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First Children’s Laureate For Wales

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Literature Wales has announced that popular Pembrokeshire-based children’s author Eloise Williams is the first Children’s Laureate Wales. The announcement was made in front of 150 pupils at Jubilee Park Primary School in Newport, where Eloise is currently the Patron of Reading.

Eloise Williams will be in post until summer 2021.

 

The brief for the new Welsh laureate:

She will

  • engage and inspire the children of Wales (primarily ages 5-13) through literature;
  • encourage self-expression and develop literacy and communication skills amongst children;
  • be an ambassador and positive role model for children, championing their rights and interests;
  • raise the visibility of children’s literature in Wales, nationally and internationally;
  • be a strong advocate for creative reading, writing and speaking for pleasure;
  • support the development of the next generation of young writers;
  • particularly engage Literature Wales’ Target Client Characteristics, as specified in our Strategic Plan 2019-22 – children from BAME backgrounds, children from low income backgrounds, children with disabilities or illnesses (physical or mental);
  • scout, develop, support and advocate for a cohort of talented young writers at the start of their literary careers.

https://www.literaturewales.org/our-projects/childrens-laureate-wales-2/

New Title On Fashion To Coincide With Next Summer’s London Fashion Week

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Egmont will publish Fashion Conscious by academic and journalist Sarah Klymkiw and illustrator Kim Hankisnon in August next year ahead of London Fashion Week 2020.

The book is being described as “an empowering call-to-arms for the Greta Thunberg generation, offering an in-depth look at the fashion industry and a range of ways that young people can become campaigners for change,” and will be printed using vegetable ink with a plastic-free cover.

Klymkiw told The Bookseller: “Never has it been so important to consider the impact that our clothing choices have on our planet. After reading this book, I want young people to shake up the fashion world – to demand answers and to take action both as conscious consumers and active citizens. We have the power to collectively change the world with a change of clothes.”

The Youtube video is from at talk given by Klymkiw last year.

 

 

2019 Klaus Flugge Prize Winner

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Jessica Love has won the 2019 Klaus Flugge Prize for the most exciting and promising newcomer to children’s picture book illustration.

She won for Julian is a Mermaid published by Walker Books.

The book tells a  joyful, positive story that adroitly questions gender stereotype. Tt has been described as ‘barrier- breaking’ and was also shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal.

Judge and former Children’s Laureate Anthony Browne says: “Julian is a Mermaid is an astonishingly beautiful book. It’s amazing to realise this is Jessica Love’s first attempt. She has quickly realised how picture books work – the understated words fit so brilliantly with the stunning illustrations, never getting in the way, never trying to do the same job. It’s a perfect picture book.”

There had to be a banana in the room 🙂

Fellow judge Farrah Serroukh, of CLPE adds: “The illustrations say things that it would be difficult for words alone to express. The layers of meaning that can be inferred through each spread are rich, sophisticated and plentiful. Quite simply, it is a stunningly beautiful, heart-warming debut.”

Julian is a Mermaid was partly inspired by a trans friend.  “It got me curious about what sort of literature there was out there for families looking to have conversations with their children about identity, and how sometimes a person has to do a little more work to create the proper cover for their own book. I wanted to make something that didn’t feel didactic but that gave children a chance to experience this character’s inner life and identify with it. I wanted to give kids who identify with Julian a chance to see themselves reflected, but I also wanted kids who don’t identify with him a chance to get inside his experience and feel what it might be like.”

The Klaus Flugge Prize was founded to honour publisher Klaus Flugge, a supremely influential figure in picture books. Flugge set up Andersen Press in 1976 and has discovered and nurtured many of today’s most distinguished illustrators including David McKee, Tony Ross, Satoshi Kitamura, Ruth Brown and Susan Varley.

Prior to the presentation Klaus gave a splendid speech outlining his reasons for establishing the prize, mentioning its precursors, the Tom Maschler and Mother Goose awards. You can see clips from this speech on the ACHUKAbooks Instagram,

Chair of the judges, Julia Eccleshare said: “In the fourth year of the award, we had another extremely strong shortlist but the judges were unanimous in their decision to award the prize to Jessica Love. Julian is a Mermaid reminds us that picture books can make us understand the world differently and better; that they are for everyone. It is a ground-breaking book and has the qualities that Klaus Flugge has alwayschampioned in his own publishing.”

Love, who grew up in Southern California and studied printmaking and illustration at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and then went on to study acting, lives in New York and was unable to be in London to  receive the award and £5,000 prize in person. In her absence she had recorded a spirited video message.

In the States the book won the American Library Association 2019 Stonewall Book Award, a prize first presented in 2010 and given annually to English-language children’s books of  exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender experience.

