TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canadian Children's Book Centre is thrilled to invite you to celebrate Canadian picture books at an exciting and unique event in Montreal. Take Home an Original, a live auction of eighty original illustrations from Canadian picture books, will be held at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on Tuesday, October 16th. The event will be preceded by a unique five-week exhibition of the illustrations from September 14th to October 14th with workshops and other family activities on the weekends. This exhibit is the first by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to honour the art of children`s picture books.

The event, which will also include an extensive silent auction of drawings, studies, paintings, and sculptures, is a fundraiser for Canadian Children's Book Centre. Funds generated from this event will support the reading, writing and illustrating of Canadian children's books. The CCBC administers many important national programs such as the Canadian Children's Book Awards, the TD Grade One Book Giveaway, TD Canadian Children's Book Week, and many more.

These original illustrations from internationally loved Canadian picture books have been donated to the Canadian Children's Book Centre by top illustrators in the country including Stéphane Poulin, Marie-Louise Gay, Stéphane Jorisch, Janice Nadeau, Michael Martchenko, Barbara Reid, and Philippe Béha, among others. A multitude of artistic mediums are represented including watercolours, acrylics, oils, tempera, gouache, Plasticene, collage, pen and ink, and Photoshop. Half of the donated art was created by Quebec illustrators.  To view the art on-line go to www.bookcentre.ca/artauction.

This event would not be possible were it not for the support of our presenting sponsor, TD Bank Group, and the generosity of additional sponsors including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Amazon.ca, DeSerres, Simon & Schuster Canada, Marquis imprimeur, Livres Babar Books, Éditions Scholastic, Éditions Imagine, Éditions Marchand de feuilles, Bayard Canada and Soulières éditeur.

To preview the illustrations, or to purchase tickets for $50 which include cocktails and a cocktail buffet, visit www.bookcentre.ca/artauction. Tickets can also be purchased through the CCBC at info@bookcentre.ca by telephone at 514-272-9608 or at 416-975-0010, x224.  They can also be purchased on-line at www.bookcentre.ca.

If you are unable to attend but wish to bid on the art, please contact Charlotte Teeple at 416-975-0010 ext. 226 or charlotte@bookcentre.ca.

SOURCE: TD Bank Group