At our AGM in May 2016, a motion was made to dissolve WCLR should no viable option be presented within 60 days. So, it is with heavy hearts that we announce the dissolution of the Winnipeg Children’s Literature Roundtable.
We have enjoyed sharing our love of literature with you over the past number of years and we hope that we will find new means to continue to be connected through our passion for children’s literature.
Our email address (wclr.online@gmail.com) will be casually monitored until August 2017, but the dissolution is effective as of July 26, 2016.
Join us Thursday, May 26, 2016 from 6:30-7:30 PMat the River Heights Public Library (1520 Corydon Ave.) for our final Passionate About Picture Books event of the year!
Our Annual General Meeting will follow from 7:30-8:30PM and all are welcome to attend.
At this free event, you will have the opportunity to:
Share a few of your favourite picture books (suggest 1- 5)
Add new books to your repertoire
Receive a book list of shared books after the event (via email)
Enjoy great book discussions with other book lovers.
Join us Saturday, April 23 from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Rossmere Golf and Country Club to celebrate the Amelia Awards and to hear Ruth Ohi, author of the Fox & Squirrel series and upcoming book, Scribble.
Come critique, then cast your vote for the best new illustrated book of the year! The Amelia Francis Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award is presented every year to the illustrator of the best new Canadian picture book. Hear about each of the books on the short-list and then participate in a mock vote, to see who Manitoba thinks should win!
The day will begin with a presentation by well known Canadian author and illustrator Ruth Ohi! Lunch will be served after the presentation, followed by an exploration of this year’s short-listed books and a mock vote.
Ruth is the illustrator of over 50 books (18 of which she is also the author). She lives with her family in Toronto, Canada and is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design. Ruth’s books have been shortlisted for awards such as the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book, Shining Willow and Blue Spruce. They have been selected for the Ontario Library Association’s “Best Bets”and the Toronto Public Library’s “First & Best”. Ruth’s latest include “Kenta and the Big Wave”(Annick Press), “Fox and Squirrel Make a Friend” (Scholastic Canada) and her latest, “Scribble” (Scholastic Canada, Spring 2016). http://www.RuthOhi.com
Join us Tuesday, March 8, 2016 from 6:30-7:30 PMat the Charleswood Public Library (4910 Roblin Blvd) for our third Passionate About Picture Books event of the year! Check out our other events on our Events page.
At this free event, you will have the opportunity to:
Share a few of your favourite picture books (suggest 1- 5)
Add new books to your repertoire
Receive a book list of shared books after the event (via email)
Enjoy great book discussions with other book lovers.
Join us Wednesday, January 20th, 2016 from 6:30-7:30 PMat the Cindy Klassen Recreation Centre (999 Sargent Avenue) for our second Passionate About Picture Books event of the year!
This is the second of four Picture Book events scheduled for the 2015/2016 year. See the others on our Events page.
At this free event, you will have the opportunity to:
Share a few of your favourite picture books (suggest 1- 5)
Add new books to your repertoire
Receive a book list of shared books after the event (via email)
Enjoy great book discussions with other book lovers.
The second event the Winnipeg Children’s’ Literature Roundtable hosted this fall was Authors at the Roundtable, a Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award (MYRCA) Celebration Dinner. Hosted as part of Canadian Stories Week and the MYRCA 25th Anniversary, this dinner was a one-of-a-kind opportunity to meet and dine with Canadian authors.
The Authors at the Roundtable MYRCA Celebration Dinner filled the Masonic Memorial Temple in Winnipeg.
Book lovers of all ages (we’d say about ages 10…and up!) enjoyed a three-course meal sitting with their favourite authors. The room was buzzing with energy, as young students took selfies with their favourite authors, friends and colleagues from years past reunited, and books were shared, signed, and loved. Authors shared their creative process. Maureen Fergus shared with one table, for example, that publishing a book can sometimes take up to ten years! One attendee was incredibly fortunate in our silent auction and walked away with a few prizes! McNally Robinson was around all evening, selling books from each of the authors. Needless to say, there were no dull moments the entire evening.
