$4.95 WINTER 2013 VOL. 36 NO. 1 RECOMMENDED BOOKS + OPINIONS + PROFILES + NEWS + REVIEWS Cary Fagan, born writer Music books for all ages 01 + 30 recommended new books by Arthur Slade, K’naan, Martine Leavitt, Karen Patkau and more 7125274 86123 This spring we’re hanging out our best! by Alma Fullerton Community Soup ebecca Bender 978-1-927485-27-9 (HC with jacket) $19.95 Re d © Hoogie in the Middle by Stephanie McLellan and illustrated by Dean Griffi ths 978-1-927485-28-6 (HC with jacket) $17.95 Namesake by Sue MacLeod 978-1-927485-29-3 (PB) $14.95 978-1-927485-32-3 (HC) $21.95 Nix Minus One by Jill MacLean 978-1-927485-25-5 (PB) $14.95 978-1-927485-24-8 (HC) $21.95 Hoogie in Bunny Suit © Dean Griffiths; Laughing Bir Suit © Dean Griffiths; Hoogie in Bunny [email protected] facebook.com/pajamapress @pajamapress1 pinterest.com/pajamapress CONTENTS THISI ISSUE booknews Winter 2013 Volume 36 No. 1 7 Seen at ... Trilby Kent, author of Stones for My Fatherr and winner of the Editorr Gillian O’Reilly 2012 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, celebrates with Copy Editor and Proofreaderr Shannon Howe Barnes Charlotte Teeple, Executive Director of the Canadian Children’s Book Design Perna Siegrist Design Centre, and Tim Hockey, President & CEO of TD Canada Trust. Advertising Michael Wile Editorial Committee Peter Carver, Brenda Halliday, Merle Harris, Diane Kerner, Cora Lee, Carol McDougall, Liza Morrison, Shelley Stagg Peterson, Charlotte Teeple, Gail Winskill This informative magazine published quarterly by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre is available by yearly subscription. Single subscription — $24.95 plus sales tax (includes 2 issues of Best Books for Kids & Teens) Contact the CCBC for bulk subscriptions and for US or overseas subscription rates. Winter 2013 (January 2013) Canadian Publication Mail Product Sales Agreement 40010217 Published by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre ISSN 1705 – 7809 For change of address, subscriptions, or return of undeliverable copies, contact: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre 40 Orchard View Blvd., Suite 217 Toronto, ON M4R 1B9 Tel 416.975.0010 Fax 416.975.8970 Email [email protected] Website www.bookcentre.ca Review copies, catalogues and press releases should be sent to the Editor at: [email protected] or to Gillian O’Reilly c/o the above address. For advertising information, contact: Michael Wile at [email protected] or 416.531.1483 © 2012 Greig Reekie Photos 4 Opinion: Savouring good news 18 Happy Birthday to CANSCAIP in tough times and CWILL BC Gillian O’Reilly looks at some good news Two important organizations for children’s stories amidst challenging times for the book writers celebrate signifi cant milestones. book business. 20 Bookmark! Making Music 6 News Roundup Twenty books, from fact to fi ction, celebrate International Disabilities Collection fi nds music and music-makers. home in Toronto; Celebrate Science! most successful ever — plus locusts!; Book Week 22 The Classroom Bookshelf news and updates; New Events Calendar for children’s book lovers everywhere. COVER: Illustration from Uncle Wally’s Old Brown 24 Book Bits: Biting into Board Books Shoe, illustrated and written by Wallace Edwards, Five books for babies and toddlers start published by Orca Book Publishers, © 2012. 7 Seen at ... youngsters on their reading journey. Used with permission. For more information, A photographic look at book events. visit www.orcabook.com. 26 We Recommend MEDIUM: Watercolour, gouache and pencil. 10 Cary Fagan: A Born Writer Reviews of the latest in fi ne Canadian books ABOUT THE ARTIST: An award-winning author With 18 children’s books to date, Cary Fagan for children and teens. and illustrator, Wallace Edwards is a graduate of the says he owes his career to persistence, hard Ontario College of Art. His paintings and illustrations work and luck. Index of Reviews are found in public and private collections, books, 40 magazines and on public display in Canada and the United States. Wallace has been the guest speaker 14 Focus: A Seriously Funny at many conferences, literary events, schools and Author Roundtable libraries. He fi nds visiting with students from Four authors talk about humour, darker Kindergarten to Grade 6 especially enjoyable, where subjects and the balance between serious his presentations consist of reading, discussions and funny. and drawing. Wallace lives in Yarker, Ontario. WINTER 2013 CANADIAN CHILDREN’S BOOK NEWS 1 We’re honoured to honour great books Meet the 2012 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award winners. Encouraging a love of reading is one of our great passions. That’s why we’re proud sponsors of the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Congratulations to winning authors Trilby Kent and Mario Brassard as well as illustrator Suana Verelst on their powerful stories of resilience and strength. Administered