The Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction is a lucrative literary award founded in May 1999 by the Fleck Family Foundation and the Canadian Children's Book Centre, and presented to the year's best non-fiction book for a youth audience. Each year's winner receives CDN$10,000.
The award is one of several presented by the Canadian Children's Book Centre each year; others include the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People and the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award. [1]
The award was discontinued after 2023, with a new Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Children's Nonfiction to be presented beginning in 2025.
Year | Author | Title | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Andy Turnbull and Debora Pearson | By Truck to the North: My Winter Adventure | Winner | |
Gena K. Gorrell | Catching Fire: The Story of Firefighting | Finalist | ||
Barbara Greenwood | The Last Safehouse: A Story of the Underground Railroad | Finalist | ||
Larry Verstraete | Accidental Discoveries: From Laughing Gas to Dynamite | Finalist | ||
Mary Wallace | The Inuksuk Book | Finalist | ||
2000 | Simon Tookoome and Sheldon Oberman | The Shaman's Nephew: A Life in the Far North | Winner | |
Sarah Ellis | The Young Writer's Companion | Finalist | ||
Linda Maybarduk | The Dancer Who Flew: A Memoir of Rudolf Nureyev | Finalist | ||
Irene Morck | Five Pennies: A Prairie Boy's Story | Finalist | ||
2001 | Gena K. Gorrell | Heart and Soul: The Story of Florence Nightingale | Winner | |
Linda Granfield | Pier 21: Gateway of Hope | Finalist | ||
Ann Love and Jane Drake | The Kids Book of the Far North | Finalist | ||
Ronald Orenstein | New Animal Discoveries | Finalist | ||
Candace Savage | Born to be a Cowgirl: A Spirited Ride Through the Old West | Finalist | ||
2002 | Jack Batten | The Man Who Ran Faster Than Everyone: The Story of Tom Longboat | Winner | |
Karen Levine | Hana's Suitcase | Finalist | ||
Susan Musgrave | Nerves Out Loud: Critical Moments in the Lives of Seven Teen Girls | Finalist | ||
Jane Pavanel | The Sex Book: An Alphabet of Smarter Love | Finalist | ||
John Wilson | Righting Wrongs: The Story of Norman Bethune | Finalist | ||
2003 | Larry Loyie with Constance Brissenden | As Long as the Rivers Flow | Winner | |
Kathy Conlan | Under the Ice | Finalist | ||
Chan Hon Goh with Cary Fagan | Beyond the Dance: A Ballerina's Life | Finalist | ||
Candace Savage | Wizards: An Amazing Journey through the Last Great Age of Magic | Finalist | ||
Roderick Stewart | Wilfrid Laurier: A Pledge for Canada | Finalist | ||
2004 | Val Ross | The Road to There: Mapmakers and Their Stories | Winner | |
Nicolas Debon | Four Pictures by Emily Carr | Finalist | ||
Anne Dublin | Bobbie Rosenfeld: The Olympian Who Could Do Everything | Finalist | ||
Reva Marin | Oscar: The Life and Music of Oscar Peterson | Finalist | ||
John Wilson | Discovering the Arctic: The Story of John Rae | Finalist | ||
2005 | Shari Graydon | In Your Face: The Culture of Beauty and You | Winner | |
Hazel Hutchins | A Second Is a Hiccup | Finalist | ||
Marthe Jocelyn | A Home for Foundlings | Finalist | ||
Kathy Kacer | The Underground Reporters | Finalist | ||
Ange Zhang | Red Land, Yellow River: A Story from the Cultural Revolution | Finalist | ||
2006 | Bill Slavin and Jim Slavin | Transformed: How Everyday Things Are Mad | Winner | |
Deborah Ellis | Our Stories, Our Songs: African Children Talk About AIDS | Finalist | ||
Nadja Halilbegovich | My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary | Finalist | ||
Susan Hughes | Coming to Canada: Building a Life in a New Land | Finalist | ||
Kathy Kacer | Hiding Edith: A True Story | Finalist | ||
2007 | Jan Thornhill | I Found a Dead Bird: The Kids' Guide to the Cycle of Life & Death | Winner | |
Barbara Greenwood | Factory Girl | Finalist | ||
Celia Godkin | Fire! The Renewal of a Forest | Finalist | ||
Jane Springer | Genocide | Finalist | ||
Herb Shoveller | Ryan and Jimmy: And the Well in Africa That Brought Them Together | Finalist | ||
2008 | Hugh Brewster | At Vimy Ridge: Canada's Greatest World War I Victory | Winner | |
Robert Bateman with Nancy Kovacs, illus. by Robert Bateman | Birds of Prey: An Introduction | Finalist | ||
Sue Ann Alderson , illus. by Millie Ballance | The Eco-Diary of Kiran Singer | Finalist | ||
Jan Thornhill | This Is My Planet: The Kids' Guide to Global Warming | Finalist | ||
Kate Evans | Weird Weather: Everything You Didn't Want to Know About Climate Change but Probably Should Find Out | Finalist | ||
2009 | Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland | The Bite of the Mango | Winner | |
Mary Wallace | Inuksuk Journey: An Artist at the Top of the World | Finalist | ||
Susan Hughes , illus. by Willow Dawson | No Girls Allowed: Tales of Daring Women Dressed As Men for Love, Freedom and Adventure | Finalist | ||
Katie Smith Milway , illus. by Eugenie Fernandes | One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference | Finalist | ||
Elizabeth MacLeod | Royal Murder: The Deadly Intrigue of Ten Sovereigns | Finalist | ||
2010 | Priscilla Galloway with Dawn Hunter | Adventures on the Ancient Silk Road | Winner | [3] |
