Canadian Illustrator Isabelle Arsenault Shortlisted for Hans Christian Andersen Award

No stranger to awards already, esteemed Montreal-based illustrator Isabelle Arsenault has been shortlisted for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, widely considered the most prestigious prize in children's publishing.

Arsenault's work includes the Fanny Britt graphic novels Jane, the Fox and Me and Louis Undercover, Kyo Maclear's Spork and Virginia Wolf, and Colette's Lost Pet, her debut as an author. She is a three-time recipient of the Governor General's Award for Children's Literature, with three of her picture books making it onto the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the year.

Now in its 54th year, The Illustrators Award consists of a gold medal and a diploma, and is presented at a celebratory event during the biennial IBBY Congress. Nominees for the prize are judged on the aesthetic and literary quality of their work as well as its freshness and innovation; the ability to engage children and to stretch their curiosity and creative imagination; diversity of expressions of aesthetic, and the continuing relevance of the works to children and young people. When nominated, the author or illustrator's entire body of work is considered.

The complete 2020 shortlist includes:

Authors: María Cristina Ramos from Argentina, Bart Moeyaert from Belgium, Marie-Aude Murail from France, Farhad Hassanzadeh from Iran, Peter Svetina from Slovenia, and Jacqueline Woodson from the USA.
Illustrators: Isabelle Arsenault from Canada, Seizo Tashima from Japan, Sylvia Weve from the Netherlands, Iwona Chmielewska from Poland, Elena Odriozola from Spain, and Albertine from Switzerland.

For more information on Isabelle Arsenault and her work, visit her website