ACHUKA Children's Books UK

children's & YA recommendations on the go

You are here: Home / Blog

2022 Klaus Flugge Prize Shortlist

By Leave a Comment

The shortlist for the Klaus Flugge Prize was announced this evening, Wednesday 18 May. Established in 2016, the prize was set up to honour Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and one of the most influential figures in children’s picture books. It is awarded to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration.

From a longlist of twenty-four picture books by debut illustrators, the panel of judges have chosen six to shortlist. This year’s judges are award-winning illustrator Emily Gravett; Flavia Z Drago, 2021 Klaus Flugge Prize winner; Nikki Bi, Co-Founder and the Beyond Books Lead at Civic Square in Birmingham; and Martin Salisbury, Professor of Illustration at Cambridge School of Art in Anglia Ruskin University. The panel is chaired by Julia Eccleshare, Director, Hay Children’s Festival.

They were looking for fresh, exciting picture book illustrators and, after two years of pandemic isolation, stories that reflected our desire for community, freedom and joy. The six shortlisted books star a lonely mammoth (in New York), a bear with extraordinary hair, and an alley cat rally driver (at the wheel of a washing machine); one is set at the swimming pool, another on the deck of the RMS Carpathia, the ship that sailed to the Titanic’s rescue. Themes include the importance of choice, the urgency of cleaning our polluted oceans, and being yourself.

The six shortlisted books are:

Mammoth, Adam Beer, written by Anna Kemp, editor Helen Mackenzie Smith, art director Jane Buckley (Simon and Schuster)
The story of a mammoth with nobody to trumpet with, the judges found this joyful and full of humour. They loved how Adam Beer gives this mammoth real personality and admire the way the illustrations are full of detail, offering a wonderful variety of perspectives. They felt the text and illustrations work together particularly well.

Rescuing Titanic, Flora Delargy, editor Lucy Brownridge, art director Karissa Santos (Wide Eyed Editions) [ACHUKA Book of the Day 24 Nov 2021]
Flora Delargy’s book is an illustrated version of the true story of the RMS Carpathia, which changed course mid voyage to help rescue survivors of the Titanic disaster. The judges admired her use of colour and light and the way she fills the different scenes with life and movement, capturing the full drama of the events.

Pierre’s New Hair, Joseph Hollis, editor Emilia Will, designer Jade Wheaton (Tate)
Pierre is a bear who loves hair and roller-skating. But can his moves and his quiff impress his favourite roller disco team, the Poodle Squad? The judges loved the anarchy and edge Joseph Hollis brings to his story, and his clever use of the pages and layout. Despite the absurdity, he builds a believable world, the details adding up into something real.

The Tale of the Whale, Padmacandra, written by Karen Swann, editor Janice Thomson, designer Ness Wood (Scallywag Press)
A small child begins a magical journey on the back of a huge and beautiful baleen whale. Together they sail the oceans, dancing with dolphins, diving through the blue seas and exploring the ocean beds. The judges admired the way the illustrations carry the story “so that you are swimming with the whale”. Padmacandra’s images are full of atmosphere and beautiful to look at.

Choices, Roozeboos, designer Sarah Dellow (Child’s Play)
This book is all about choices: little ones (like which ice cream to have), big ones (such as whether to go on the super-duper giant slide), and whether to dive into the swimming pool, even though you are afraid. The judges describe this book as freewheeling and full of energy, with an unruly chaos that feels completely genuine. The message about the importance of making choices is subtly delivered, and Roozeboos is clearly a great observer of humanity.

Alley Cat Rally, Ricky Trickartt, editor Emily Ball, designer Ivanna Khomyak (Flying Eye Books)
Asta the ginger cat reengineers the family washing machine into a racing car and signs on for the big cat auto race. She’s determined to show the other racers she’s no slow-poke but winning, well, that would be a dream come true. The judges loved the fizz and fun of Asta’s world and the clever details. Ricky Trickartt controls the pace of the story superbly and children will relish it.

Chair of the judges Julia Eccleshare said: “Our judges have selected a shortlist full of humour, drama, beauty and big ideas. We can see in these six books values that are intrinsic to so many of the picture books published by Klaus Flugge: empathy, diversity, a child-centredness and a generosity of spirit. The illustrators’ ability as artists and storytellers is very exciting. Post-pandemic, picture books are booming.”

