are put together with Braille pages and descriptions of the images, they should visit the CNIB library, if they can. The process is amazing, for both the Braille books and the audio tapes.
DS: You have donated your manuscripts and research materials to the Osborne Collections of Toronto Public Library. Explain the process and what this entails.
LG: Every few years I go through my shelves and cull the materials that I no longer need, such as notebooks of research findings and all the drafts, etc, for each title. When I have it all organized in notebooks, folders, whatever other form, I donate it to the Osborne Collection. This has been an ongoing process for many years, many titles, and I was invited to do so by the Library. I don’t give everything (they will get everything after I’m no longer around!) because some things are time sensitive, or material I don’t want to have to research again for another title yet to be written.
When students visit the Osborne and want to see the many stages of book writing and publication, they can see everything, including the outlines, edited drafts, stages of the printing process, etc, for my book about the circus, for instance. There’s even the promo material and poster done by Groundwood Books. Such donations enhance the learning experience for young readers who might be thinking about writing a book themselves one day.
I also donate one copy of each of my books to a non-circulating collection in my hometown library in Melrose, Massachusetts. I worked there through high school and university years and used to shelve books in that same Genealogy Room.
DS: What is your work-in-progress book, called Magee of Nanking, about and what type of research is involved?
LG: Magee of Nanking will be a biography for adults–about an American missionary who is a hero in China for work he did there in the Safety Zone Committee in 1937 when the Japanese invaded the city of Nanking. John Gillespie Magee was the father of the teen pilot I wrote about in High Flight. During that HF research I met two of Magee’s four sons and realized there is a huge, largely unknown, story to be told about this man and the horrible events now called the ‘Rape of Nanking’.
So, since 1998, I’ve been writing children’s books and all the while taking bits of time to transcribe thousands of pages of hand-written Magee material. Research has also included a year of night-school university classes in Mandarin (ah, difficult!) and a study-tour to parts of China, including Nanking and Shanghai where Magee lived and worked for nearly 30 years. My Magee notes now fill nearly 50 two-inch binders—and I’m not done yet. The next stage will be a trip to the Yale University libraries. It has been an added joy to work with the Magee family over all these years.
The first draft will be done this year. I have to say I’ve enjoyed being able to learn so much about China, a country I never dreamed of visiting. To write this kind of biography I need to know about the country’s history, mythology, art and music. I’m quite enjoying the erhu music I listen to while I work, but I’ll never learn to play that instrument! I’ve definitely stepped out of my comfort zone on this project and it’s been exhilarating!
DS: How do you inform, engage, and entertain your readers on serious topics such as the First and Second World Wars in Remembering John McCrae: Soldier-Doctor-Poet, The Unknown Soldier, In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae, Where Poppies Grow: A World War I Companion, and High Flight: A Story of World War II?
LG: Anyone can look up information about history. My job, as I see it, is to find the general information but also the ‘other’–the bits of history that are lesser known and incredibly indicative of the time period or the people involved. I also have to remember that it’s not my job to preach about what went ‘wrong’ in history; I have to keep myself out of the story. And let’s remember that the word ‘story’ is in the word ‘history.’ It is the story’s retelling that must engage and inform.
No matter how horrific the world’s history is, there are moments of great humanity or wonderful humour that demonstrate other aspects of the reality at the time. These are the bits I also want to get on the page. These are usually also the bits that encourage and incite further discussion, whether in a classroom or around the family dining room table.
By the way, I’m asked about where the pictures in my books come from. I do not use photo agencies–I DO locate all the images that are in my books and spend a lot of time doing so. I visit a lot of museums, archives, galleries, junk shops, antique stores, etc. to find images that will be new to readers, that haven’t been used in a number of other books about the same subjects. My books have a lot of adult readers, too, so I like to put something they’ve quite possibly never seen before. I have to chuckle when people ask me if I have someone who does my research (text or images) for me! Never!
DS: What was it like doing research for ‘The Real MASH’ documentary film regarding the Korean War and the television view of the medical services?
LG: I’ve enjoyed learning how to translate the visual and textual research for the documentaries I’ve been involved with. There’s a different ‘language’ for film work and it’s been fun to learn it. I have to thank some of the wonderful book designers I’ve worked with (like Michael Solomon and Kong Njo, to name two) for helping me see beyond the page layout. I’ve consulted on three documentaries now. I hope to work on more. It’s a pleasant way to get extra mileage out of the years of research I’ve accumulated, and a challenge for me.
DS: Was it difficult to divulge the “private you” in your autobiographical essay, “You’re Not From Around Here, Are You? ” in the anthology Piece by Piece?
LG: That essay was the most difficult piece of writing I’ve done. I didn’t think it would be so gut-wrenching when I agreed to take part in Teresa Toten’s project but I’m glad I did. The essay proved to me that it’s much easier to write about another person’s, a stranger’s, life than it is to actually sit down and think about your own journey. Sharing that journey is quite another consideration, but it boiled down to “jump in and do it honestly” or don’t even attempt to write the essay.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the reaction to my essay as the American-who-immigrated-to-Canada. After 37 years in Canada, I’m still asked where I’m from as if I just arrived (could be the bits of Boston accent that have lingered!) and I have to remind people that I’ve actually come back home as two of my grand-parents were from New Brunswick!
