The Coming of Age of Children's Literature in Canada: A Chronology

1932	Canadian Association of Children's Librarians (CACL) is established with goals which include the encouragement of the writing and publishing of good children's books in Canada.
1937	Éditions Fides is established in Saint-Lambert, Quebec.
1945	Ristontac, written by Andrée Maillet, illustrated by Robert LaPalme, is published by Éditions Lucien Parizeau in Montreal. (Published after the war, when new techniques permitted more complex, colourful illustrations, this book is considered by many to be the first picture book of quality published in Canada.)
1946	Canadian Library Association (CLA) is established.
1967	Tundra Books is established in Montreal by writer and editor May Cutler.
1967	First issue of In Review, Toronto (last issue 1982), a quarterly magazine of critical reviews of Canadian literature for children is published.
1967	The Republic of Childhood: A Critical Guide to Canadian Children's Literature in English, written by Sheila Egoff, is published by Oxford University Press, Toronto, the first definitive guide to Canadian children's books in English.
1968	The Wind Has Wings: Poems from Canada, compiled by Mary Alice Downie and Barbara Robertson, illustrated by Elizabeth Cleaver, is published by Oxford University Press, Toronto, the first Canadian children's book with full four-colour illustration.
1971	Communication-Jeunesse is established in Montreal as a non-profit organization for the promotion of children's literature published in Quebec.
1971	Canadian Library Association awards the first Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award to Elizabeth Cleaver for her outstanding illustrations in The Wind Has Wings: Poems from Canada. (The award honours and commemorates Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon, the illustrator of An Illustrated Comic Alphabet Book, considered to be the first Canadian picture book, 1859.).
1973	National Library of Canada exhibition "Notable Canadian Children's Books / Un Choix de livres canadiens pour la jeunesse" is mounted in Ottawa, focusing on the historical development of Canadian literature for children.
1973	First Children's Literature Roundtable is established in Edmonton, to provide a means for enthusiasts to get together to share and discuss good children's books as well as to meet writers and illustrators.
1973	Kids Can Press is established in Toronto.
1974	Children's Book Store is established by former librarian, Judy Sarick, in Toronto, the first Canadian children's bookstore devoted exclusively to the sale of children's books.
1975	The Republic of Childhood: A Critical Guide to Canadian Children's Literature in English, by Sheila Egoff, is published by Oxford University Press in Toronto. (This second edition of Egoff's landmark publication includes, for the first time, a chapter on picture-books and Picture-storybooks.).
1975	First issue of CCL: Canadian Children's Literature/LCJ: Littérature canadienne pour la jeunesse, the first scholarly journal devoted to analytical discussion and review of Canadian children's books is published in Guelph..
1975	Canadian Children's Literature Service is established at the National Library of Canada in Ottawa, with Irene E. Aubrey, well-known children's librarian, at the helm.
1975	Éditions le Tamanoir is established in Montreal. (Name changed to Les éditions la courte échelle in 1978.).
1975	Canada Council Children's Literature Prizes are established. (These prizes were absorbed by the Governor General's Literary Prizes in 1987.)
1976	Annick Press is established in Toronto.
1976	First issue of Owl Magazine, an outdoor and wildlife magazine full of stories, articles and cartoons for young Canadians ages 8 to 12 is published in Toronto.
1976	First Pacific Rim Conference on Children's Literature is held in Vancouver, exploring the relationship between child and book, with speakers from ten countries.
1976	Children's Book Centre is established in Toronto to foster public awareness of Canadian children's books. (Name changed to Canadian Children's Book Centre in 1987.).
1977	First annual supplements to the National Library of Canada exhibition catalogue Notable Canadian Children's Books/Un Choix de livres canadiens pour la jeunesse are published. These bibliographies were produced under the direction of Irene Aubrey until 1991.
1977	First annual Children's Book Festival is inaugurated by the Canadian Children's Book Centre. (A week-long celebration of Canadian children's books, the Festival's many activities include school visits by authors and illustrators who discuss their books and how they are created.)
1977	CANSCAIP (The Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers) is established to provide a forum for individuals involved in writing and illustrating children's books and in performing for children.
1977	Groundwood Books is established in Toronto.
1977	First Kaleidoscope conference is held in Calgary. (Sponsored by the Alberta Learning Resources Council and focusing on literature for children and youth, the conference is held every four years.)
1978	100 livres pour nous, 100 livres à nous: une sélection de Communication-Jeunesse, edited by Louise Warren, is one of the first regular Communication-Jeunesse lists of good Canadian children's books in French.
1978	First issue of Des livres et des Jeunes is published in Sherbrooke (last issue 1996), a periodical devoted to children's books published in French in Canada.
1978	First issue of Lurelu is published in Montreal, a magazine of reviews, articles, interviews and information about Quebec and French-Canadian children's literature.
1978	First issue of Our Choice is published in Toronto, a catalogue of Canadian children's books in English produced by the Children's Book Centre.
1979	First issue of Chickadee is published in Toronto, a magazine especially for children under 8 published by the Young Naturalist Foundation.
1979	National Library of Canada exhibition of Canadian picture books "Pictures to Share/Images pour tous" is mounted, with a catalogue of the same name, celebrating the International Year of the Child.
1980	First issue of Hibou is published in Saint-Lambert, Quebec. (Hibou is the French version of Owl, a magazine for children, ages 8 to 12, who love nature and want to explore the world.).
1980	First issue of CM: Canadian Materials for Schools and Libraries is published in Ottawa (last print edition 1994; electronic version available 1995), a periodical which began as an annotated list of Canadian books in English of interest to teachers and students in elementary and secondary schools.
