The Barnabus Project by the Fan Brothers among finalists for Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards
CBC
The finalists for the 2021 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards have been revealed. The six awards, which include prizes for nonfiction, YA and picture books, annually recognize the best in Canadian children's literature.
The Barnabus Project by the Fan Brothers is nominated for two awards: the $50,000 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, which recognizes the best Canadian book for readers up to age 12 in any genre, and the $20,000 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, which is for the best Canadian picture book of the year.
The Barnabus Project is a picture book about a secret underground lab and a host of genetically engineered creatures. Barnabus and his friends live in this lab but they are deemed imperfect and might never see the outside world. But Barnabus yearns to be free and decides that it's time for he and his imperfect friends to make the perfect escape.
The Barnabus Project also won the 2020 Governor General's Literary Prize for young people's literature — illustrated books.
Eric Fan and Terry Fan are brothers and frequent collaborators on children's books. Their books include The Night Gardener and Ocean Meets Sky. They also illustrated The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield.
Devin Fan is an artist, poet and youth worker. The Barnabus Project is his first children's book and marks the first time all three brothers have written and illustrated a picture book together.
Journal of a Travelling Girl by Nadine Neema, illustrated by Archie Beaverho is also nominated for two awards. It is a finalist for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People and the Jean Little First Novel Award.