Selection Criteria

"A Wish for Peace" As Theme

Books for young people selected for this year's theme explore war and armed conflict through a number of literary genres. Novels and historical narratives, anthologies, documentaries, memoirs, personal diaries and picture books are some of the formats used by the authors. The approaches to this difficult topic and the vocabularies used are appropriate to the various age groups for whom the stories are written.

The works chosen cover a range of historical periods: from confrontations between various colonies of the New World, to more modern conflicts involving Canada, such as the two world wars. The selection also includes several books about the Holocaust. More recent hostilities examined include the war in Afghanistan and the civil wars in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. Other books look at war and peace through events in imaginary places and countries. Many of the selected publications feature children and teenagers who have witnessed or been the victims of battles and deportations; several tell of the effects of war on young refugees.

A number of the historical accounts and novels highlighted present protagonists who are directly involved in the conflicts: as messengers, for example, or as first-aid workers. Most of the novels end on a note of hope - the main characters finally make their way home, find lost loved ones, or become part of a new, extended family.

Theme Selection Process

The Children's Literature Service of Library and Archives Canada bases its annual theme selection process on a number of factors. First, it examines the school programs of each province in order to identify shared subjects and themes that are likely to interest young people. Potential subjects are then evaluated to ensure that they can be represented by a significant group of Canadian works, available in English and French. While this work is proceeding, Children's Literature Service staff solicit comments and suggestions from education and book-publishing professionals who attend the many presentations and conferences held each year in the realm of children's literature. Further research establishes whether a sufficient number of recent books published within the last five years relate to the theme in question. This annual selection process gets under way as soon as the latest edition of Read Up On It is ready for publication.

Selection Criteria for the 2005-2006 Edition of Read Up On It

• Books published in Canada or abroad for which the author or illustrator is Canadian.
  
  
• Books available through bookstores, publishers, and public or school libraries.
  
  
• Books in English or French that take into account the geographic distribution and multicultural diversity of Canada.
  
  
• Books suitable for age categories ranging from 2 to 16 years.
  
  
• Books from the following genres: novel, short story, picture book, non-fiction.
  
  
• Books in which the high quality text and illustrations interact effectively.
  
  
• Books published in the last five years.

Reading Committee

Alfonsina Clemente, Children's Librarian, Library and Archives Canada
Josiane Polidori, Head, Children's Literature Service, Library and Archives Canada
Daniel St-Hilaire, Research Assistant, Library and Archives Canada