ACHUKAblog

ACHUKAblog

You are here: Home / Archives for Blog

Klaus Flugge 2019 Shortlist

By Leave a Comment 

Photos of the presentation will follow in a separate post

The shortlist for the 2019 Klaus Flugge Prize was announced live at an event held at Foyles, Charing Cross Road, London earlier this evening (Wednesday 15th May).

Set up to honour publisher Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and one of the most important and influential figures in children’s picture books, this important award, now in its fourth year, is for the most promising and exciting newcomer to picture book illustration.

From a longlist of twenty picture books by debut illustrators, a panel of judges comprising former Waterstones Children’s Laureate and preeminent illustrator Anthony Browne; Kate Milner, 2018 Klaus Flugge Prize winner; Derek Brazell, of the Association of Illustrators; Seven Stories bookseller Billiejo Carlisle; and Farrah Serroukh, Learning Programme Leader at CLPE (Centre for Literary inPrimary Education), have chosen a shortlist of six.

The shortlist this year is notable for being all female.

The Klaus Flugge Prize 2019 Shortlist

The Extraordinary Gardener – Sam Boughton
(Tate)

Editor Holly Tonks, designer Ness Wood
What the judges said: There’s an exuberance in the artwork; some wonderful spreads and Joe’s urban world is really well done; it has real child appeal

Sam Boughton graduated with a BA in Illustration from Bristol UWE before studying at the Cambridge School of Art where she was awarded a distinction in the MA in Illustration. Shortly after that she won the Ronald Searle Award for Creativity and was Highly Commended for the Macmillan Prize.
Website: http://www.samboughton.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samboughton/

Looking After Daddy – Eve Coy
(Andersen Press)

Editor Libby Hamilton, designer Rebecca Garrill
What the judges said: The images tell their own stories; really good interplay between text and illustration; I smiled all the way through

Eve Coy studied at Edinburgh University and became an artist working for Aardman Animation. She gained in MA in children’s illustration at the Cambridge School of Art.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eve.coy/

The King Who Banned the Dark – Emily Haworth-Booth
(Pavilion Children’s Books)

Editor Neil Dunnicliffe, designer Lee-May Lim
What the judges said: A great idea and it really makes the most of light and dark; there’s lots of variety in the use of page layout, and lots of surprises; it’s full of energy and humour

Emily Haworth-Booth teaches at the Royal Drawing School in London. Alongside her picture books, Emily is currently working on a long-form graphic memoir for adults. Her short comics have previously appeared in print in the Observer and Vogue.
Website: http://emilyhaworthbooth.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyhaworthbooth/

I Can Fly – Fifi Kuo, editor Leilani Sparrow
(Boxer Books)

Designer David Bennett
What the judges said: A beautiful book; a lovely sense of movement; the story has been done before but she’s transformed it; fantastic drawing skills, every penguin is different

Fifi Kuo trained at the Cambridge School of Art and is Taiwanese. Since graduation she has won Bronze in the Macmillan Prize, been shortlisted for the AOI World Illustration Award and won merit in the iJungle Illustration Awards. She is keen for her picture books to conveya meaningful message.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fifisillustration/

Julian is a Mermaid – Jessica Love
(Walker Books)

Editor Tanya Rosie, art director Deirdre McDermott
What the judges said: It reminded me of Sendak, it’s hard to believe it’s a debut; the illustrations say things that words would struggle to express; delivers an important message without feeling didactic

Jessica Love is an author-illustrator and a New York based actor. She has a BA in studio art from the University of California as well as a graduate degree from The Juilliard School for performing arts. Julian is a Mermaid is also shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal.
Website: https://jesslove.format.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesslovedraws/

Red and the City – Marie Voigt
(Oxford)

Editor Peter Marley, designer Kate Adams
What the judges said: The characters are simply drawn but have real personality; there’s a European feel to the artwork; a clever, multi-layered retelling of a well-known story

Marie Voigt was born in former East Berlin and  holds degrees in Media Technology and Marketing and had a successful career in TV, branding and graphic design before realising that making picture books allows her to combine all her passions.
Website: http://www.marievoigt.com

Other books longlisted for the Prize were:

