InkyThink

I would like to devote more time to the InkyThink website, as it is one thing I love to do. However, and it might be new news to some readers, I will soon be welcoming the addition of two babies into my family. Yes, I am having twins! 

It's all been rather exciting, and their dad and I have already been reading to them. We started with a classic, The Secret Garden. We're setting up a nursery and making sure all of the many nutritional demands of a multiple pregnancy are being met. Most days it is all I can do to drag myself out of bed! 

I am due in April. The purpose of this blog entry is to simply say I will not be able to put as much effort into InkyThink as I would like at this time. InkyThink will always be something I enjoy doing, however, and when I can, I will pick it back up in full force. I am not letting it drop completely though I will be cutting back significantly. 

In the meantime, enjoy your stories!

I was lucky enough to be able to visit the Calgary Children's Book Fair and Conference recently. I had a lot of fun! I have always wanted to review more Canadian literature, and this seemed like a great place to start.

Right when I walked in, I could hear the warm buzz of talk around the room. I entered the draw at the door for a basket full of books, and from there I started making my way around the tables. There were a lot of great people to meet, and a lot of good books to look through! I handed out many InkyThink cards.

I tried to make sure I visited every table. I hope I didn't miss anyone. I had only brought a limited amount of cash with me, so it came down to an important decision. Who's books do I buy and review?
After thinking about it for a while, I decided to buy two books from Shirlee Smith Matheson; Flying Ghosts and The Gambler's Daughter. Loretta, the gambler's daughter, is also a character in Flying Ghosts. She was so popular that people kept asking Shirlee what had happened to her. In response, Shirlee wrote The Gambler's Daughter. 

Shirlee also thoroughly researches her books, and I admired that about her right away. She has actually been up in the frozen north, experiencing what it's like to be in negative forty degree weather. Since I grew up in Dawson Creek myself, I was intrigued to hear tales of that area; especially in Flying Ghosts where they're helping build the Alaska Highway. (Dawson Creek is Mile 0 of that highway, and I still remember driving by the Mile 0 post throughout my childhood.)

Along with buying those two books, I also recieved a review copy of Dead Frog on the Porch, a Megabyte Mystery by Jan Markley. I am eager to read all the books I recieved!

I was pleased to have met all the people I did. I am glad I went, and am looking forward to next year!

Today we're going to talk about reading to your kids if they happen to be of different ages. This situation comes up a lot, and sometimes you are left wondering how to choose stories both your children will enjoy.

Depending on their ages, they may enjoy listening to the same stories simply because they are only a year or two apart. A lot of children's books have a specific age range to which they are targeted; 3-5 years old, for example, or 9-12 years. In this case, choosing a book to read to your children may be easy. You could choose a book that is suitable for both of them, or alternate books; choose one geared to your older child one night, and one geared toward your younger child the next.

If you have many children of varying ages, you could try reading to the younger ones first, and then the older ones later on. If you read to your children before bedtime, this will give your younger ones a chance to get good and sleepy before you turn to reading to your older children. Also, if your older children are old enough to read on their own, perhaps you could leave them to their own books. You could read with your older children without actually reading to them by reading the same book at your own idividual paces, and then talking about it afterwards.

Most of all, you want to be sure that your children are enjoying the books they are being read. Lots of children will let you know simply by asking you to read the same book you read to them before. If you notice they tend to like a particular kind of book, try other books of the same genre. If your children are quiet and interested, or ask questions about the book during reading time you know you're on the right track! 

I was thinking during my review on The Graveyard book that I do not know enough about Children's Book Awards. What kinds of books end up winning these awards? What books are shortlisted? Are there any books on these award lists or shortlists that I've read?

It turns out, there are some great awards out there. We all know about the Neweberry Medal, the Caldecott Medal and the American Library Associations Children's book awards. What about Canadian awards? Yes, you guessed it, I am Canadian. It turns out there are many Canadian Children's Book awards as well. Here are a few of them along with some information and thoughts on each of them.

CLA (Canadian Library Association) Book of the Year for Children

This award is handed out anually to children's books suitable for ages 13 and under. To be considered, the book must have been published in Canada by a Canadian author. I was happy to see, on the shortlist for 2008, Kit Pearson's A Perfect Gentle Knight which I reviewed earlier this year. (If you forget to read the review, here's the short version: It was really good!)

CLA Young Adult Canadian Book Award

Geared towards the young adult crowd, this book award's age guidelines are 13-18. Again, the book must be published in Canada, and written by a Canadian author. As I do mainly read books that are more for the younger crowed, I was not too surprised when I didn't recognize a lot of the books on this awards list. I do, however, enjoy lots of different kinds of books, so maybe I should give my young adult book reading a kick in the behind!

Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award

Yes! An award for illustration. Illustrations are essential in the books picked for this award. I was not surprised at all to see that Melanie Watt won two years in a row for Scaredy Squirrel and Chester. I was also glad to see Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard on the shortlist! Grumpy Bird was my first review on InkyThink.com.

Governor-General's Awards for Children's Literature

Otherwise known as the "GG's" this award is not only for children's literature, but encompasses many awards, in and out of children's literature. There are two categories for children: Children's Literature - Text, and Children's Literature - Illustration. For 2007, Duncan Weller's book The Boy From The Sun won Children's Literature - Illustration. I love that book! I have it reviewed on the Reviews page.

Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award

This award was established after Elizabeth's death in 1986. I admire the idea of having an award specifically for picture books. Having not recognized a single book on the list, I am thinking I have a bit of reading to do! To my credit, a few of them are published in French which I cannot read. I suppose I could still look at the pictures though...

I.O.D.E. Violet Downey Children's Book Award

Awarded to books suitable for children 13 years of age and under. Starting in 1985, there are only 23 books on the list, as in 1989 there was no award given, though the website does not say why.

Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature

According to the website - "The Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature is awarded to the author of a body of work in children's literature that, in the opinion of the judges, demonstrates the highest literary standards." There was also a Vicky Metcalf award for short stories, but it was discontinued in 2002.

Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award

This award dates back to 1976. It's most recent winners include Chester's Back and Scaredy Squirrel, by Melanie Watt, and The Boy From The Sun, by Duncan Weller!

The Hugo Award

Last, but not least. While technically not a children's book award, it does not exclude children's books, as was lately proven (again) when The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman won the award for best Novel, 2009. Another popular children's book awarded the Hugo was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling. The Hugo is a science fiction award, but also spills over into fantasy and sometimes horror and even mainstream fiction. It dates all the way back to 1953, a time when the science fiction genre was still taking shape.
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There are many other awards across the country, including provincial awards like The Silver Birch Award in Ontario; Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize in British Columbia; R.Ross Annett Award for Children's Literature in Alberta; Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award in Manitoba; and the Ann Connor Brimer Award for the Atlantic Provinces.

I have recently reviewed a book called The Secret of Grim Hill who's author, Linda DeMeulemeester, was the proud recipient of a Silver Birch award for the book!

So, in my quest to find out more about Canadian Children's book awards, I have compiled lots of information. I am happy to know now that Candian authors are getting the recognition they deserve for a job well written, or illustrated.