19.Apr.2012 Matthew Forsythe Wins Canadian Library Association Illustration Award

by BK Munn

Cartoonist and illustrator Matthew Forsythe (Ojingogo) has been awarded this year’s Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award for his contribution to the children’s book My Name Is Elizabeth!, written by Annika Dunklee (Kids Can Press). The award is part of a slate of kids’ book awards announced on April 16 and is awarded to an “outstanding illustrator of a children’s book published in Canada during 2011.” The awards will be presented in person in May. The book was selected by a 5-person jury made up librarians from London ON, Victoria BC, the Marigold Library System in Alberta, and Ottawa ON. About the artist’s work, the jury had this to say:

“Forsythe’s two-tone illustrations engage the reader from the first page, keeping the focus on the determined heroine and adding expressive detail to this appealing story. Simply perfect.”