The winner will be announced on Wednesday 14 September 2022 and will receive a cheque for £5,000.

CLiPPA 2022 Shortlist

By Leave a Comment

The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) has announced the 2022 shortlist for the CLiPPA (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education Poetry Award). Established in 2003, the CLiPPA is the UK’s leading award for published poetry for children.

The full shortlist is:

Stars with Flaming Tails by Valerie Bloom, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max, Otter-Barry Books. The judges called this a lively demonstration of how children’s poetry can move from the personal to the planetary, the surreal to the scientific, laugh-out-loud to stop-and-think, in a breath.

Being Me Poems about Thoughts, Worries and Feelings by Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow and Laura Mucha, illustrated by Victoria Jane Wheeler, Otter-Barry Books. The judges said: Being Me weaves three distinctive writing voices with a deft and witty illustrator’s eye to give young readers words and images to help them map all angles of their inner lives.

Caterpillar Cake by Matt Goodfellow, illustrated by Krina Patel-Sage, Otter-Barry Books. The judges said: Caterpillar Cake shows that we can bring subtlety and scope to the youngest reading ages by the power of reading aloud, not just hearing but feeling the words on your tongue.

The Crossing by Manjeet Mann, Penguin. The judges said: The Crossing combines the narrative reach of a novel and the line by-line impact of poetry to tell the most urgently contemporary of stories in personal voices we cannot ignore.

Cloud Soup by Kate Wakeling, illustrated by Elina Brasliņa, The Emma Press. The judges said: Cloud Soup whirls its readers deep into the play of the imagination so effortlessly that we barely notice how much we are learning about the craft, the thrilling possibilities, of poetry.

Poet and former professor of Creative Writing at the University of South Wales Philip Gross, who is chair of the judges, said, “This year’s crop of books shows the diverse energies of children’s poetry exploding in all directions, a glorious quandary for the judges to have: how to reduce this abundance to a shortlist, let alone a single winner. There seems to be a new confidence in the air, among publishers as well as writers – building on poetry’s full resources, searching out new growing points.”

Philip Gross is joined on the judging panel by fellow poets Nikita Gill and John Lyons, Becky Swain, Director of the Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Charlotte Hacking, Learning and Programme Director at CLPE.

In keeping with its aim of involving children in the CLiPPA celebrations, the shortlist was announced live at a special event at the Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University, hosted by poet Ruth Awolola. Schools from across the city attended with pupils reading poems from each of the shortlisted collections on stage. Shortlisted poets Valerie Bloom, Matt Goodfellow, Laura Mucha and Kate Wakeling also attended and read their poems for the hugely enthusiastic audience.

The Shadowing Scheme is free for schools and launches on 17 May 2022.

The next date on the CLiPPA calendar is a celebration at The Globe on 20 June when shortlisted poets will perform for another live audience at the Poetry By Heart competition finals at The Globe.

The winner of the CLiPPA 2022 will be announced at a very special ceremony in central London on Friday 8 July. The venue is the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. Young winners of the 2022 Shadowing Scheme competition will perform live onstage to an invited audience as will all the shortlisted poets. The event will be streamed live into schools across the UK and beyond.

2022 Branford Boase Award Shortlist – Longest In Award’s History

By Leave a Comment

The shortlist for the 2022 Branford Boase Award is announced today.  Founded in 2000 to commemorate author Henrietta Branford and influential Walker Books editor Wendy Boase, the Branford Boase Award is awarded annually to the author of the year’s outstanding debut novel for children. Uniquely, it also honours the editor of the winning title and highlights the importance of the editor in nurturing new talent.

Each year the award identifies the most talented and exciting new authors for the young, with past shortlists reading like a ‘Who’s Who’ of contemporary children’s literature. Winners and shortlisted authors include Meg Rosoff, Muhammad Khan, Philip Reeve, Frances Hardinge, Patrick Ness, M.G. Leonard, andMarcus Sedgwick.

2022 saw a record number of submissions. From a longlist of 24, the judges have chosen eight to shortlist, making this the longest shortlist in the award’s history. As ever, the subject matter is very broad and there are books for readers aged 7 to 17: family dramas, fantasy adventure, science fiction and anarchic comedy.

