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Klaus Flugge Prize Shortlist

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The shortlist for the Klaus Flugge Prize was announced this evening (Tuesday 19 May), LIVE on Twitter and on YouTube.

2020 is the fifth year of the prize, which was set up to honour Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and an extremely influential figure 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 sixteen picture books by debut illustrators, the panel of judges comprising award-winning illustrator Mini Grey; Jessica Love, 2019 Klaus Flugge Prize winner; Meera Ghanshamdas, bookseller at Moon Lane Ink; children’s book consultant Jake Hope; and Pam Smy of Anglia Ruskin University, have chosen five titles to shortlist.

KLAUS FLUGGE SHORTLIST

  • When Sadness Comes to Call, Eva Eland, editor Libby Hamilton, designer Rebecca Garrill (Andersen Press)
    What the judges said: ‘beautifully simple and pared back; the page layouts seem sparse and crisp but the work the illustrations are doing is quite extraordinary in terms of the message that sadness is something we might have to live with.’

Eva Eland’s examination of sadness, represented by a misty little monster, simply and unforgettably conveys a sophisticated message in a masterpiece of minimalism.

  • The Star in the Forest, Helen Kellock, editor Anna Ridley, designer Aaron Hayden (Thames & Hudson)
    What the judges said: ‘few books these days use light and tone or traditional watercolour skills to tell stories; it’s worked into something quite magical here.’

Helen Kellock uses light and composition to create an atmospheric starry adventure, that glows with family love.

  • Where is Your Sister?, Puck Koper, editor Suzanne Carnell, designer Jo Spooner (Two Hoots)
    What the judges said: ‘goes at a wonderful pace, with laugh out loud moments. It’s stylish and feels very sophisticated for a first book’.

Using a limited palette, Dutch artist Puck Koper creates a frantic dash through a department store which is both a search and find story, and an accurately observed and very funny family adventure.

  • On the Origin of Species, Sabina Radeva, editor Anna Barnes Robinson, designer Keren Greenfeld (Puffin)
    What the judges said: ‘It’s full of detail and really reflects the beauty of nature. A feat of managing that amount of detail without it feeling cluttered. A wonderful reference book, a real companion for a child.’

A one-time molecular biologist, Sabina Radeva utilises her passion for science to retell Darwin’s famous work, mining the depths of inventiveness to convey information through few words and wonderful pictures.

  • One Fox: A Counting Book Thriller, Kate Read, editor Suzanne Carnell, designer Jo Spooner
    What the judges said: ‘Visually stunning. There’s real drama here and the way the story is told is joyous. She’s done a very clever thing and created a counting book while keeping within the beats of a story.’

Kate Read uses bold colours, composition and collage to tell the story of one famished fox’s encounter with some angry hens, making this counting book a real thriller.

Chair of the judges Julia Eccleshare said: “Our shortlist demonstrates the vibrancy of contemporary illustration for children. Here are five very different books – the illustrators have different styles, use different techniques and have different intentions, but each achieves exactly what they set out to do with pictures that perfectly tell their stories. The Klaus Flugge Prize has already highlighted many talented illustrators and in the fifth year of this important award, we’re delighted to have another extremely strong and eye-catching shortlist.”

The shortlist was due to be announced at a live event at Foyles Charing Cross Road on Tuesday 19th May. Instead, judge and 2019 winner Jessica Love announced the shortlist live via Twitter and Youtube.

The final winner will be revealed on Wednesday 16th September 2020 and will receive a cheque for £5,000.

Indie Book Awards 2020 Shortlists

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CHILDREN’S FICTION SHORTLIST
– Toffee by Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury)
– Deeplight by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan Children’s Books)
– Chinglish: An Almost Entirely True Story by Sue Cheung (Andersen Press)
– The Star Outside my Window by Onjali Q. Rauf (Orion Children’s Books)
– The Somerset Tsunami by Emma Carroll (Faber & Faber)
– The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson (Usborne)

PICTURE BOOK SHORTLIST
– Animalphabet by Julia Donaldson & Sharon King-Chai (Two Hoots)
– Greta and the Giants by Zoe Tucker & Zoe Persico (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books)
– Don’t Worry Little Crab by Chris Haughton (Walker Books)
– Alfie on Holiday by Shirley Hughes (Puffin Books)
– I’m Sticking With You by Smriti Halls and Steve Small (Simon & Schuster)
– Franklin and Luna Go To The Moon by Jen Campbell, illustrated by Katie Harnett (Thames & Hudson)

 

Previous winners:

Children’s category:
2019: The Storm Keeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle
2018: Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean 
2017: A Poem for Every Night of the Year by Allie Esiri
2016: Pugs of the Frozen North by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre
2015: An Island of Our Own by Sally Nicholls 
2014: Flora & Ulysses by Kate Di Camillo, illustrated by K.G. Campbell
2013: Wonder by RJ Palacio
2012: One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson
2011: Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer
2010: Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo
2009: Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
2008: The Sleepwalker by Robert Muchamore
2007: Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo

Picture Book category:
2019: If All the World Were … by Joseph Coelho and illustrated by Allison Colpoys
2018:  Lots: The Diversity of Life on Earth by Nicola Davies and illustrator, Emily Sutton
2017: Tidy by Emily Gravett
2016: Stanley the Amazing Knitting Cat by Emily MacKenzie
2015: A Walk in Paris by Salvatore Rubbino
2014: A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Mark Hearld

The Queen’s Knickers Award Shortlist

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The Queen’s Knickers Award (inaugural year)

The shortlist for this new annual prize, founded by Nicholas Allan, author of The Queen’s Knickers (to be awarded for an outstanding children’s original illustrated book for ages 0-7) has just been announced.

