The finalists for the 2018 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — illustrated books
Here are the finalists for the 2018 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — illustrated books.
The Governor General's Literary Awards are one of Canada's oldest and most prestigious prizes. The awards, administered by the Canada Council for the Arts, are given in seven English-language categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young people's literature — text, young people's literature — illustration, drama and translation. Seven French-language awards are also given out in the same categories.
Each winner receives $25,000. The winners will be announced on Oct. 30, 2018.
You can see the finalists in all seven categories here.
Africville by Shauntay Grant, illustrated by Eva Campbell
Shauntay Grant and Eva Campbell tell the story of Africville through the eyes of a young girl visiting for the annual Africville Reunion/Festival. She brings her family's stories to life by imagining brightly painted houses on the hillside and visiting the sundial in the park where her great-grandmother's name is carved. Africville was home to a vibrant Black community in Halifax, N.S. for more than 150 years, but never received basic city services and was demolished in the 1960s.
Ocean Meets Sky by Eric Fan & Terry Fan
In Ocean Meets Sky — the follow-up to their stunningly illustrated The Night Gardener — Terry Fan and Eric Fan tell the story of a young boy named Finn who sets out on an adventure to find the mythical place where the ocean meets the sky.
Go Show the World by Wab Kinew, illustrated by Joe Morse
This rap-song-turned-picture-book by politician Wab Kinew and Joe Morse celebrates Indigenous leaders in the U.S. and Canada. Some of the figures mentioned include Crazy Horse, Net-no-kwa, former NASA astronaut John Herrington and Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price.
They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki
A vibrant picture book by Jillian Tamaki, They Say Blue is an exploration of colour told from the perspective of a curious and inquisitive little girl. The beautiful book explores questions like how can water be blue and black and clear at the same time? In 2014, Tamaki won a Governor General's Literary Award for her work illustrating the graphic novel This One Summer, which was written by her cousin, Mariko Tamaki.
At the Pond by Werner Zimmermann
Werner Zimmermann explores the natural wonders of a pond in this picture book. Gold fish swim, water lilies blossom, a heron flies and frogs and water striders make their way across the water in Zimmermann's stunningly painted illustrations.