The shortlist for the 2022 award in full:

  • Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen, edited by Carmen McCullough and Tricia Lin (Penguin)

Rooted in West African mythology and history, Skin of the Sea is a reimagining of The Little Mermaid. The judges admired its epic scale, successful world-building and dextrous use of myth.

When his grandmother arrives from China it feels like a catastrophe to Danny Chung, but his funny, intelligent Nai Nai turns out to be his best friend. The judges admired the depiction of the inter-generational relationship and felt the author’s love for the story she was telling.

  • The Upper World by Femi Fadugba, edited by Emma Jones, Stephanie Stein & Asmaa Isse (Penguin) YA

A compelling, ambitious sci-fi thriller set on the streets of South-East London, blending theoretical physics with all-too-human tragedy. The judges admired the way the book flips the traditional urban narrative in a dynamic way, the author’s control of the timeline and recreation of teenage voices.

  • Grow by Luke Palmer, edited by Penny Thomas (Firefly Press) YA

This challenging novel chronicles the grief of Josh and his mother after his father is killed in a terrorist attack and the attempt to radicalise Josh made by a group of white supremacists. The judges found it powerful, an unflinching exploration of an important subject with a raw sense of newness.

Evacuated from London to a Welsh valley Jimmy feels out of place. As hidden secrets emerge, the valley becomes more frightening even than the war. The judges describe this as atmospheric storytelling at its best, a story with an unforgettable sense of place.

  • Digger and Me by Ros Roberts, edited by Ella Whiddett and Ruth Bennett (Little Tiger) 9+

A warm-hearted story that explores the importance of family, love, friendship and finding ways to communicate emotions and fears. The judges admired the strong emotional punch and noted the impact of its many tiny observations.

Billy Plimpton has a stammer, but he’s determined that it isn’t going to dictate how he is viewed at his new school or stop him achieving his dream of being a stand-up comic. The judges felt that readers absolutely inhabit Billy’s world and admired the touches of detail throughout the story.

  • Grimwood by Nadia Shireen, edited by Ali Dougal (Simon and Schuster) 7+

Grimwood is a paradise for animals (or so it seems) which offers the perfect protection for young fox, Ted, and his protective sister, Nancy when they are forced to flee the city by mobster cat, Princess Buttons. The judges were impressed by the anarchic, irreverent, disrespectful tone, and it made them laugh out loud.

This year’s judges are

  • Struan Murray, last year’s winner
  • Imogen Russell Williams, reviewer
  • Farrah Serroukh, CLPE Research and Development Director
  • Sonia Thompson, Headteacher at St Matthew’s C.E. Primary School, Birmingham

The judging panel is chaired by Julia Eccleshare, children’s director of the Hay Festival.

The winner  will be announced at a ceremony in central London on Thursday 14 July 2022. The winning author receives a cheque for £1,000 and both author and editor receive an inscribed plaque.

Free Andersen Easter Fun Pack

By Leave a Comment

easterfunpack

Andersen Press are continuing their commitment to supporting children and families with a free activity pack featuring their new Spring titles.

The pack is once again available to everyone free of charge – designed not only for families, but also  bookshops and libraries who may be looking for activities to share with their patrons and customers. The pack features cover art from Carolina Rabei, from Mummy’s Special Day a brand-new picture book by Frances Stickley.

The Easter Holiday Fun! Activity Pack features free colouring sheets, word searches, drawing activities, matching games and more based on a selection of Andersen Press titles:

  • Mummy’s Special Day by Frances Stickley illustrated by Carolina Rabei
  • Grumpy Hat by Nicola Kent
  • A Bear’s Guide to Beekeeping by Pip Connell, illustrated by Alex G. Griffiths
  • The Pipsqueak by Ben Manley, illustrated by Andrew Gardner
  • How to Be a Real Ballerina by Davina Bell, illustrated by Jenny Lovlie
  • Whose Poo? by Daisy Bird, illustrated by Marianna Coppo
  • The Hairdo That Got Away by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Fiona Lumbers
  • The Story Thief by Graham Carter
  • Grandad’s Camper by Harry Woodgate, currently shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book prize.

Also included is a competition — one family could win each book featured in the pack.

Sarah Kimmelman, Head of Marketing,  says: “After the success of our previous packs we wanted to offer something accessible to as many people as possible to keep children entertained during the Easter holidays, whilst also introducing families to some of our gorgeous new books.”

