Marie-Louise Gay

Marie-Louise Gay
Gay at the Salon du livre de Montréal 2016 in Montreal Canada
Gay at the Salon du livre de Montréal 2016 in Montreal Canada
Born (1952-06-17) June 17, 1952 (age 72)
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
OccupationIllustrator, writer
LanguageEnglish, French
GenrePicture books, children's literature
SpouseDavid Homel

Marie-Louise Gay (born June 17, 1952) is a Canadian children's writer and illustrator.[1] She has received numerous awards for her written and illustrated works in both French and English, including the 2005 Vicky Metcalf Award, multiple Governor General's Awards,[2] and multiple Janet Savage Blachford Prizes, among others.

Biography

Gay was born in Quebec City and lived in Montreal and Vancouver as a child. Gay lives in Montreal.[when?]

Gay co-wrote two longer books with her husband, Montreal novelist and translator David Homel, which included her black-and-white illustrations: Travels With My Family (2006) and On the Road Again! (2008).[3] At the time, she said, "For the last twenty-five years, I have mainly been writing, illustrating and creating only for children."[3]

Gay's books received renewed attention after a public school library system in Alabama mistakenly flagged Read Me A Story, Stella as potentially inappropriate for children, because of her surname.[4]

Awards and honours

In 2013, Canada Post released a series of stamps featuring Gay's character Stella.[5]

Awards for Gay's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
1984 Lizzy's Lion by Dennis Lee Canada Council Children's Literature Prize Winner
1984 Drôle d'école Canada Council Children's Literature Prize Winner
1987 Moonbeam On A Cat's Ear Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award Winner [6]
1987 Rainy Day Magic Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration Winner [7][8]
1988 Angel and the Polar Bear Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration Shortlist
1988 Rainy Day Magic Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award Winner [6]
1995 Berthold et Lucrèce Governor General's Award for French-language children's illustration Shortlist
2000 Sur mon île Governor General's Award for French-language children's illustration Shortlist
2000 Yuck, A Love Story Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration Winner [7][8]
2001 Stella: Queen of the Snow Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award Winner
2002 Stella, Fairy of the Forest Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration Shortlist
2005 Vicky Metcalf Award Winner [9][10]
2006 Caramba Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award for Children's Picture Book Winner
2006 Caramba Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award Winner [11]
2007 Houndsley and Catina ALSC Notable Children's Books Selection [12]
2007 Stella étoile de la mer Mr. Christie's Book Award for French: 7 and under Winner
2009 When Stella Was Very, Very Small Janet Savage Blachford Prize Shortlist [13]
2009 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Longlist [14]
2010 When Stella was Very, Very Small Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award for Children's Picture Book Winner [15]
2010 When Stella Was Very, Very Small Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards Shortlist [16]
2011 Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth! Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award Winner [6]
2011 Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth! Forest of Reading: Blue Spruce Award Shortlist [17]
2014 Any Questions? Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award Winner [6]
2014 Any Questions? Janet Savage Blachford Prize Shortlist [13]
2014 Any Questions? Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration Shortlist [18][19]
2014 Read Me a Story, Stella Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award for Children's Picture Book Finalist [20][21][22]
2015 Any Questions? Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award Winner [23]
2015 Any Questions? CBC Fan Choice Award Winner [24]
2015 Any Questions? TD Canadian Children's Literature Award Finalist [25][26]
2017 Short Stories for Little Monsters Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration Shortlist
2018 Mustafa Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award Finalist [27]
2019 Mustafa Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award for Children's Picture Book Finalist [28]
2019 Mustafa TD Canadian Children's Literature Award Shortlist [29][30]
2020 Fern and Horn Janet Savage Blachford Prize Shortlist [13][31]
2020 Mustafa Forest of Reading Award Shortlist [32]
2020 The Three Brothers Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award Winner [33][34]
2020 The Three Brothers Janet Savage Blachford Prize Winner [13][35][36]
2022 I’m Not Sydney Janet Savage Blachford Prize Shortlist [37][38][39]

Publications

Stella and Sam series

Main article: Stella and Sam

Gay's Stella and Sam books have been published in more than twelve languages.[3] They spawned a 52-episode cartoon series in 2013 that aired on Sprout and Family Junior.

Stella series

  • Stella, Star of the Sea (1999)
  • Stella, Queen of the Snow (2001)
  • Stella, Fairy of the Forest (2002)
  • Stella, Princess of the Sky (2004)
  • When Stella Was Very, Very, Small (2009)
  • Read Me A Story, Stella (2013)

Sam series

Sam is Stella's younger brother

  • Good Morning, Sam (2003)
  • Good Night, Sam (2003)
  • What Are You Doing, Sam? (2006)

Travels with My Family series

The Travels with My Family series was co-written with David Homel.

  • Travels With My Family (Groundwood, 2006)
  • On the Road Again! (Groundwood, 2008)
  • Summer in the City (Groundwood, 2012)
  • The Traveling Circus (Groundwood, 2015)
  • Travels in Cuba (Groundwood, 2021)

Standalone books authored

  • Lizzy's Lion (1984)
  • The Garden: Little Big Books (1985)
  • Moonbeam On A Cat's Ear (1986)[6]
  • Rainy Day Magic (1987)[6]
  • Angel and the Polar Bear (1988)
  • Fat Charlie's Circus (1989)
  • Willy Nilly (1990)
  • Mademoiselle Moon (1992)
  • Rabbit Blue (1993)
  • Midnight Mimi (1994)
  • Qui a peur de Loulou? (Who's afraid of Loulou?) (Montreal: VLB Editeur, 1994), 111pp, "Theatre for children"[3]
  • The Three Little Pigs (Canadian Fairy Tales Series) (1994)
  • Rumplestiltskin (1997)
  • Sur Mon Ile (1999)
  • Caramba (2006)
  • Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth! (2010)[6]
  • Caramba and Henry (2011)
  • Any Questions (2014)[6]
  • Short Stories for Little Monsters (2017)
  • The Three Brothers (2020)