  • The Long Island, Drew Beckmeyer, editor Taylor Norman, designer Kristine Brogno (Chronicle Books)
  • Mini Rabbit Not Lost, John Bond, editor Alice Blacker, designer Goldy Broad (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
  • The Ink House, Rory Dobner, editor Jo Lightfoot and Katherine Pitt, designer Mariana Sameiro, (Laurence King)
  • Cycle City, Alison Farrell, editor Taylor Norman, designer Ryan Hayes (Chronicle Books)
  • Erik the Lone Wolf, Sarah Finan, editor Jenny Broom, designer Zoë Tucker (Lincoln Children’s Books)
  • Maybe the Moon, Frances Ives, editor Jocelyn Norbury, designer Jack Clucas (LOM Art)
  • Say Hi to Hedgehogs, Jane McGuiness, editor Becky Watson, designer Beth Aves (Walker Books)
  • You’re Safe with Me, Poonam Mistry, written by Chitra Soundar, editor Alice Curry (Lantana Publishing)
  • The Red Dread, Tom Morgan-Jones, editor Emma Hargarve, designer Julie-Ann Murray (Barrington Stoke)
  • The Story of Tantrum O’Furrily, Mark Nicholas, written by Cressida Cowell, editor Anne McNeil (Hodder Children’s Books)
  • The Buildings that Made London, Josie Shenoy, editor Saskia Gwinn, designer Sophie Gordon (Bloomsbury)
  • I Love You Bunny, Alina Surnaite, editor Katie Cotto, designer Mike Jolley and Karissa Santos (Lincoln Children’s Books)
  • The Wardrobe Monster, Bryony Thomson, editor Ruth Huddleston, designer Mike Jolley (Old Barn Books)
  • The Best Sound in the World, Cindy Wume, editor Katie Cotton, designer Zoë Tucker (Lincoln Children’s Books)

Jan Pienkowski honoured with BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award

By Leave a Comment

This wonderful portrait of Jan Pienkowski (by David Bebber) is taken from the Booktrust website.

Jan Pienkowski has today been presented with the Booktrust Lifetime Achievement Award. The presentation took place in the Barbican’s Garden Room with many luminaries of the children’s books world present.

Now aged 82, Pienkowski has Alzheimer’s and finds it difficult to speak in public. David Walser therefore spoke on his behalf, giving a moving account of Jan’s early life and harrowing escape from Poland, and revealed that Jan cannot stand to hear screaming or any very loud noise to this day.

Walser also spoke with humour about his partner’s Alzheimer’s. “Since being told about it, he has forgotten it many times so when I, or any friends in the know, remind him, it always comes as a lovely surprise. He has been able to enjoy the news many times over.” Penkowski sat beaming graciously on a chair set out for him at the side of the stage. After being presented with the award plaque, I noticed him taking a cloth from his pocket and giving it a shine.

Before the presentation those involved with the judging (Nicolette Jones, Smriti Prasadam-Halls, SF Said) paid glowing tributes to Pienkowski’s work.

from the Booktrust site:

The BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates the body of work of an author or illustrator who has made an outstanding contribution to children’s literature. The award has been running since 2015 to recognise an author or illustrator’s lifetime of work. Previous winners include Shirley Hughes, Judith Kerr, Raymond Briggs, Helen Oxenbury and the late John Burningham, who were awarded the first ever double prize in 2018. 

Jan Pieńkowski, aged 82, was born in Poland in 1936 and spent his early years there and in Bavaria, Vienna and Italy before arriving in England at 10 years old. 

Jan is renowned for being one of the greatest innovators in book illustration, particularly for his signature silhouette cut-out illustrations and his pioneering pop-ups. His books tread the perfectly fine line between being slightly frightening but also humorous and fun. Jan says: ‘It’s ok to have scary books, as long as you’re tucked up in bed, because it’s a safe distance.’

 

Pen&inc. – New Inclusive Biannual Magazine From CILIP

By Leave a Comment

CILIP have launched a new magazine, Pen&inc with the aim of promoting diversity in children’s books.

The first edition of Pen&inc has information about 450 titles, interviews with Catherine Johnson and Aisha Bushby, and a poem by Nyanda Foday, former Young Poet Laureate for Birmingham, as well as articles about publishers and academics such as Aimée Felone and Dr Melanie Ramdarshan Bold. The front cover [see above] features a piece of artwork from Yu Rong, winner of the Quentin Blake Award for Narrative Illustration.

The magazine will be biannual and distributed for free to 1,500 bookshops, 150 library services and 10,000 individual librarians and library organisations.

The magazine will be funded through adverts and enhanced listings, with publishers paying for books to be featured.

The magazine was launched at an event last night (Thursday 2nd May).

20th Anniversary Branford Boase Award Shortlist

By Leave a Comment

This is the 20th anniversary year of this prestigious first (children’s) novel award, the presentation of which is always a highlight of the calendar. To mark the anniversary Henrietta Branford’s novel Fire, Bed and Bone is being reissued.

The shortlist for the 2019 Branford Boase Award (given annually to the author of an outstanding debut novel for children, and also honouring the editor of the book) was announced on Wednesday 1st May 2019.

It is twenty years since the Branford Boase Award was founded to commemorate author Henrietta Branford and influential Walker Books editor Wendy Boase and it is now recognised as one of the most important awards in children’s books with an impressive record in identifying outstanding authors at the start of their careers. Over its 20 year existence, winners and shortlisted authors include Siobhan Dowd, Meg Rosoff, Mal Peet, Philip Reeve, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Frances Hardinge, Patrick Ness and Marcus Sedgwick. 