by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award is one of the largest awards of its kind. To learn more, please visit tdreads.com/awardwinners FROM THE EDITOR GILLL IAN O’REILLY Board of Directors Todd Kyle, President Felicia Quon, Vice-President Leigh Chalmers, Treasurer Sheila Barry Lisa Doucet Sharon Jennings Shar Levine Charles McCarragher Susan McLennan Daryl Novak Itah Sadu Roland Stringer Staff Charlotte Teeple Executive Director Shannon Howe Barnes Program Coordinator Meghan Howe Library Coordinator Holly Kent Sales and Marketing Manager Dawn Todd General Manager “Humour is a perfectly legitimate response to the horror of the world.” This quote from Scottish writer A.L. Kennedy was used in a recent discussion of dark humour on CBC Radio’s Writers & Company. Patrons For kids and teens, the horrors of the world can range widely in level of gravity — from Marilyn Baillie Kit Pearson ways that adults can bewilder and mortify young people to the very real tragedies of death The Peter and Eleanor Daniels Foundation and grieving. Yet, funny books and funny/serious books are enthusiastically embraced by Tina Powell young readers. I’ve often felt that we don’t give enough credit to the writers who have the Ian and Deb Wallace talent to create these books. Perhaps it’s because humour continues to be seen as easy Sponsors to write. Perhaps it’s because, as Ted Staunton observes in this issue, humour is a Amazon.ca much more subjective quality. Friesens HarperCollins Canada In “A Seriously Funny Roundtable,” Melanie Fishbane interviews four excellent writers Penguin Group (Canada) about humour and how they use it in books which make their readers think seriously and Rawlinson Moving & Storage TD Bank Group laugh at the same time. Gordon Korman, Susin Nielsen, Alan Silberberg and Ted Staunton offer thought-provoking comments on their craft. Funders I’ve known author Cary Fagan for many years (he was one of the two people who set me Canada Council for the Arts Canadian Heritage (BPIDP) up on a date with my husband) and I’ve always been impressed with his perseverance and Charles Baillie commitment to his craft. Sylvia McNicoll interviews this prolifi c author who has known Fleck Family Foundation since childhood that he wanted to be a writer. Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage and Tourism Two organizations which support, promote and nourish the many talented children’s book PEI Department of Education creators in this country are celebrating signifi cant anniversaries this year. You’ll fi nd out and Early Childhood Development more on page 18. PEI Department of Tourism and Culture Ontario Arts Council Take a look at our selected list of books with music themes on page 20 and check out all Ontario Arts Foundation Toronto Public Library the Book Week news and updates on page 6. Yukon Department of Education Happy reading! Our Thanks The work of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre is made possible through the generous support of our members, volunteers, sponsors, funders and the continuing assistance of the Canada Council, Writing and Publishing Section, and the Public Readings Program. Your feedback is important! EMAIL COMMENTS TO [email protected] We acknowledge the fi nancial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP) for this project. Like us! Facebook.com/KidsBookCentre Follow us! @KidsBookCentre WWW.BOOKCENTRE.CA WINTER 2013 CANADIAN CHILDREN’S BOOK NEWS 3 OPINION GILLL IAN O’REILLY Savouring good news in tough times As has been observed before, people involved in children’s books are possessed of a relentless optimism. Given all the challenges of writing, illustrating and publishing for children — and running bookstores for children — they have to! Even though you may hear a certain amount of moaning or a number of dour predictions from those same creators and producers, they couldn’t be in the business of children’s books if they weren’t possessed of a core compulsion to look cheerfully into the future. Th is past year, however, has proved a challenge. As I write this, Douglas & McIntyre is in creditor protection with the outcome to be announced in February. Although mainly a publisher for the adult market, D&M and its sister company Greystone Books have pub- lished excellent and award-winning non-fi ction for young people. In 2012, a number of independent bookstores shut down branches of their operation (Nicholas Hoare Books in Ottawa and Montreal) or closed their doors (Toronto Women’s Bookstore and Th e Book Mark in Toronto, Titles in Peterborough, Greenwoods in Edmonton). Over the holiday came the sad news that Benjamin’s Books, the 13-year- old children’s bookstore in Rothesay, New Brunswick, was closing its doors. And, while children’s books have always been judged by Kendal Hanson the general media to be less important and less “literary” than their Patsy Aldana presents the Matt Cohen Award to Jean Little.