1982	Harbourfront exhibition "Images of Childhood - The Art of the Illustrator" is mounted in Toronto, featuring illustrations from Canadian children's books.
1982	L'association des illustrateurs québécois is established.
1983	Éditions Michel Quintin is established in Waterloo, Quebec.
1984	Annick Press is first-ever children's book publisher to be honoured as "Publisher of the Year" by the Canadian Booksellers Association.
1984	First issue of Coulicou is published in Saint-Lambert, Quebec. (French adaptation of Chickadee, includes stories, games, and non-fiction articles for children under 8.)
1984	Éditions du Raton Laveur is established in Saint-Hubert, Quebec.
1984	Marie-Louise Gay wins the Canada Council Children's Literature Prize for illustration, in English, for Lizzy's Lion, and in French for Drôle d'école, the only person ever to have won both prizes in the same year.
1986	First Canadian images Canadiennes conference is held in Winnipeg. (Sponsored by the Manitoba School Library Association and held every four years, the conference programme features Canadian children's and young adult literature.)
1986	First Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award (IBBY Canada [International Board on Books for Young People]), which honours the best illustrations in a Canadian picture book, is won by Ann Blades for By the Sea: An Alphabet Book.
1986	Love You Forever, written by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Sheila McGraw, and published by Firefly Books sells more than three million copies in North America and occupies the number one spot on the New York Times Children's Bestseller List.
1987	New edition of Pictures to Share: Illustration in Canadian Children's Books/Images pour tous: Illustration de livres canadiens pour enfants, prepared by Irene Aubrey, National Library of Canada is published.
1987	Governor General's Literary Award/Children's Literature is established, replacing the Canada Council Literary Awards for children's literature.
1987	May Cutler of Tundra Books is awarded the Eve Orpen Award for Publishing Excellence (Canadian Booksellers Association) in celebration of Tundra's twenty-year commitment to publishing quality children's books and developing an international market.
1988	Vancouver Art Gallery Exhibition, "Once Upon a Time", is the first public art gallery exhibition in Canada devoted to the work of contemporary children's book illustrators.
1988	National Library of Canada exhibition "The Secret Self" opens, exploring the importance of literature in the lives of children and young adults.
1989	Mr. Christie's Book Award is established, to reward excellence in the writing and illustrating of good Canadian books for children and to encourage the development and publishing of these books. (First winners of the illustration prizes are Ian Wallace for The Name of the Tree: A Bantu Tale and Philippe Béha for Mais que font les fées avec toutes ces dents?.)
1989	Kids Can Press, Toronto, is named Publisher of the Year by the Canadian Booksellers Association.
1989	Gilles Tibo wins Japan's prestigious Owl Prize at the "Exhibition of Original Pictures of International Children's Picture Books" in Tokyo, for the airbrush paintings in Simon et les flocons de neige.
1990	"Canada à Bologne/Canada at Bologna", an exhibition of Canadian children's book illustration is mounted at the children's book industry's annual international trade fair, the Bologna Children's Book Fair, Italy.
1990	The New Republic of Childhood: A Critical Guide to Canadian Children's Literature in English, written by Sheila Egoff and Judith Saltman, is published by Oxford University Press in Toronto, addressing Canadian children's literature from the perspective of the nineties.
1990	Barbara Reid is the first Canadian to win the UNICEF - Ezra Jack Keats International Award for Excellence in Children's Book Illustration, for The New Baby Calf, Sing a Song of Mother Goose and Have You Seen Birds?.
1990	First annual Read Up On It/Lisez sur le sujet kit is published by the National Library of Canada with booklists, bookmarks, poster, and ideas for stimulating childhood reading.
1991	To commemorate its 20th anniversary, Communication-Jeunesse collaborates with the Galerie de l'UQAM to mount the exhibition "La griffe québécoise dans l'illustration du livre pour enfants".
1991	Hat trick for Paul Morin's The Orphan Boy, when he wins the Governor General's Literary Award/Children's Literature (English) for illustration, the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award (Canadian Library Association) for best illustrations, and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award (International Board on Books for Children and Young People - Canada) for best illustrations in a picture book.
1992	Children's Literature in Canada, written by Elizabeth Waterston, is published by Twayne Publishers (New York) and Maxwell Macmillan (Toronto) as part of Twayne's World Authors Series: Children's Literature..
1992	Waiting for the Whales, illustrated by Ron Lightburn wins three prestigious awards: the Governor General's Literary Award/Children's Literature (English) for illustration, the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award (Canadian Library Association) for best illustrations, and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award (International Board on Books for Children and Young People - Canada) for best illustrations in a picture book.
1994	Du petit Poucet au Dernier des raisins: introduction à la littérature jeunesse, written by Dominique Demers with the collaboration of Paul Bleton, is published by Québec/Amérique Jeunesse in Boucherville, Quebec and Télé-Université in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, describing and analysing children's literature in French from a historical and contemporary perspective.
1995	La Bibliothèque des enfants: des trésors pour les 0 à 9 ans, written by Dominique Demers and others, is published by Éditions Québec/Amérique in Boucherville, Quebec, an annotated bibliography of the best books in French for children up to 9 years of age.
1995	One hundred and twenty-five pieces of art by Canadian picture book artists are auctioned to rais $75 000 for the Canadian Children's Book Centre in Toronto.
1996	Tenth annual Guadalajara Book Fair, Mexico, "features" Canadian publishing, including a large number of children's publishers and an exhibition of work by 47 children's book illustrators from across the country.
1997	National Library of Canada exhibition "The Art of Illustration" opens, presenting the original art of 29 contemporary Canadian children's book illustrators.

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Created: 2001-03-05 Updated: 2001-04-05	Top of Page	Important Notices