Melinda Friesen poses with some young fans
A huge thank you goes to the authors who joined us. Without your support and partnership, our event would not have happened!
David Carroll (2015 MYRCA Award Winner)
Kelley Armstrong (2015 MRYCA Honour Book Winner)
Jennifer Dance (2016 MYRCA Nominee)
Tom Earle (2015 MRYCA Honour Book Winner)
Larry Verstraete (2016 MYRCA Nominee)
Suzanne Costigan
Maureen Fergus
Melinda Friesen
Deborah Froese
Gabriele Goldstone
Melanie Matheson
Colleen Nelson
Susan Rocan
We also are very thankful to our sponsors and donors: Author Deborah Ellis, Author Anita Daher, Plato’s Closet, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Royal Manitoba Theatre Center, Boston Pizza, Manitoba Museum, CanLit Books for Kids Books Ltd, Home Depot, Alan Hare RMT (Alan Hare Massage), various Canadian Publishers. Finally, the event would not have been possible without our sponsors McNally Robinson Booksellers and Stayroy Catering.
This was the first time the WCLR hosted an event of this scale, and we are incredibly proud of its success. Congratulations to Niki Card and Georgette Nairn, our co-chairs, for putting together a stellar evening.
Update: The winner has been announced! A Brush Full of Colour: The World of Ted Harrison, written by Margriet Ruurs and Katherine Gibson and published by Pajama Press, has been selected by the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada as the 2015 Information Book of the Year.
The Winnipeg Children’s Literature Roundtable was proud to host two very successful events this fall, celebrating the love of books and the magic of literacy.
The first event we hosted the Information Book Awards on September 29 at Chaise Café. Our special guest was Dennis Fast, renowned local wildlife photographer and former teacher and principal. We were in awe of his new picture book Princess, a story written in verse that highlights some of his most magnificent polar bear photographs.
Following Dennis’s presentation and a delicious dinner, the Winnipeg Children’s Literature Roundtable steering committee presented the books nominated for the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada Information Book Award.
The Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada’s Information Book Award is given annually to a book that arouses interest, stimulates curiosity, captures the imagination, and fosters concern for the world around us. The award’s aim is to recognize excellence in Canadian publishing of children’s nonfiction. The criteria include accuracy, clarity, imaginative approach, appropriateness of organization and format, and sensitivity to ethnocentric and gender biases.
There were many great selections and voting for the winner was difficult. Our votes will be sent to the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada to be included. We expect to find out the winner very soon!
Here are the books we voted for, including their book trailers. Wonderful selections for any picture book library.
A Brush Full of Colour: The World of Ted Harrison. By Margriet Ruurs and Katherine Gibson. Published by Pajama Press – 4 votes
We All Count: A Book of Cree Numbers. By Julie Flett. Published by Native Northwest – 2 votes
Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices. Edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale. Published by Annick Press – 2 votes
The Rat. By Elise Gravel. Published by Tundra Books – 1 vote
Everyone left with a new book in their hands – one of the great benefits of joining our group. Who doesn’t love book giveaways?! Thank you to Dennis Fast and all the Winnipeg Children’s Literature Roundtable members who joined us for an exciting evening.
Join us Thursday, November 12, 2015 from 6:30-7:30 PMat the Henderson Branch of the Winnipeg Public Library for Passionate About Picture Books! This is the first of four Picture Book events scheduled for the 2015/2016 year. See the others on our Events page.
At this free event, you will have the opportunity to:
Share a few of your favourite picture books (suggest 1- 5)
Add new books to your repertoire
Receive a book list of shared books after the event (via email)
Enjoy great book discussions with other book lovers.
The Winnipeg Children’s Literature Roundtable is pleased to present the Information Book Awards! This event will be held Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 5:30 PM at Chaise Café and Lounge, 271 Provencher Blvd. Manitoban author and wildlife photographer Dennis Fast, author of Princess, will be joining us.
To purchase a ticket, please visit our Eventbrite page and see below for more details.
Winnipeg Children's Literature Roundtable 