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School Information Book Award Longlists

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The School Information Book Awards longlists for each age category are as follows:

Up to 7

8 to 12

13 to 16

The shortlists will be announced w/c Monday 18th May.

The School Library Association is an independent charity that believes that every pupil is entitled to effective school library provision. The SLA is committed to supporting everyone involved with school libraries, promoting high quality reading and learning opportunities for all.

www.sla.org.uk

Staying Home – Free eBook from Andersen Press: Wash your hands like raccoons, stay in and be kind to one another

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Andersen Press have announced the release of a free eBook, Staying Home, created by author Sally Nicholls and illustrator Viviane Schwarz, available from 9am this morning.

It is a book that very much speaks to the current situation. A family of energetic raccoons is going through a day in lockdown: no school, nursery or work. The elders explain to the youngest members of the family how they’re doing their part to save lives just by staying at home.  The aim is to help parents going into the second month of quarantine, explain a little more about the Coronavirus pandemic, and how important it is we all isolate at home.

Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books, will share the story on Friday 24th April at 10am on their social media channels.

Andersen Press are offering the book free of charge online.

Staying Home is available to download, free, from Andersen Press’ website:
http://www.andersenpress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/STAYING_HOME_medium-res.pdf

Watch a reading by Sally Nicholls on Seven Stories’ Facebook page, as part of the Seven Stories Digital Storytime with Andersen press partnership; Friday 24th April, 10am www.facebook.com/7Stories

Charlie Sheppard, Publishing Director and Sally’s editor at Andersen Press said of the collaboration, ”We love Sally’s books, and are proud to work with her on her fiction and picture book titles – when she suggested this we leapt at the chance to do something that might help stave off boredom for families out there in the middle of lockdown. The chance to also work with Viviane made the book irresistible. We hope through our channels we can share the experience of Staying Home with young families everywhere.”

Author Sally Nicholls says, “Like many authors, I’ve been finding it hard to concentrate on writing projects. My husband and I are at home at the moment with two children aged four and two, and I wanted to write something which reflected their new lives. The day-in-the-life format is a very familiar one in picture books. Like most stories for young children, this one is somewhat idealised – there’s no sense that the family are worried about money and the parents are remarkably patient. But it does contain more screen time and fighting than you’ll find in most examples of the genre. I love Viviane’s warm, energetic raccoon family. They’re making the absolute best of a difficult situation, and they’re doing it with affection and good humour. I can only hope I’m managing half as well!”

Illustrator Viviane Schwarz adds, “I was busy working on a book that I am writing myself – a book about feelings and worries, and I was feeling rather worried and stuck myself, seeing the trouble to come. So when Sally mentioned that she felt the need to write a book about what family life might be like right now, I said I would illustrate it, and as fast as I could. We considered making it a cosy bear family, but then decided that the family would be raccoons instead  because we both like them. Also, it’s quite easy for bears to hibernate, they’re used to it. raccoons are a lot more lively! – After a day of scribbling I suddenly realised that in German a raccoon is called “Waschbär”, a wash-bear, because they wash their food. I watched a lot of videos of them splashing around in the water, and it helped with the bathroom scenes. Wash your hands like raccoons, stay in and be kind to one another.”

 

 

Coronavirus, A Book For Children ill. Axel Scheffler

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A free digital book, written by members of the team at Nosy Crow, with illustrations by Axel Scheffler, was released this week.

The book answers key questions in simple language appropriate for 5 to 9 year olds:

• What is the coronavirus?
• How do you catch the coronavirus?
• What happens if you catch the coronavirus?
• Why are people worried about catching the coronavirus?
• Is there a cure for the coronavirus?
• Why are some places we normally go to closed?
• What can I do to help?
• What’s going to happen next?

Kate Wilson, Managing Director of Nosy Crow, says, “We were very aware that many parents and carers are struggling to explain the current extraordinary situation to children, many of whom are frightened and confused. We thought that the best thing we could do would be to use our skills to produce a free book to explain and, where possible, reassure children.”

And Axel Scheffler adds, “I was glad when my publisher, Nosy Crow, asked me to illustrate this question-and-answer book about the coronavirus. I think it is extremely important for children and families to have access to good and reliable information in this unprecedented crisis, and I hope that the popularity of the books I’ve done with Julia Donaldson will ensure that this digital book will reach many children who are now slightly older, but might still remember our picture books.”

Free download

CLIPPA Postponed Till Autumn

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Today, CLPE (the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education) announced postponement of its CLIPPA (Poetry Award process. As the press release below explains, the award is very dependent upon the participation of schools via its shadowing scheme and the decision has therefore been taken to postpone the process until the autumn, by which time it’s hoped that schools will have reopened. 

Press release:

The CLiPPA (CLPE Poetry Award) is one of the highlights of the year for CLPE, a uniquely important part of our work to promote literacy. What’s more, thanks to support from our sponsors Arts Council England (ACE) and ALCS; the backing of publishers, poetry organisations, poets, illustrators and our friends at the National Theatre; and the enthusiasm of schools and teachers, it has become the UK’s most high profile celebration of poetry for children. We are very aware of just how much schools value and enjoy the shadowing scheme and the opportunity to be involved, which is why the shadowing and the special ceremony at the National Theatre have become such a key part of CLiPPA.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have decided to make changes to the announcement of the 2020 shortlist and the launch of this year’s shadowing.  Louise Johns-Shepherd, Chief Executive of the CLPE, explains: “Unlike most awards, the CLiPPA is very much a team project, bringing poets and their audience together to explore and celebrate poetry.  We want to wait therefore until children and teachers are back together in their classrooms before launching the 2020 award. By then too the National Theatre will be open again to host another rousing and inspirational CLiPPA award ceremony.

