What's New!
May 2010
Silver Birch Gala
Picture it! Hundreds of screaming kids cheering on their favourite authors! That was the scene at Toronto's Harbourfront on Thursday, May 13th as eager readers and nominated authors and illustrators braved the chilly weather for the finale of the Silver Birch, one of several Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading Children's Choice Award programs.
I was there, too, sitting on stage with amazing writers and illustrators in my non-fiction category, overwhelmed as I think we all were by the show of enthusiasm and support. I was even more blown over when it was announced that At the Edge was this year's winner of the Silver Birch Award for Non-fiction!
Thank you for this great honour, Silver Birch readers. I'm so glad you liked the book. Congratulations, too, on all of your reading these past few months. A special thanks to Matthew, my sign carrier, and Branden, my student introducer, for doing such a fine job. Also, thanks to the dedicated teachers and librarians who put in many hours to make the program work.
Finally, to the students and teachers of E.W. Foster Public School, Woburn Public School, West Glen Junior School and Sunnylea Junior School - thanks for welcoming me so warmly when I visited your schools during the week of Silver Birch.
Shortlist News - Manitoba Book Awards
The Manitoba Book Awards celebrates the best of Manitoba writers and publishers so it was both an honour and a thrill to be nominated in two categories this year. G is for Golden Boy: A Manitoba Alphabet was shortlisted for the McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People Award (younger division) while At the Edge was shortlisted for the McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People Award (older division).
P is for Provencher
Ecole Provencher School in St. Boniface, the French Quarter of Winnipeg, is celebrating its long history with a student-produced book modelled after G is for Golden Boy. In poetry and expository text, each letter of the alphabet tells about the school's culture and unique past. Provencher was the school I attended as a boy and also the one attended by my father and uncles before me so I am especially interested in seeing the results. Congratulations to all of the authors and illustrators of Provencher!
S is for Scientists: A Discovery Alphabet - Fall Release
The release date for this Sleeping Bear Press book draws nearer, and that means that galley proofs are being scrutinized and final edits are underway. Admittedly I am biased, but in my opinion the book is looking sensational. Illustrator David Geister's masterful work graces every page, adding much to the poems and short stories about outstanding scientific discoveries. From C is for Compare and the story of astronomer Clyde Tombaugh's discovery of Pluto to W is for Warn and biologist Rachel Carson's observations about diminishing bird populations that paved the way for the environmental movement of today, Sis for Scientists: A Discovery Alphabet is a tribute to great scientific work past and present.
Research Nuggets