Congratulations to Sydney Smith for Small in the City (Groundwood), the first winner of the first Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picturebook of the Year Award.*
Small in the City takes readers young and old on a journey full of tension and surprise. The exquisitely rendered images not only illustrate, but advance the story, adding layers of feeling. Together with Smith’s deceptively simple text, they convey both the vulnerability of children and their resourcefulness. But ultimately, this book is about more than a lost pet. It dramatizes the universal human fear of being separated from those we love. Then, gently, compassionately, it leads us back home where hope awaits.
The jury, Caroline Adderson, Tonya Lowe and Logaine Navascues, selected the following three Honour Books:
Pokko and the Drum by Matthew Forsythe. (Simon & Schuster)
As Pokko is quietly encouraged to practice her drum outside, parents will recognize the sacrifices adults make to nurture children’s interests. Deemed too loud for a frog’s home, Pokko & her drum march off into the forest, generating a band & a following all her own. Lavishly retro earth-toned illustrations create a familiar, yet whimsical natural setting. While this outstanding picturebook has the look & feel of a classic, the subtle & cheeky humour of Pokko and the Drum is utterly modern, ensuring it will be enjoyed many times over.
Me, Toma and the Concrete Garden by Andrew Larsen. Illustrated by Anne Villeneuve. (Kids Can)
While adults may believe that children live for summer, the truth is kids can find those months to be long, lonely and even tiresome – especially if removed to a new locale with people they may not know. Vincent isn’t pleased about a summer in the city with his aunt Mimi, though she welcomes him into her home. And he is unimpressed with the littered urban setting, lack of other children and “Mr. Grumpypants” in the next building. However, when Vincent takes a chance and finds a new friend and an unexpected surprise, his attitude – and the surroundings – begin to perk up. Along with the abandoned dirt lot at the centre of it all, a subdued watercolour palette gradually brightens and grows into a kaleidoscope of colour and people. Vincent and Toma’s impact on each other and the community has lasting effects in terms of friendship, kindness and connection.
The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden by Heather Smith. Illustrated by Rachel Wada. (Orca)
On top of a hill, a phone connected to nowhere helps little Makio and the villagers of his small town cope with their emotions after a big wave takes their loved ones. This evocative tale is filled with absences, in the silent power of its beautifully rendered wordless spreads, bold illustrations and the poetic rhythm of its playful yet dramatic text. The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden is a tribute to loss and hope inspired by true events. Hand in hand, words and images take the reader into the heart of the story -and its characters-, in a brilliant display of the picturebook’s potential as an art form.
*This $2500 cash award for the winning book is specifically for a picturebook that “hinges on the interdependence of pictures and words, on the simultaneous display of two facing pages, and on the drama of the turning of the page” (Barbara Bader, 1976).