The Easter Holiday Fun! Activity Pack is available to download free here: https://bit.ly/APEasterPack

New Lydia Monks Picture Book Inspired By The Saving Of Sheffield’s Trees

By Leave a Comment

 

 

Andersen Press have just announced acquisition of Adoette, a new picture book written and illustrated by Lydia Monks, her first book on the Andersen list. Adoette will be published in hardback in September 2022.

The book was inspired by Lydia’s participation in the fight to stop 10,000 trees being unnecessarily chopped down in her hometown of Sheffield. The campaign attracted support from many big names such as Jarvis Cocker, and Chris Packham. They were successful, and thousands of trees were saved from the cull and have inspired similar campaigns around the country.

In the book Adoette lived to be 100 years old. Just imagine all the things she saw! She lived on the same street all her life, but one day, people decided it would be best if she would go… Lydia Monks beautifully tells the tale of the life of one tree, from a young sapling to a mighty oak, becoming the beating heart of the community she lived in, right up until the day they cut her down.

But there’s hope, when one little girl takes one of her acorns to plant in the community garden.

Sue Buswell, Andersen Press’ Editorial Director for picture books acquired world rights for the book from Lydia’s agent Hilary Delamere from The Agency in a one-book deal – another book has since been signed due for publication in 2025.

On the book Lydia has said, “In 2014, Sheffield council started cutting down thousands of healthy, mature street trees. One of the trees on the list to be felled was outside my daughter’s school. It was a big old ash tree, that had probably stood there for 150 years, long before the school was built. The school children played around it after school, and it seemed like a friendly presence on the street. I wondered about what the tree had witnessed over the years, and that inspired the book. ‘Adoette’ is a Native American name which means ‘large tree’. Lots of people, including myself, joined campaign groups to save the Sheffield trees, and happily the old ash tree is still standing today.”

Sue Buswell adds, “I have been passionate about the nurture and planting of native trees for as long as I can remember and now, more than ever, as the importance of trees to our well being and environment is more widely understood, I am so proud that Lydia chose Andersen Press as publisher for this stunning, timely and compelling story.”

 

Adoette written and illustrated by Lydia Monks will be released in hardback 1st September 2022, £12.99 ISBN: 9781839131899

CLiPPA 2022 Judges Announced Today

By Leave a Comment

Today, Thursday 10 March 2022, the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) announces the judges for this year’s CLiPPA. Poet and former professor of Creative Writing at the University of South Wales Philip Gross will chair the 2022 judging panel. He is joined by fellow poets Nikita Gill and John Lyons, Becky Swain, Director of the new Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Charlotte Hacking, Learning and Programme Director at CLPE.

Louise Johns-Shepherd, Chief Executive of CLPE, said, “In CLPE’s 50th year we are delighted to be launching CLiPPA 2022 with a fantastic panel of expert judges, a return to a full programme of live poetry events, and record numbers of children from across the country expected to take part in the Shadowing Scheme. The CLiPPA raises the status of children’s poetry, introducing so many children to poets and poems they wouldn’t otherwise meet and encouraging everyone to find joy and excitement in the reading and performing of poetry.”

Philip Gross says, “Poetry for children and young people is stretching its limbs in all directions – up and down the age range, on to the borders of the novel, biography, science or song, outwards into live performance and inwards to the thoughts and feelings you’ve never had words for before. So many different ways of being excellent… Think how hard that makes it to be right at the heart of it, where the CLiPPA sits, trying to select a winner. I’m looking forward to chairing the judges as they go through the submissions, hunting for poems that will prompt that gasp from young readers, ‘I never knew poetry could do that for me…’ and ‘I didn’t know you could do that with poetry. Let me have a go!’”

The shortlist will be announced live at Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University on Wednesday 4 May, at the first of a series of live CLiPPA events. Further celebrations will take place at The Globe on 20 June, as part of the Poetry By Heart competition finals, with a very special CLiPPA Poetry Show planned for the announcement of the winner on 8 July 2022. The venue plus details of the special guests taking part will be revealed shortly.

Registration for the 2022 CLiPPA Shadowing is now open and teachers are encouraged to sign up immediately.