There’s one other equally important reason for our delay: Michael Rosen is chair of the 2020 judging panel and as most people know, Michael is currently ill with suspected coronavirus.  We wish him a full recovery and know that everyone will agree with our decision to wait before proceeding with this year’s CLiPPA.”

CLPE’s commitment to poetry is unchanged and there are a wealth of resources for schools to use on the Poetryline pages of the CLPE website.

For further information about the award and the shadowing scheme please visit https://www.clpe.org.uk/poetry or contact Sarah James sarah@clpe.org.uk / 020 7401 3382

 

UKLA Book Awards 2020 – The Shortlists

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These are the only national book awards which are judged by teachers, and this year the selections reflect newly-introduced  judging criteria that called for the selection to be from a “wide and inclusive range” of publishers and for books which “recognise a broad range of perspectives, experiences and voices”. Small imprints dominating the selections in each of the four categories.

There is a new category of Information Books 3- 14+.

12 teachers nominated from the 70 involved in the shortlisting will now form the final judging panel and have the challenging task of reading all the shortlisted books in all categories. Plans for the final judging meeting have had to adapt to the constraints imposed by the Covid-19 epidemic and the winner’s announcement will be postponed until later in the year. 

The Shortlists in full

3-6

Mixed  written and illustrated by Arree Chung (Macmillan)

The Suitcase    written and illustrated by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros (Nosy Crow)

Lubna and Pebble written by Wendy Meddour illustrated by Daniel Egnéus (OUP)

Julian is a Mermaid written and illustrated by Jessica Love (Walker Books)

If All the World Were.. written by Joseph Coelho illustrated by Allison Colpoys (Frances Lincoln)

The Visitor written and illustrated by Antje Damm translated by Sally-Anne Spencer (Gecko Press)

 

7-10+

Slick written by M.M.Vaughan ( Alma Books)

The Eleventh Trade written by Alyssa Hollingsworth (Piccadilly Press)

Race to the Frozen North written by Catherine Johnson, illustrated by Katie Hickie (Barrington Stoke)

The Legend of Kevin written and illustrated by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre (OUP)

The Middler written by Kirsty Applebaum(Nosy Crow)

Armistice Runner written by  Tom Palmer (Barrington Stoke)

 

11-14+

No Fixed Address written by  Susin Nielsen (Andersen Press)

Toffee written by Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury)

Catching Teller Crow  written by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullin ( Penguin)

Lenny’s Book of Everything written by Karen Foxlee (Pushkin Press)

The Skylark’s War written by Hilary McKay (Macmillan)

Pay Attention Carter Jones written by Gary D. Schmidt (Andersen Press)

 

Information Books 3 -14+

Mary and Frankenstein written by             Linda Bailey and illustrated by Jũlia Sardὰ, (Andersen Press)

A Book of Bears written and illustrated by   Katie Viggers (Laurence King)

A Child of St.  Kilda written and illustrated by Beth Waters (Child’s Play)

Counting on Katherine written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Dow Phumiruck   (Macmillan)

Questions I am asked about the Holocaust        written by Heidi Fried   ( Scribe)

Once Upon a Raindrop written by James Carter and illustrated by Nomoco(Caterpillar Books)

 

 

 

Tomie dePaola dies aged 85

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from the Washington Post report:

Tomie dePaola, whose picture-book tales of bullied children, Christian saints and a magically overflowing pasta pot delighted generations of young readers and sold millions of copies, died March 30 at a hospital in Lebanon, N.H. He was 85.

The cause was complications from surgery, said his literary agent, Doug Whiteman. Mr. dePaola had suffered a fall last week at his studio barn in New London, N.H.

A former art and theater teacher, Mr. dePaola published more than 200 picture, pop-up and chapter books in his five-decade career. On at least six occasions, he illustrated 10 or more books in a single year.

His illustrations of tousle-haired children and talking animals were uncluttered and uncomplicated, drawn with bold lines and soft colors in acrylic paints, watercolors, ink and collage — in almost every medium except pastel, Mr. dePaola said, which is “too dusty and makes me sneeze too much.”

Tir na n-Og Children’s Book Awards 2020 shortlists announced

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English-language Shortlist

• The Secret Dragon by Ed Clarke (Puffin 2019)

• Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It by Susie Day (Puffin 2019)

• Storm Hound by Claire Fayers (Macmillan Children’s Books 2019)

• Where Magic Hides by Cat Weatherill (Gomer 2019)

Welsh-language Shortlist – Primary

• Y Ddinas Uchel (The High City) by Huw Aaron (Atebol 2019)

• Genod Gwych a Merched Medrus (Great Girls and Skilled Women) by Medi Jones-Jackson (Y Lolfa 2019)

• Pobol Drws Nesaf (The People Next Door) by Manon Steffan Ros and Jac Jones (Y Lolfa 2019)

Welsh-language Shortlist – Secondary

• Byw yn fy Nghroen (Living in my Skin) edited by Sioned Erin Hughes (Y Lolfa 2019)

• Tom by Cynan Llwyd (Y Lolfa 2019)

• Madi by Dewi Wyn Williams (Atebol 2019)

Audible Offering Free Access To Children’s Books During Lockdown

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“For as long as schools are closed, we’re open,” announces Audible.

The company has launched Audible Stories, giving children everywhere free access to streaming a selection of books, including titles across six different languages.

But don’t get too excited. The majority of authors children are likely to search for are not included.