Charis Cotter | Born to Write: The Remarkable Lives of Six Famous Authors | Finalist | ||
William Gilkerson | A Thousand Years of Pirates | Finalist | ||
Kathy Kacer and Sharon E. McKay | Whispers from the Ghettos | Finalist | ||
Scot Ritchie | Follow That Map! A First Book of Mapping Skills | Finalist | ||
2011 | Susan Hughes | Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science | Winner | |
Hadley Dyer | Watch This Space: Designing, Defending and Sharing Public Spaces | Finalist | ||
Elin Kelsey | Not Your Typical Book About the Environment | Finalist | ||
Daniel Loxton | Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be | Finalist | ||
Jody Nyasha Warner | Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged | Finalist | ||
2012 | Susan Vande Griek | Loon | Winner | |
Rafal Gerszak with Dawn Hunter | Beyond Bullets: A Photo Journal of Afghanistan | Finalist | [4] | |
Susan Hughes | Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World | Finalist | [4] | |
Marthe Jocelyn | Scribbling Women: True Tales from Astonishing Lives | Finalist | [4] | |
Dora Lee , illus. by Margot Thompson | Biomimicry: Inventions Inspired by Nature | Finalist | [4] | |
2013 | Deborah Ellis | Kids of Kabul: Living Bravely Through a Never-Ending War | Winner | |
Deborah Hodge | Rescuing the Children: The Story of the Kindertransport | Finalist | ||
Monica Kulling | Going Up! Elisha Otis's Trip to the Top | Finalist | ||
Bill Swan | Real Justice: Fourteen and Sentenced to Death – The Story of Steven Truscott | Finalist | ||
2014 | Rona Arato | The Last Train: A Holocaust Story | Winner | |
Deborah Ellis | Looks Like Daylight: Voices of Indigenous Kids | Finalist | ||
Elizabeth Macleod and Frieda Wishinsky | A History of Just About Everything: 180 Events, People and Inventions That Changed the World | Finalist | ||
Ken Setterington | Branded by the Pink Triangle | Finalist | ||
Eric Walters | My Name Is Blessing | Finalist | ||
2015 | Kira Vermond | Why We Live Where We Live | Winner | |
Hugh Brewster | From Vimy to Victory: Canada's Fight to the Finish in World War I | Finalist | [5] | |
Sarah Elton | Starting from Scratch: What You Should Know about Food and Cooking | Finalist | [5] | |
Larry Loyie with Wayne K. Spear and Constance Brissenden | Residential Schools, With the Words and Images of Survivors: A National History | Finalist | [5] | |
David J. Smith | If: A Mind-Bending New Way of Looking at Big Ideas and Numbers | Finalist | [5] | |
2016 | Cory Silverberg | Sex Is a Funny Word: A Book About Bodies, Feelings, and You | Winner | [6] |
Paula Ayer | Foodprints: The Story of What We Eat | Finalist | ||
Maria Birmingham | A Beginner's Guide to Immortality: From Alchemy to Avatars | Finalist | ||
Jessica Dee Humphreys and Michel Chikwanine | Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War | Finalist | ||
Edward Keenan | The Art of the Possible: An Everyday Guide to Politics | Finalist | ||
2017 | Elizabeth Macleod | Canada Year by Year | Winner | |
Antonia Banyard and Paula Ayer | Water Wow! An Infographic Exploration | Finalist | ||
Kristina Rutherford | Level the Playing Field: The Past, Present, a Future of Women's Pro Sports | Finalist | ||
Laura Scandiffio | Fight to Learn: The Struggle to Go to School | Finalist | ||
Jan Thornhill | The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk | Finalist | ||
2018 | Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale | #NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women | Winner | |
Jane Drake and Ann Love | Rewilding: Giving Nature a Second Chance | Finalist | ||
Sarah Elton | Meatless? A Fresh Look at What You Eat | Finalist | ||
James Gladstone | When Planet Earth Was New | Finalist | ||
Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson) | The Sockeye Mother | Finalist | ||
2019 | James Gladstone and Karen Reczuch | Turtle Pond | Winner | [7] |
Erica Fyvie and Bill Slavin | Trash Revolution: Breaking the Waste Cycle | Finalist | [8] | |
Wab Kinew and Joe Morse | Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes | Finalist | [8] | |
Rob Laidlaw | Bat Citizen: Defending the Ninjas of the Night | Finalist | [8] | |
Merrie-Ellen Wilcox | After Life: Ways We Think About Death | Finalist | [8] | |
2020 | Serah-Marie McMahon and Alison Matthews David | Killer Style: How Fashion Has Injured, Maimed, & Murdered Through History | Winner | |
Carolyn Fisher | Cells: An Owner's Handbook | Finalist | [9] | |
Carey Newman and Kirstie Hudson | Picking Up the Pieces: Residential School Memories and the Making of the Witness Blanket | Finalist | [9] | |
Rachel Poliquin | Beastly Puzzles: A Brain-Boggling Animal Guessing Game | Finalist | [9] | |
Ashley Spires | Fairy Science | Finalist | [9] | |
2021 | Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane | Powwow: A Celebration Through Song and Dance | Winner | |
Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), illus. by Natasha Donovan | The Eagle Mother | Finalist | ||
Tanya Lloyd Kyi , illus. by Drew Shannon | This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science is Tackling Unconscious Bias | Finalist | ||
Rina Singh , illus. by Marianne Ferrer | 111 Trees: How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl | Finalist | ||