CLiPPA key dates 2022

  • 1 March, Shadowing Scheme registration opens
  • 4 May Shortlist announcement, Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University
  • 17 May, Shadowing Scheme opens
  • 20 June, Shortlist celebration with Poetry By Heart, The Globe
  • 8 July Winners announced, central London venue to be announced

Klaus Flugge Prize 2022 Longlist

By Leave a Comment

It’s the week of the longlists. First the Carnegie & Greenaway and now the longlist for the 2022 Klaus Flugge Prize, one of ACHUKA favourite awards.

Established in 2016, the Klaus Flugge Prize is given to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration. It honours Klaus Flugge, founder of publisher Andersen Press and a supremely influential figure in picture books.

Flavia Z Drago was the 2021 winner with Gustavo the Shy Ghost, and returns this year as a judge alongside  Emily Gravett; Martin Salisbury, Professor of Illustration at Cambridge School of Art in Anglia Ruskin University; and Nikki Bi, Co-Founder and the Beyond Books Lead at Civic Square in Birmingham. The panel will be chaired by Julia Eccleshare, director of the children’s programme of the Hay Festival.

For the second consecutive year, over fifty books were submitted and from 34 different publishing houses, proof of publishers’ commitment to commissioning and developing new illustrators. 24 have made it onto the longlist.

The 2022 Klaus Flugge Prize longlist in full:

  • We Want Our Books, Jake Alexander, editor Helen Weir, designer Jo Spooner, (Two Hoots)
  • Mammoth, Adam Beer, written by Anna Kemp, editor Helen Mackenzie Smith, art director Jane Buckley (Simon and Schuster)
  • Drawn Across Borders, George Butler, editors Alice Primmer & Denise Johnstone-Burt, art directors Nghiem Ta and Ben Norland (Walker Studio)
  • Kolobok: A Russian Bun on the Run, Dovilé Čiapaité, editor Mark Sutcliffe, designer Jacob Valvis (Fontanka)
  • Magnificent, Ria Dastidar, written by Laura Dockrill, editor Emily Ball, designer Lilly Gottwald (Pop Up Projects)
  • Rescuing Titanic, Flora Delargy, editor Lucy Brownridge, art director Karissa Santos (Wide Eyed Editions)
  • Sunflower Sisters, Michaela Dias-Hayes, written  by Monika Singh Gangotra, art director/designer Sam Langley-Swain (Owlet Press)
  • Big Dance, Aoife Greenham, art director Sue Baker (Child’s Play)
  • Oh Monty!, Nici Gregory, editor Martha Owen, designer Sarah Crookes (Pavilion)
  • No! Said Rabbit, Marjoke Henrichs, editor Alice Corrie, designer Ness Wood (Scallywag Press)
  • Nature’s Toy Box, Harriet Hobday, editor Ali Halliday, art director Rachel Lawrence (Storyhouse Publishing)
  • Pierre’s New Hair, Joseph Hollis, editor Emilia Will, designer Jade Wheaton (Tate)
  • The Perfect Fit, James Jones, editor Jen Long, designer Kate Adams (Oxford University Press)
  • The Beasts Beneath our Feet, Alisa Kosareva, written by James Carter, editor Isabel Otter, designer Alice Luffman (Little Tiger)
  • Ten Silly Children, Jon Lander, editor Neil Dunicliffe, designer Sarah Crookes (Pavilion)
  • If You Miss Me, Jocelyn Li Langrand, art director Patti Ann Harris, designer Doan Buu (Scholastic)
  • The Library Book, Ian Morris, written by Gabby Dawnay, editor Anna Ridley, art director Avni Patel, design director Johanna Neurath (Thames & Hudson)
  • The Song for Everyone, Lucy Morris, editor Pari Thomson, art director Donna Mark (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
  • As Strong as the River, Sarah Noble, editor Emily Ball, designer Lilly Gottwald (Flying Eye Books)
  • The Tale of the Whale, Padmacandra, written by Karen Swann, editor Janice Thomson, designer Ness Wood (Scallywag Press)
  • Choices, Roozeboos, designer Sarah Dellow (Child’s Play)
  • Many Shapes of Clay, Kenesha Sneed, editor Holly La Due, designer Anjali Pala (Prestel)
  • Alley Cat Rally, Ricky Trickartt, editor Emily Ball, designer Ivanna Khomyak (Flying Eye Books)
  • The Queen on Our Corner, Nia Tudor, written by Lucy Christopher, editor/art director Holly Tonks (Lantana)

 

The shortlist will be announced on 18 May 2022 and the winner will be revealed in September.