Jon Klassen (Carson Ellis)

Canadian illustrator Jon Klassen has received the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which was created in 2002 by the Swedish government to honour the memory of Astrid Lindgren, is awarded annually “to a person or organisation for their outstanding contribution to children’s and young adult literature.”

Announced on April 14th at both the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, the global award comes with a prize of five million Swedish kronor ($530,000 U.S.), which is the largest award of its kind.

Klassen is the first Canadian to be named laureate of the award. Past winners include Jacqueline Woodson, Philip Pullman, and Maurice Sendak.

“Through his subtle and evocative storytelling in words and pictures, Jon Klassen opens new perspectives on our place in the universe,” the jury said in the press release. “What happens when a rock falls from the sky, when hats disappear or a skull begins living a life of its own? With precision, emotion and inventive wit, life’s challenges of uncertainty and hopefulness are portrayed in an interplay of colour and form. Jon Klassen’s brilliant tales stand out for their effortless elegance and ambiguous depth, where the reader becomes a co-creator.”

Klassen is the creator of the Hat Trilogy, which includes I Want My Hat Back, This Is Not My Hat, and We Found a Hat. His current titles include the Now I See Series, a series of board books with each focusing on one of the four seasons, written by Mac Barnett.

The 12-person jury for the prize consists of librarians, academics, reviewers, authors, illustrators, children’s rights experts, and one member representing Lindgren’s family.

The award will be presented by H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden on May 25 at the Concert Hall in Stockholm.