Kyla Vanderklug | Crows: Genius Birds | Finalist | ||
2022 | Christian Allaire , illus. by Jacqueline Li | The Power of Style: How Fashion and Beauty Are Being Used to Reclaim Cultures | Winner | [10] |
Erica Fyvie , illus. by Ian Turner | Mad for Ads: How Advertising Gets (and Stays) in Our Heads | Finalist | [11] | |
Dr. Lindsay Herriot and Kate Fry (ed.) | Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words | Finalist | [11] | |
Kathy Stinson , illus. by François Thisdale | The Girl Who Loved Giraffes and Became the World's First Giraffologist | Finalist | [11] | |
Robbie Waisman with Susan McClelland | Boy from Buchenwald: The True Story of a Holocaust Survivor | Finalist | [11] | |
2023 | Carey Newman and Kirstie Hudson | The Witness Blanket: Truth, Art and Reconciliation | Winner | [12] |
Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Julia Kyi, illus. by Vivian Rosas | Better Connected: How Girls Are Using Social Media for Good | Finalist | [13] | |
Elise Gravel with Mykaell Blais, illus. by Elise Gravel | Pink, Blue, and You! Questions for Kids About Gender Stereotypes | Finalist | ||
Laura Alary, illus. by Andrea Blinick | Sun in my Tummy | Finalist | ||
Gregor Craigie, illus. by Kathleen Fu | Why Humans Build Up: The Rise of Towers, Temples and Skyscrapers | Finalist |
The Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, colloquially called the Vicky, is given annually at the Writers' Trust Awards to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth". It is a top honour for Canadian children's writers and Canadian children's book illustrators.
The Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young Readers is a Canadian literary award that goes to the best work of historical fiction written for youth each year. The award is named after Geoffrey Bilson, a writer of historical fiction for youth and a history professor at the University of Saskatchewan who died suddenly in 1987.
The Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a non-fiction book written in English. Since 1987 it is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, seven each for creators of English- and French-language books. Originally presented by the Canadian Authors Association, the Governor General's Awards program became a project of the Canada Council for the Arts in 1959.
The Governor General's Award for English-language children's writing is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a children's book written in English. It is one of four children's book awards among the Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, one each for writers and illustrators of English- and French-language books. The Governor General's Awards program is administered by the Canada Council.
The Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian illustrator for a children's book written in English. It is one of four children's book awards among the Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, one each for writers and illustrators of English- and French-language books. The Governor General's Awards program is administered by the Canada Council.
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William Edwin Bell was a Canadian author of young adult fiction, born in Toronto, Ontario. He lived in Orillia, Ontario.
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The Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award is an annual Canadian literary award, presented to the year's best illustrated picture book for children. Sponsored by A. Charles Baillie and administered by the Canadian Children's Book Centre, the award carries a monetary prize of $20,000. The award is named in honour of Marilyn Baillie, a children's book author and early childhood educator who is married to former TD Bank chairman A. Charles Baillie.
Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) is a national non-profit organization that dedicates its resources to promoting quality Canadian children's literature to parents, librarians, teachers, and youth across Canada. Founded in 1976, the CCBC has library collections in five cities across Canada (Toronto, Hamilton, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Halifax) with its national office located in Toronto.
Susin Nielsen is a Canadian author for children, adolescents and young adults. She received the 2012 Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature and the 2013 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award for her young adult novel The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, which deals with the aftermath of a school shooting.
Jessica Dee Humphreys is a Canadian writer specializing in international humanitarian, military, and children's issues.
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Marthe Jocelyn is a Canadian writer of over forty children's books. In 2009, she received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, an honour bestowed by the Writers' Trust of Canada to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth".
Hugh Brewster is a Canadian writer of nonfiction books for children.
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