I have been honoured with one of Canada's most prestigious literary awards — the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People! Here's the formal description from the Writers' Trust of Canada:
"The Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People is given annually to the author of an exceptional body of work in children's literature, and the winner is selected by a three-member judging panel."
My deepest thanks to the Writers' Trust, to the Vicky Metcalf Foundation, and to the jury of my peers (Hadley Dyer, Marthe Jocelyn and Mahtab Narsimhan) who said the following:
"Warm, humorous and fun are the best words to describe the works of Linda Bailey over a career that has spanned three decades. Bailey's highly imaginative, propulsive plots frequently send characters — two, four, and six-legged — on journeys across uncharted territory or time, driven by burning questions or a yearning to escape the ordinary."
This award comes with a $25,000 prize and carries with it a long history of the greatest names in Canadian children's literature. The previous winners are my heroes! I am honoured beyond words to join them.
