If asked to name one of the winningest authors of B.C., few people would know to include Polly Horvath, this year's recipient of Victoria's sixth annual Bolen Books Children's Book Prize, for One Year in Coal Harbour (Groundwood Books).

The Metchosin kidlit author has quietly won a National Book Award for The Canning Season, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for The Tolls, three Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Awards, the Newbery Honour, the Mr. Christie Book Award and the CLA Young Adult Book Award.

One Year in Coal Harbour was also shortlisted for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award.

In her acceptance speech, Horvath noted,"Mother Theresa said none of us can do great things but all of us can do small things with great love. I think you're lucky if you get to do the small thing you love [writing]."; Polly Horvath grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, attended college in Toronto and lived in New York and Montreal before settling on southern Vancouver Island.