DS: How can your books help Canadian immigrant children?
LG: My books have affected children who have immigrated to Canada from war-torn countries. On a number of occasions, after a school visit, I’ve heard from the teachers about how a student from Bosnia, for example, a girl who had never spoken about what her family had gone through, stood up after I left, and began talking about her experiences. I was told that this girl felt she could speak of HER war because I had spoken in front of the class about other wars. The teacher reported that the fellow-students were transfixed by this girl. Here was someone among them who had personal experiences that were her story, her family’s part of world history.
DS: Why do you write books about war, rather than about peace?
LG: The best book about peace is a book about war. With the facts, not the fictitious stuff we see in films and video games, there can be understanding of the costs of war, the loss of humanity, the casualties of the soul. The facts, balanced with the true stories of people and their lives during conflicts, give a reader reasons to work for peace.
And what better place to learn to strive for peace than in the classroom where some kids have to deal with bullying and prejudice. Or literally on the home front. In the neighbourhood. It’s too much to expect young readers to think they must work for WORLD peace. It’s enough to begin with a family dinner conversation every night filled with laughter, and shared stories, and love. That’s a nice start on the road to peace.
DS: I would like to thank Linda Granfield, who is one of Canada’s stars in children’s non-fiction/information books. She expertly researches material and makes it reader-friendly. She is committed to connecting Canada’s young readers with our country’s veterans. Linda Granfield has educated her readers on a variety of topics such as the Korean War, slavery, the voting process, cowboys and the circus. She has developed national programs for remembrance (see Facebook ‘Each One Remembered’), successfully lobbied for 2006 to be named ‘The Year of the War Bride’ in Ontario, and is currently working with Toronto Public Library on the ‘Lest We Forget Program’. She has also served as an educational consultant for Veterans Affairs Canada, and is an associate historian for the Canadian Air Force (DND).
– Debbie Spring
Liaison CANSCAIP
liaisoncanscaip@ibby-canada.org
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Meet the IBBY Canada Executive and other members!
Please join us for the next IBBY Canada Annual General Meeting on Saturday, February 26, 2011. This is your chance to meet your executive, including your regional councillor, and discuss past and future IBBY projects.
The Annual General Meeting will be held on the upper floor of the Runnymede Library (2178 Bloor Street West), which is two blocks east of the Runnymede subway station. There is a pay parking lot across the street on the south side of Bloor Street, metered parking along Bloor, and limited free parking on Glendonwynne Road.
Coffee will be served at 9:30 am, and the meeting will commence at 10 am. A light lunch will follow. We’re eager to see you there!
Jessica Fung
Newsletter Editor
newsletter@ibby-canada.org
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Call for Russell Grant submissions
Proposals are now being accepted for the 2011 Frances E. Russell Grant. The $1000 grant is intended to support IBBY Canada’s mission “to initiate and encourage research in young people’s literature in all its forms” and is given in support of research for a publishable work (a book or a paper) on Canadian children’s literature. This grant supports scholarly work only; works of fiction are not eligible. The competition is open to Canadian citizens or landed immigrants. A jury, appointed by IBBY Canada, will select the successful applicant by June 1, 2011.
Three copies of the following materials are required: a proposal, a curriculum vitae, a synopsis of methods and stages by which the applicant will pursue the research, and a summary of what the funds are to be used for.
The Frances E. Russell Grant was established by the late Marjorie Russell in memory of her sister, Frances E. Russell, a longtime supporter of IBBY Canada. For more information, please click here. The deadline for proposals is May 1, 2011.
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IBBY Canada Executive
President, Patricia Ocampo
Past President, Brenda Halliday
Vice-President, Susane Duchesne
Treasurer, Yvette Ghione
Membership Secretary, Randi Robin
Recording Secretary, Vasso Tassiopoulos
Promotions Officer, Helena Aalto
Liaison CANSCAIP, Debbie Spring
Liaison CCBC, Meghan Howe
Liaison Communication-Jeunesse, Louise Tondreau-Levert
Councillor-West, Margriet Ruurs
Councillor-Quebec, Pascale Grenier
Councillor-Ontario, Kate Newman
Councillor-East, Jane Baskwill
Alberta Chair, Merle Harris
Newsletter Editor, Jessica Fung
Website Chair, Jennifer Dibble
Cuba Twinning Project Chair, Patsy Aldana
Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award Chair, Lina Gordaneer
Frances E. Russell Grant Chair, Deirdre Baker
Hans Christian Andersen Award Chair, Josiane Polidori
IBBY (International) Executive Committee
President, Ahmad Redza Ahmad Khairuddin (Malaysia)
Vice-President, Wally De Doncker (Belgium)
Vice-President, Linda M. Pavonetti (USA)
Executive Director, Liz Page (Switzerland)
Visit www.ibby.org for a full list of the executive
IBBY Canada Newsletter
French Translations by Josiane Polidori
Proofread (English text) by Magdalen Lau and Patricia Ocampo