Meet the finalists for the $50K TD Canadian Children's Literature Award

Five books for young readers are in the running for the 2018 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award. The $50,000 prize is the richest for Canadian kids lit — awarded annually to the creators of one book for readers up to the age of 12. 

The 2018 finalists are: 

Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr

This fantasy novel for middle grade readers follows the adventures of Aissa, a girl who has lost her voice in the wake of a terrible tragedy. Inspired by frescoes of figures leaping over the backs of bulls, Wendy Orr reimagines the mythology of ancient Crete to create a world where subjects of the Bull King must send 13-year-old tributes to perform in bloody bull dance rituals each year. From the author of Nim's Island — which was adapted into a film starring Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin — Dragonfly Song is a story of adventure and the inescapable nature of destiny. 

From the jury: "Dragonfly Song is a beautifully told coming-of-age story... A combination of ancient history, mythology and fantasy elements thread through the lyrical narrative which is told in both prose and poetry." 

• Meet the five finalists nominated for the $50,000 French-language Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l'enfance et la jeunesse
• The lesson Wendy Orr wants to share with readers: 'We're all stronger than we think we are'

Picture the Sky by Barbara Reid

In this follow up to her award-winning book Picture a Tree, celebrated plasticine artist Barbara Reid imagines the sky above us is all its varied beauty. From sunrise to sunset, to the theatrics of northern lights and brewing storms, Picture the Sky will inspire young readers to think differently about the sky above them — a sight they share with other kids all over the globe. 

From the jury: "The thought provoking, open-ended text encourages reflection and imagination… With masterful use of Plasticine, the sky is seen in all of its glory and splendour, rage and artifice, appealing to the hearts of all who have ever looked up in wonder."

• The 5 books Barbara Reid would love to illustrate
• Why Barbara Reid made the background the star of Picture the Sky

Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation by Monique Gray Smith

In Speaking Our Truth, Cree, Lakota and Scottish author Monique Gray Smith makes the topic of reconciliation accessible to a young audience of Indigenous readers and aspiring allies alike. The innovative book helps young readers understand the history of the residential school system in Canada and its lasting effects on survivors today. Inspired by Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the book includes questions and prompts to help young people think about these complicated issues, and how to move forward with understanding and empathy. 

• Monique Gray Smith's new book for young readers charts a path to reconciliation

From the jury: "Speaking Our Truth takes on the daunting task of synthesizing the history and evolution of the residential school system through the modern lens of reconciliation… Weaving personal experience and Canadian society's struggle to come to terms with a sorrowful and the haunting past, Monique Gray Smith bravely negotiates this politically sensitive terrain."

• Monique Gray Smith wants everyone to read 'a variety of lived experiences and perspectives'

Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith

A finalist for the 2017 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — illustrated, Town Is by the Sea beautifully depicts a day in the life of a young boy living in a coastal town. Over the course of the day, the book's narrator keeps a close eye on the sea that surrounds him, while his imagination turns to the mines deep beneath it, where his father spends the day digging for coal. 

• Jan Thornhill's favourite book of 2017 was Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz & Sydney Smith
• Grade 4 and 5 students in Halifax get to know coal mining culture through Town Is by the Sea
• How East Coast mining culture inspired Joanne Schwartz and Sydney Smith's beautiful picture book

From the jury: "Town Is by the Sea is the deceptively simple tale of a day in the life of a boy growing up in a small mining town… The reader is asked to see the contrasts of freedom and restriction, childhood and adulthood, choice and fate as the main character embraces who he is and who he longs to become."

• Sydney Smith: 6 stories I'd love to illustrate
• Town Is by the Sea among 2017 Governor General's Literary Awards finalists

When the Moon Comes by Paul Harbridge, illustrated by Matt James 

In this visually arresting tale of an evening spent playing hockey on a frozen pond, creators Paul Harbridge and Matt James bring the forest to life. Readers are transported into a night filled with perfect ice, a crackling fire and the sense of anticipation that accompanies that trek into the woods for some shinny. The adventure unfolds under the magic of a full moon that will leave you craving the year's first snow fall. 

From the jury: "The quiet, expressive text combined with the evocative illustrations draws the reader in to the story until you become one with the children, feeling the biting cold of the night air on your cheeks as you glide effortlessly over ice in the silver light of the moon… The illustrations evoke a strong feeling of nostalgia and community friendships and are a perfect complement the text." 

• When the Moon Comes: An ode to the sport that has brought Canada together
• How Paul Harbridge and Matt James captured the magic of moonlight