The Barnabus Project by the Fan Brothers among finalists for Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards
The six awards recognize the best in Canadian children's literature
The finalists for the 2021 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards have been revealed. The six awards, which include prizes for nonfiction, YA and picture books, annually recognize the best in Canadian children's literature.
The Barnabus Project by the Fan Brothers is nominated for two awards: the $50,000 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, which recognizes the best Canadian book for readers up to age 12 in any genre, and the $20,000 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, which is for the best Canadian picture book of the year.
The Barnabus Project is a picture book about a secret underground lab and a host of genetically engineered creatures. Barnabus and his friends live in this lab but they are deemed imperfect and might never see the outside world. But Barnabus yearns to be free and decides that it's time for he and his imperfect friends to make the perfect escape.
The Barnabus Project also won the 2020 Governor General's Literary Prize for young people's literature — illustrated books.
Eric Fan and Terry Fan are brothers and frequent collaborators on children's books. Their books include The Night Gardener and Ocean Meets Sky. They also illustrated The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield.
Devin Fan is an artist, poet and youth worker. The Barnabus Project is his first children's book and marks the first time all three brothers have written and illustrated a picture book together.
Journal of a Travelling Girl by Nadine Neema, illustrated by Archie Beaverho is also nominated for two awards. It is a finalist for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People and the Jean Little First Novel Award.
Journal of a Travelling Girl is a middle-grade novel about an 11-year-old girl named Julia, who takes a canoe journey through the lands of the Tlicho People. Along the way, Julia connects with her culture, their traditions and her ancestors.
Neema is an Egyptian Lebanese Canadian writer, artist and workshop facilitator. As a musical artist, she has released four albums. She has worked with the Ticho community since 1999.
Beaverho is a Dene artist and painter. Journal of a Travelling Girl is his first illustrated book.
Other notable finalists include the middle-grade novel The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson, which is nominated for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, the picture book Our Little Kitchen by Jillian Tamaki, which is a finalist for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award,
2021 marks the first year of the Jean Little First Novel Award. The $5,000 prize recognizes the first book by a Canadian writer for young people.
The winners will be announced on Oct. 29, 2021.
You can see the finalists for all six awards below.
The finalists for the $50,000 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award are:
- The Barnabus Project by the Fan Brothers
- The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson
- A Beginner's Guide to Goodbye by Melanie Mosher
- Bloom by Kenneth Oppel
- When Emily Was Small by Lauren Soloy
The finalists for the $20,000 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award are:
- The Barnabus Project by the Fan Brothers
- Golden Threads by Suzanne Del Rizzo
- Our Little Kitchen by Jillian Tamaki
- Swift Fox All Along by Rebecca Thomas, illustrated by Maya McKibbin
- Weekend Dad by Naseem Hrab, illustrated by Frank Viva
The $10,000 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction recognizes nonfiction for readers up to age 18.
The finalists are:
- 111 Trees by Rima Singh, illustrated by Marianne Ferrer
- Crows: Genius Birds by Kyla Vanderklugt
- The Eagle Mother by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), illustrated by Natasha Donovan
- Powwow by Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane
- This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, illustrated by Drew Shannon
The $5,000 Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People recognizes historical fiction for readers up to age 18.
The finalists are:
- Barry Squires, Full Tilt by Heather Smith
- The Brushmaker's Daughter by Kathy Kacer
- Journal of a Travelling Girl by Nadine Neema, illustrated by Archie Beaverho
- The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor
- Under Amelia's Wing by Heather Stemp
The $5,000 Amy Mathers Teen Book Award recognizes Canadian young adult books for readers between the ages of 13 and 18.
The finalists are:
- Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe
- Facing the Sun by Janice Lynn Mather
- Followers by Raziel Reid
- He Must Like You by Danielle Younge-Ullman
- The Silence of Bones by June Hur
The $5,000 Jean Little First Novel Award recognizes the first book by a Canadian writer for young people.
The finalists are:
- Journal of a Travelling Girl by Nadine Neema, illustrated by Archie Beaverho
- My Name is Konisola by Alisa Siegel
- No Vacancy by Tziporah Cohen
