On Saturday, March 18, 2023, the Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada were announced. This year’s judges, Crispin Elsted, Natalie Olsen, and Jessica Sullivan, selected 35 winning titles from 187 submissions, from 8 provinces, 1 territory and 74 publishers. This year’s book design winners in the children’s category are: First prize (tie): JOHN MARTZ, designer of Thingamabob by Marianna Coppo; illustrated by Marianna Coppo (Tundra Books); First prize (tie): BEE WAELAND, designer of Three Bears and Goldilocks by Bee Waeland; illust ..read more

Happy first day of spring! It’s getting warmer, which means kids are ready to jump over (or into) muddy puddles, spot rainbows, and play more outdoors. With beautiful artwork and lyrical language, these Canadian children’s books will bring the joy of spring to you. Perfect for parents, librarians and teachers, the titles below will engage your young reader and teach them about the wonders of nature, life, and new seasons. From sunny adventures to new beginnings to stories about climate change, our list features authors and illustrators who showcase the ever-changing nature of our natural world ..read more

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 31, 2023 The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) is now accepting submissions for the fall 2023 edition of Best Books for Kids & Teens (BBKT), the CCBC’s semi-annual selection guide to the best Canadian children’s books, magazines, audio and video. When is the deadline? The deadline to submit is March 31, 2023 What books and resources are eligible? For the fall 2023 edition of Best Books for Kids & Teens (BBKT), normally our committees would only be evaluating books/resources published between January 1, 2023 and June 30, 2023. However, due to the ongoing ..read more

Three Canadian publishers—Owlkids Books, Orca Book Publishers and La courte échelle—have been nominated for the 2023 Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year. Six prizes are awarded annually, one for each geographical area: Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, Oceania, and Caribbean, Central and South America. The winners will be announced at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which runs from March 6–9, 2023. Previous Canadian winners include Monsieur Ed, (2022), Les 400 coups (2020), Comme des géants (2019) and Kids Can Press (2017). About the Bologna Prize for the Bes ..read more

What does it take to get a children’s book published? What are children’s book publishers looking for? Let our panel of experts show you what you need to do to get your manuscript published! Panelists include industry professionals Karen Li, publisher of Groundwood Books; Ruth Ohi, author/illustrator; and Joel A. Sutherland, author. “I attended this seminar and it was a great chance to be surrounded by professionals in the industry and get real answers and insights. The Book Centre is an excellent connector, and the opportunity to get exposure with publishers, editors, and other writers is in ..read more

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of beloved Canadian children’s book illustrator Wallace Edwards, affectionately referred to as Wally, on December 25, 2022. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Wally attended high school at Lisgar Collegiate Institute and was a graduate of the Ontario College of Art (now OCADU), Toronto. He lived in Yarker, Ontario. Winner of the Governor-General’s Literary Award for his first book, Alphabeasts, he went on to write and illustrate 16 more books, winning many national and international awards. His most recent book, Do You Wonder? was published this year ..read more

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Aubrey Davis. Born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1949, Aubrey grew up loving to read Greek myths, Tom Sawyer, and Mad Magazine. Before he became an accomplished storyteller and author, he worked many different jobs, from construction labourer to retail salesman to an antique restorer. Aubrey’s passion for writing and telling stories eventually won out, however. As a young man, he travelled across Europe and North Africa and discovered traditional Teaching-Stories collected by the Afghan writer Idries Shah. For 40 years he told traditional stor ..read more

The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) is now accepting submissions for its English-language children’s book awards. In total, seven prizes will be awarded. The submission deadline is January 20, 2023. If you click on the links below you will find submission and criteria information about each award. Please be sure to read all of the submission information and criteria for each of the awards, as it varies from award to award, and some of the criteria have changed from last year. TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award * Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Ch ..read more

Toronto (December 13, 2022) —The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) is excited to announce that we are now issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a redesign of our website, bookcentre.ca. Please review the summary below and submit your proposal by January 6, 2023.  Summary: The Canadian Children’s Book (CCBC) is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) to select and enlist a Canadian design agency or independent contractor to design and build a visually pleasing, accessible, and contemporary website. The site must: 1. Present the CCBC as a trusted, respected, longstanding organizat ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Toronto (December 6, 2022)— The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications from schools, libraries, and community groups who wish to host creators participating in our 2023 Canadian Children’s Book Week tour.  Who can apply to host a presentation and/or workshop? Our goal is to reach as many young people as possible through this program: schools, public libraries, community groups, literacy networks, family resource centres, and homeschooling associations. If you’ve got an audience wanting to read more ..read more