Books illustrated only

  • The Last Piece (1993)
  • When Vegetables Go Bad! (1993)
  • The Fabulous Song (1996)
  • Dreams Are More Real Than Bathtubs (1999)
  • Yuck, a Love Story (2000)
  • Didi and Daddy on the Promenade (2001)
  • Houndsley and Catina (2006)
  • Maddie series; Sophie series (1993–2003)[clarification needed]

References

  1. ^ "Marie-Louise Gay". WorldCat. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  2. ^ "Winners of two or more Governor General's Literary Awards" (PDF). Canada Council for the Arts (canadacouncil.ca). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d "Marie-Louise Gay". CANSCAIP Members. Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers (canscaip.org). Archived from the original on 2010-04-10. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Alabama library flagged a children's book because the author's last name is 'Gay'".
  5. ^ Melnyk, Rebecca (2013-07-05). "Canada Post introduces Stella stamps honouring children's book author, Marie-Louise Gay". National Post. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "Past Winners" Archived 2015-07-06 at the Wayback Machine. Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award. Canadian Library Association (cla.ca). Retrieved 30 July 2015. With general information about the same award Archived 2015-07-06 at the Wayback Machine and the book awards program Archived 2015-07-06 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ^ a b "Cumulative List of Winners of The Governor General's Literary Awards" (PDF). Canada Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  8. ^ a b "Marie-Louise Gay's favourite book of 2017 was And So It Goes by Paloma Valdivia, translated by Susan Ouriou". CBC Books. 2017-12-21. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  9. ^ "Marie-Louise Gay". Writers' Trust of Canada. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  10. ^ Hopkins, Amanda (2014-04-28). "Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  11. ^ "Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award". Canadian Children's Book Centre. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  12. ^ "Houndsley and Catina | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. 2009-09-15. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  13. ^ a b c d "The Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children's and Young Adult Literature". Quebec Writers' Federation. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  14. ^ Woods, Stuart (2008-09-19). "Canadian kids' authors on long longlist for rich Swedish prize". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  15. ^ MacDonald, Scott (2010-05-31). "MacIntyre two-time winner at Libris Awards". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  16. ^ Godfrey, Laura (2010-04-27). "Eastern Canada sweeps nominations for children's book awards". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  17. ^ Carter, Sue (2011-10-17). "Ontario Library Association announces Forest of Reading award shortlists". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  18. ^ Medley, Mark (2014-10-07). "Governor-General Literary Awards finalists unveiled". The Globe and Mail.
  19. ^ Carter, Sue (2014-10-07). "Governor General's Literary Award shortlists feature Michael Crummey, Thomas King, and more". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  20. ^ "Awards: Schwartz Children's Book Shortlists; Lammy Honorees". Shelf Awareness. 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  21. ^ Baldassi, Julie (2014-04-17). "Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards shortlists announced". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  22. ^ "Marie-Louise Gay, Kathy Stinson shortlisted for kids' lit prize". CBC News. 2014-04-16. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  23. ^ Cerny, Dory (2015-04-22). "Groundwood Books picks up two Canadian Library Association awards". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  24. ^ Cerny, Dory (2015-11-19). "Jonathan Auxier wins big at CCBC Book Awards". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  25. ^ Godfrey, Laura (2015-11-19). "Jonathan Auxier Wins Twice at TD Canadian Children's Lit Awards". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  26. ^ Robertson, Becky (2015-09-10). "Marianne Dubuc, Eric Walters, Cybele Young among 2015 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards finalists". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  27. ^ Porter, Ryan (2019-01-31). "Groundwood Books nab half of the 10 finalist slots for 2018 Cleaver Award". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  28. ^ Carter, Sue (2019-05-09). "Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award shortlists announced". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  29. ^ Patrick, Ryan B. (2019-10-09). "Why Marie-Louise Gay created a picture book about the life of a child refugee". CBC Books. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  30. ^ Deziel, Shanda (2019-09-05). "Jillian Tamaki, Jonathan Auxier, and Marie-Louise Gay among CCBC Award finalists". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  31. ^ Dunlevy, T'Cha (2020-10-22). "Quebec Writers' Federation Awards nominees announced". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  32. ^ Deziel, Shanda (2019-10-16). "The 2020 Forest of Reading nominations shine a light on the best in Canadian kidlit". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  33. ^ "Awards: Publishing Triangle; Lukas; Canadian Picture Book". Shelf Awareness. 2021-03-24. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  34. ^ Deogun, Inderjit (2021-03-09). "The Three Brothers wins 2020 Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  35. ^ Porter, Ryan (2020-11-05). "Kaie Kellough wins Quebec Writers' Federation's fiction prize". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 2022-10-05. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  36. ^ Dunlevy, T'Cha (2020-11-06). "Kaie Kellough wins fiction prize at Quebec Writers' Federation Awards". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  37. ^ "The QWF Spoken Word Prize". Quebec Writers' Federation. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  38. ^ "Rawi Hage and Sina Queyras among finalists for Quebec Writers' Federation Literary Awards". CBC Books. 2022-10-20. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  39. ^ Drudi, Cassandra (2022-10-19). "Shortlists announced for 2022 QWF awards". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-03-18.