The Klaus Flugge Prize can now be added to this impressive list:

2019—2020 Red Clover Award Nominee
2019 Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards finalist
2019 Ezra Jack Keats Award Honor, Illustrator
Rainbow List Choice – 2019
2019 Stonewall Book Award Winner
ALSC Notable Children’s Books – 2019
Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens – 2019
CCBC Choices 2019 Choice: Picture Books for Young Children
CSMCL Best Books – 2018
Publishers Weekly Best Books – 2018
CPL Best Books, Picture Books – 2018
Kirkus Best Books, Picture Books – 2018
NYPL Best Books for Kids – 2018
NPR’s Book Concierge – 2018
School Library Journal Best Books – 2018
BCCB Blue Ribbons – 2018
Horn Book Fanfare – 2018

Alongside Anthony Browne, the other Klaus Flugge judges this year were:

  • Derek Brazell of the Association of Illustrators
  • BillieJo Carlisle of Seven Stories bookshop
  • Farrah Serroukh of CLPE
  • 2018 Klaus Flugge Prize winner Kate MilnerJulia Eccleshare, director of the Children’s Programme at the Hay Festival, acted as Chair.

New Six-Book Series For 5-9 Launches This Month

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Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue

Kitty and the Tiger Treasure

A little young for our main Fiction listings, but worthy of mention nevertheless… First two titles in a 6 book series for 5 and over from Oxford Children’s Books, all written by Paula Harrison and illustrated by Waterstones Children’s Book Prize winner Jenny Lovlie.

The illustrations are predominantly in orange and gold, with some pleasing metallic shininess on the front covers. Further titles planned for next year. 

Yoto Appoints A Content Director

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In a significant move for the young children’s audio startup, Yoto, Jessica Tarrant, previously editorial director at Hachette (where she was responsible for the Orchard fiction list, and more recently the children’s audio list) has been appointed as content director.

Yoto launched its first hardware product on Kickstarter in November 2017, reaching its funding target after only 5 days. The product shipped in time for Christmas 2018 and since then Yoto has partnered with the Roald Dahl company to create new content based on his classic stories. 

Yoto was created by Ben Drury (founder of 7Digital) and Filip (the tech wizard) in 2015 with the aim of making exciting technology and music products that children can control without screens.

“Most streaming services are created by adults for adults, and it shows,” argues Ben. “They are essentially databases which you access via text queries, a song title or artist, for instance. This doesn’t work for children. With Yoto we have drawn on Montessori principles to give children a satisfying, tactile experience. You put the card in the slot and it plays. And with no screen, no microphone and no camera, we think we have answered the real concerns parents have about technology for kids.”

Yoto features its own carefully connected smart speaker that children control with a physical card.

ACHUKA would be very interested to hear from any families who are using Yoto.

CILIP Announces New Judging Criteria For Carnegie Award

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Yesterday CILIP announced the key dates for the 2020 Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards.

Monday 4th November 2019
Nominations announcement

Thursday 20th February 2020
Longlist announcement

Thursday 19th March 2020
Shortlist announcement

Wednesday 17th June 2020
Winner announcement: Medal and Shadowers’ Choice Award winners announced

At the same time they revealed that for the 2020 Carnegie cycle they will be piloting revised judging criteria. Jake Hope, the new Chair of the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards Working Party, described this as “re-positioning the Awards’ criteria in order that they connect with the broadest range of readers possible.” And added, ““We hope our new criteria will facilitate open consideration and discussion both by judges and shadowing groups as they read the books in contention for the Medals, and lead to lists of titles that reflect the broad range of perspectives, experiences and voices encompassed by our readers.”

A similar review of the judging process is promised for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration during the next Awards cycle.

Also announced yesterday  was a new partnership with Inclusive Minds, who will provide guidance on titles in contention for the Medals and contribute to the Shadowing Scheme. The Press Release explained that “Awards judges will have access to an expert network of Inclusion Ambassadors, to help increase their awareness and understanding of inclusion and representation within nominated titles. A dedicated Inclusion Ambassador Shadowing Group will read the shortlisted titles, providing feedback from their lived experience to help inform judges’ decision-making.”

Bookbug Picture Book Prize Shortlist

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The following three books have been shortlisted for the Bookbug Prize, co-oridinated by Scottish Book Trust:

 

Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert by Morag Hood, illustrated by Ella Oakstad

The Prince and the Witch and the Thief and the Bears by Alastair Chisholm, illustrated by Jez Tuya

The Station Mouse by Meg McLaren

 

Children across Scotland can vote for their favourite. All Primary 1 children receive the three shortlisted books in the Bookbug P1 Family Bag in November. Pupils can take part either by reading the books, or watching the videos of the shortlisted titles on Scottish Booktrust’s website. Voting closes on December 6th, and the winner will be announced on January 29th, 2020.

Templar Illustration Prize Finalists

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The 2019 prize invited applicants to submit book materials – including cover, storyboard and spread designs – to the theme of ‘Where I Come From’, aimed at pre-school children up to 12 years. This year’s judging panel includes Templar illustrators, Jonny Duddle, Lara Hawthorne, Lucia Gaggiotti and  Frann Preston Gannon. 

THE 2019 FINALISTS ARE:

MARIA COCO for The New Swamp

PAULA WHITE for Bread, Buns and Biscuits

SALLY WALKER for Grandpa’s World

The winning entry will be announced at an awards ceremony at Nomad Books in Fulham on the 18th September 2019.

 

THE PRIZES 

First Place: £750 and the work will be considered by the Templar team for publication



Second Place: £500

Third Place: £250