Nicola I. Campbell and Kim LaFave receive coveted TD Canadian Children's
Literature Award for Shin-chi's Canoe
Author and illustrator share
Shin-chi's Canoe was selected as the most distinguished English-language children's book of the year from a list of five notable finalists, representing some of the most talented children's literature authors
All of the short-listed books were written and illustrated by Canadians for children between the ages of one and 12. Entries were judged on the quality of the text and illustrations, and the books' overall contribution to literature.
"Shin-chi's Canoe is a haunting yet beautifully written account of the challenges facing Native children in
Originally from British Columbia's
Shin-chi's Canoe is the story of a six-year old native boy, who leaves home with his sister to enter a residential school. Once there, Shin-chi must give up his language and many of his traditions in favour of European customs. Shin-chi misses his family and looks to the river for the returning salmon; a sign that spring is coming and he will soon return home. He returns home to find his father carving a dugout canoe for Shin-chi and his sister, just as he promised he would when they left for the residential school.
Other nominated finalists include
Other awards presented at the gala included the
"These finalists are just a few examples of our immensely talented Canadian authors," added McKenna. "As literacy and education is a primary focus of TD's Community Giving program, partnering with the Canadian Children's Book Centre is a tremendous opportunity to champion children's literature all across the country."
This year's jury members included
"Nicola I. Campbell has written a poignant story that is beautifully complemented by Kim LaFave's illustrations and we celebrate this recognition with them," said
The TD Canadian Children's Literature Award for the most distinguished French-language book of the year was presented to
The TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards takes place in conjunction with TD Canadian Children's Book Week. This week, the Canadian Children's Book Centre distributed more than 500,000 copies of Let's Go! The Story of Getting from There to Here to grade one students across the country, courtesy of TD Bank Financial Group. Let's Go! was written by Lizann Flatt and illustrated by
About the Canadian Children's Book Centre
The Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) is a national, not-for-profit organization, founded in 1976 to encourage, promote and support the reading, writing and illustrating of Canadian books for young readers. The CCBC's programs, publications and resources help teachers, librarians, booksellers and parents select the very best for young readers. For more information, visit www.bookcentre.ca.
TD Community Giving: Making a Difference Together
Children's health, literacy and education are the three main areas of focus for TD's community giving. Flagship programs within these areas include: TD Children's Hospital Fund; TD Friends of the Environment Foundation; TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup; TD Canadian Children's Book Week; TD
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For further information: Matthew Cram, TD Bank Financial Group, (416) 983-1514, [email protected]; Elynn Wareham, GCI Group on behalf of TDBFG and CCBC, (416) 486-5910, [email protected]; Julia Perreira, GCI Group on behalf of TDBFG and CCBC, (416) 486-7223, [email protected]
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