2009-2010 Red Cedar Book Award Nominees

Red Cedar Information Nominees 2009-2010

Arctic Adventures: Tales from the Lives of Inuit Artists by Raquel Rivera, ill.by Jirina Marton

Breakout Dinosaurs: Canada’s Coolest, Scariest Ancient Creatures—Return! by Hugh Brewster and the curators of the Royal Ontario Museum, ill.by Alan Barnard

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose: the Story of a Painting by Hugh Brewster

Cowboys and Coffin Makers: One Hundred 19^th Century Jobs You Might Have Feared or Fancied by Laurie Coulter, ill.by Martha Newbigging

Factory Girl by Barbara Greenwood

How Soccer Works by Keltie Thomas, ill. by Stephen MacEachern

The Kids Book of Canada at War by Elizabeth MacLeod, ill. by John Mantha

Kids Who Rule: the Remarkable Lives of Five Child Monarchs by Charis Cotter

Mirror with a Memory : a Nation’s Story in Photographs by Janice Weaver

The Siege: Under Attack in Renaissance Europe by Stephen Shapiro, ill.by John Mantha

The Strongest Man in the World: Louis Cyr by Nicolas Debon

Sweet!: the Delicious Story of Candy by Ann Love and Jane Drake, ill. by Claudia Davila

This is My Planet: the Kids Guide to Global Warming by Jan Thornhill

Red Cedar Fiction Nominees 2009-2010

Alex and the Ironic Gentleman by Adrienne Kress

A Perfect, Gentle Knight by Kit Pearson

The Castaways by Iain Lawrence

Darkwing by Kenneth Oppel

Dear Jo by Christina Kilbourne

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

Eye of the Crow by Shane Peacock

Hamish X and the Hollow Mountain by- Seán Cullen

Honey Cake by Joan Betty Stuchner and illustrated by Cynthia Nugent

If I Die Before I Wake by Jean Little

Sacred Leaf by Deborah Ellis

Safe as Houses by Eric Walters

Schooled by Gordon Korman

The Secret of Grim Hill by Linda DeMeulemeester

Thora and the Green Sea-Unicorn by Gillian Johnson

Our thanks to the Red Cedar Fiction selection committee:

Pam McLeod, Victoria Miles, Joy Gugeler, Randi Robin and Tammy Fielden.

For more information, check out the Red Cedar Website

October Roundtable Meeting:

Monday, October 19, 7:30 pm at the Nellie McClung Library

Under the Reading Tree

Can you imagine life without any books to read? Find out how reading can break the cycle of poverty and effect positive changes in East Africa. Victoria author Lisa Lynam will present a slide show about her experiences in Uganda, where she worked with the Canadian organization "Under the Reading Tree" whose mission is to bring literacy to poverty-stricken communities.

Lisa is an athlete and has written a book called Triathalon for Women: a Mind-Body-Spirit Approach for Female Athletes (New York: Meyer & Meyer Sport, c2007).

Next Roundtable Presentation: September 28, 2009

with Hazel Hutchins

We are pleased to announce our first Victoria Children's Literature Roundtable meeting of the fall will take place on Monday, September 28, 2009 and will feature the very talented Hazel Hutchins.

Hazel is the author of over forty books for children spanning a kaleidoscope of age groups and interests. Most recent titles include the award-winning picture book Mattland, the fact-filled middle reader novel TJ and the Quiz Kids, and the more serious YA title After. Her lively presentations encourage young readers and writers across Canada to delight in the magic of story on all levels. Hazel makes her home in Canmore, Alberta.

You can learn more about Hazel on her website. See you at the meeting!

May 25, 2009: Chris Tougas

Our last meeting of the year is on Monday, May 25th at 7:30 pm, at the Nellie McClung Library at Cedar Hill Rd. & McKenzie Ave. (back entrance, library is closed). Chris Tougas, a writer-illustrator with nine children's books to his name, will be speaking.

For the last 10 years Chris has worked as both a concept developer and character designer for film, television and new media companies such as Disney, Warner Brothers, Universal, Sesame Workshop, Bardel Entertainment, Animation Lab, Nelvana, Fox and many others.

Chris's recent work with Canadian companies has received wide recognition. Concept and design direction for location-based game development company, Blister Entertainment's, Mobile Pooch helped earn the runner up spot for the Navtec Global Challenge. Design work and commercial direction for the Alberta Chiropractic Association's television campaign earned an Ace advertising award and most recently, designs for Hotrocket Studio's C.I.E. project contributed toward winning first place in the 2007 Kidscreen International Pitch-It competition in New York City. Chris brings highly valued expertise in character and concept development; skills that are acutely tuned to merchandising and other business development triggers.

Chris' recent book Mechanimals has been nominated for the BC Chocolate Lilly and the Saskatchewan Willow award. It was runner up for best illustrated book by the Canadian Library Association and won the Alcuin Award for excellence in book design and the City of Victoria's Bolen Book award.

Chris has several new picture books in development. You can check out his blog at http://christougas.blogspot.com/