Shelley Tanaka facts for kids

Shelley Tanaka is a Canadian editor, writer, and translator. She is well-known for her non-fiction books for children and young adults. She has also helped many Canadian authors publish their books.

About Shelley Tanaka

Shelley Tanaka was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She studied English and German at Queen's University. She also earned a master's degree from the University of Toronto. Today, she lives in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Her Work as an Editor

Shelley started her career as an editor at Clarke Irwin. Since 1983, she has worked at Groundwood Books. This is a Canadian company that publishes children's books. As a fiction editor, she helps authors make their stories the best they can be. She has worked with many famous Canadian writers. These include Tim Wynne-Jones, Deborah Ellis, and Sarah Ellis. Shelley has edited thirteen books that won the Governor General's Awards. These awards are among Canada's most important literary prizes.

Her Books and Translations

Shelley Tanaka also writes non-fiction books for kids. Some of her popular series are I Was There and A Day That Changed America. Her books have won many awards. One big award was the Orbis Pictus Award in 2009. Her books have been translated into many languages. These include German, Spanish, and Japanese.

Besides writing, Shelley also translates books. She has translated many children's picture books and novels. She translates them from German and French into English.

Teaching Writing

Shelley Tanaka also shares her knowledge with others. She teaches writing at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She helps students learn how to write for children and young adults.

Awards and Recognition

Shelley Tanaka has received many awards for her amazing work. Here are some of them:

• Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator won the Orbis Pictus Award in 2009. This award is for outstanding non-fiction for children.
• Her translation of Good for Nothing by Michel Noël was honored in 2006. It was on the IBBY Honour List for translation.
• Secrets of the Mummies won the Science in Society Children's Book Award in 2000.
• Discovering the Iceman won the Mr. Christie's Book Award in 1997.
• On Board the Titanic won the Silver Birch Award in 1997.
• The Buried City of Pompei won the Information Book Award in 1997.
• On Board the Titanic also won the Information Book Award in 1996.
• Both On Board the Titanic and The Buried City of Pompeii were finalists for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis. This is a major German youth literature prize.