The complete shortlist list is as follows:

The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson, edited by Rebecca Hill and Becky Walker (Usborne) 

The Train to Impossible Places by P.G. Bell, edited by Rebecca Hill and Becky Walker (Usborne)

Rosie Loves Jack by Mel Darbon, edited by Sarah Stewart (Usborne)

The Goose Road by Rowena House, edited by Mara Bergman (Walker Books)

I Am Thunder by Muhammad Khan, edited by Lucy Pearse (Macmillan) 

Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen, edited by Sarah Stewart and Kendra Levin (Usborne) 

The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q Raúf, edited by Lena McCauley (Orion Children’s Books)
 

 

This year’s judges are

  • Sanchita Basu De Sarkar of the Children’s Bookshop, Muswell Hill
  • Ellen Krajewski, librarian at Hemel Hempstead School, Hertfordshire
  • Louise Johns-Shepherd, chief executive of CLPE
  • Mitch Johnson, author of Kick, winner of the 2018 Branford Boase Award.

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

The winner of the 2019 Branford Boase Award will be announced on Thursday 27th June at a ceremony in London. The winning author receives a cheque for £1,000 and both author and editor receive a unique, hand-crafted silver-inlaid box.

The Branford Boase Award is sponsored by Walker Books who have pledged new funding to ensure its future.

CLiPPA 2019 Shortlist

By Leave a Comment

 

CLiPPA (Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award) is now in its 17th year and is the only award for published poetry for children in the UK. CLiPPA highlights an important branch of children’s literature, ensuring that it receives proper recognition.

The CLiPPA 2019 shortlist, announced on 25 April is :

  • Kwame Alexander – Rebound (Andersen Press)
  • Steven Camden – Everything All At Once ( Macmillan Children’s Books)
  • Eloise Greenfield – Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me (Tiny Owl) 
  • Philip Gross – Dark Sky Park (Otter-Barry Books)
  • Rachel Rooney – A Kid in My Class (Otter-Barry Books)

The judges also wanted to give special mention to England Poems From A School (Picador), edited by Kate Clanchy, in acknowledgement of the raw, emotional and yet extremely accomplished collection of poems written by the group of teenage girls from a small comprehensive school in Oxford.

The Poetry Show, where the 2019 winner will be announced, will be held on 3 July 2019 at the National Theatre.

Louise Johns-Shepherd, Chief Executive at CLPE said: “At CLPE we want to make poetry integral to the school curriculum and for it to be in every school, classroom, library, corridor and book bag. This shortlist – selected from the biggest number of submissions in the award’s history -shows such a range and breadth of what poetry for children is and can be and recognises a real variety of voices and styles. We look forward to more children, teachers and schools discovering these works through our shadowing scheme.”

 

CLiPPA 2019 Chair and Judges:

This year the Chair of the Judging panel is AF Harrold, multi-award winning author, performer and poet.

AF will be joined by a range of poetry experts who share a passion for poetry and its place in children’s literacy.

Karl Nova – 2018 CLiPPA winner with his debut collection Rhythm and Poetry

Susannah Herbert – director of Forward Arts Foundation and National Poetry Day

Ruth Awolola – highly commended at CLiPPA 2018 with her poems which were included in the Rising Stars: New Young Voices in Poetry collection

Charlotte Hacking – CLPE Learning Programme Leader

 

Shadowing Scheme:

For the fifth year we will be running the Schools Shadowing Scheme alongside CLiPPA.

View the Shadowing Scheme Video to find out more

The scheme is all about getting children to read, write and perform poetry using the shortlisted works and the free teaching resources provided by CLPE. Schools then send in videos of children’s performances from which 5 winning groups are selected to perform at the CLiPPA awards ceremony on 3 July at the National Theatre. 

 

BookTrustRepresents – Launched Yesterday

By Leave a Comment

Finding books that truly reflect the diversity of families in the UK is challenging. Research carried out by BookTrust has revealed that over the past 11 years, fewer than 2% of all authors and/or illustrators of children’s books published in the UK were British people of colour. This is why they have launched a project called BookTrustRepresents.

The project will:

  • support and subsidise authors and illustrators of colour to promote their work and to reach more readers through events in bookshops, festivals and schools
  • offer training and mentoring
  • launch an online community to support the next generation of great authors and illustrators of colour

The key findings of the research are represented in this graphic:

The statement in the red column doesn’t immediately strike me with concern. It seems more or less in keeping with overall UK demographic distribution. [But until I delve deeper into the research I can’t see how the statement tallies with figures in the rest of the graphic, which suggest, at best, a 1 in 10 ratio.]

The stark difference is between the teal and the purple columns, illustrating that it is British ‘creators of colour’ who are the under-represented group.

I worry that heightened attention on ‘representation’ will skew decisions made by publishers and editors in favour of material that they might otherwise not consider purely on its merits.

Discussion of the matter is good, however. On which note, I presume there has already been a good deal of debate about the phrase “of colour”, which, whilst politically correct, is still widely resented by black people… EXAMPLE https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/black-women-people-of-colour-racism-beyonce-coachella-black-lives-matter-a8316561.html

Find out more:
https://www.booktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/programmes-and-campaigns/booktrust-represents/representation-of-people-of-colour-among-childrens-book-authors-and-illustrators/