Thursday, November 13, 2008

2009 Red Maple Award: Lobster Title Shortlisted!

Island of Hope and Sorrow: The Story of Grosse Île by Anne Renaud has been shortlisted for the Ontario Library Association's 2009 Red Maple Award!

We are very excited by this news. We posted a review of Island of Hope and Sorrow, knowing that Renaud's non-fiction book for children was too finely told to overlook. This recognition by the Ontario Library Association has only confirmed our belief in the importance of sharing a chapter of Canada's history with a new generation!

More about Island of Hope and Sorrow: The Story of Grosse Île:

From 1832 to 1937 more than four million people sailed across the Atlantic to the port of Quebec with the dream of creating better lives for themselves in the New World. During this period, a tiny island called Grosse Île, located fifty kilometres downstream from the port, served as a quarantine station. Its mission was to prevent ship passengers from spreading diseases to the mainland.


Award-winning Montreal children's author, Anne Renaud, tells the story of the island, which served both as gateway and graveyard for the thousands of people who landed on its shores, and of the caring island workers who welcomed them.

Anne Renaud is the author of three books for children. Her first book, A Bloom of Friendship: The Story of the Canadian Tulip Festival, was shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award, the Hackmatack Children's Choice Award, and the Red Cedar Book Award. In mid-October, she appeared at Pier 21, as well as at nearby schools and libraries, in conjunction with Canada's Citizenship Week to speak about her latest book for children, Pier 21: Stories from Near and Far.

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