The prize will recognise books that strike a quirky, new note and grab the attention of a child, whether this be in the form of curiosity, amusement, horror or excitement.

This year’s award is judged by Alexis Deacon, Emily Gravett and Korky Paul.

  • Umbrella written and illustrated by Elena Arevalo Melville
  • Mr Tiger, Betsy and the Sea Dragon written by Sally Gardner, illustrated by Nick Maland
  • How to Light Your Dragon written by Didier Lévy, illustrated by Fred Benaglia
  • One Fox written and illustrated by Kate Read
  • Child of St Kilda written and illustrated by Beth Waters

The 2020 Alligator’s Mouth Award Shortlist

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This is a great little award, founded in 2018, which highlights illustrated early fiction. The award takes its name from The Alligator’s Mouth Children’s Bookshop in Richmond and has as its official partners Gardners Books and The Bright Agency.

Gardners, the book distributor, is specifically supporting the award by offering independent bookshops across the UK a 52.5% discount on the following titles throughout May.

Here is the shortlist in full:

The winner will be announced in June.

Branford Boase Award 2020 Shortlist

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The shortlist for the 2020 Branford Boase Award is announced today, Thursday 30th April 2020. This prize is awarded annually to the author of an 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.

Founded to commemorate author Henrietta Branford and influential Walker Books editor Wendy Boase, the Branford Boase Award is 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. Winners and shortlisted authors include Siobhan Dowd, Meg Rosoff, Mal Peet, Philip Reeve, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Frances Hardinge, Patrick Ness and Marcus Sedgwick.

The shortlist for the 2020 award is as follows:

This year’s judges are

  • Sue Bastone, vice-chair SLA
  • Victoria Dilly, creator of the Book Activist blog
  • Layla Hudson of Round Table Books, Brixton
  • Muhammad Khan, author of I Am Thunder, winner of the 2019 Branford Boase Award

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

The winner of the Branford Boase Award would normally be announced at a ceremony in London in early July. This year the announcement of the winner has been delayed until 24th September. The winning author receives a cheque for £1,000 and both author and editor receive an inscribed crystal plaque.

Klaus Flugge Prize Establishes Programme Of Virtual Celebration

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The Klaus Flugge Prize prepares to boosts online activity in the face of Coronavirus as judges and past winners join this year’s shortlisted illustrators in a expanded programme of virtual celebrations.

Zoom roundtables, Twitter livestreams and special video interviews are all part of the increased online activity planned for this year’s Klaus Flugge Prize – to include announcements of both the shortlist (19th May) and the winner (16th September). Now in its fifth year, the Klaus Flugge Prize is awarded 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.

“Conversation and debate about contemporary picture book illustration has always been a vital element of the Klaus Flugge Prize”, says chair of the judges Julia Eccleshare, “and live events have been integral to the prize, whether panel events with illustrators and art directors, or the announcement of the shortlist at Foyles. We can’t gather in the same room this year, so instead we will be hugely increasing our programme of virtual activity to enable those conversations and to put children’s picture book illustration in the spotlight.”

Those taking part in the activity include previous Klaus Flugge Prize winners Jessica Love (Julian is a Mermaid 2019), Kate Milner (My Name is Not Refugee 2018), Francesca Sanna (The Journey 2017) and Nicholas John Frith (Hector and Hummingbird, 2016) as well as award-winning illustrator and 2020 judge Mini Grey.

The timetable of activity includes:

  • 5th May – Twitter Livestream with Mini Grey
  • 6th May – publication of a recording of the Livestream
  • 12th May – Zoom Klaus Flugge Prize illustrators roundtable
  • 19th May – Klaus Flugge Prize shortlist announcement at 7.00pm
  • 19th June – Zoom Klaus Flugge Prize designers and editors’ roundtable
  • 20th June – 15th September – interviews, panels, Twitter Livestream Q&As with shortlisted illustrators and leading figures in picture book illustration
  • 16th September – announcement of the winner of the 2020 Klaus Flugge Prize.

The judges for the 2020 prize are award-winning illustrator Mini Grey; Meera Ghanshamdas, bookseller at Moon Lane Ink; children’s book consultant Jake Hope; Pam Smy of Anglia Ruskin University; and 2019 Klaus Flugge Prize winner Jessica Love. The panel will be chaired by Julia Eccleshare, director of the children’s programme of the Hay Festival.

 

The 2020 Klaus Flugge Prize longlist in full:

  • Look Up!, Dapo Adeola, written by Nathan Bryan, editor Joe Marriott, designer Keren Greenfield (Puffin)
  • The Mist Monster, Kirsti Beautyman, editor Alison Green, designer Zoë Tucker (Alison Green Books)
  • Keith Among the Pigeons, Katie Brosnan, editor Sue Baker, designer Annie Kubler (Child’s Play)
  • Caspian Finds a Friend, Merrilees Brown, written by Jacqueline Veissid, editor Victoria Rock, designer Sara Gillingham (Chronicle Books)
  • Otto Blotter, Bird Spotter Graham Carter, editor Libby Hamilton, designer Rebecca Garrill (Andersen Press)
  • When Sadness Comes to Call, Eva Eland, editor Libby Hamilton, designer Rebecca Garrill (Andersen Press)
  • The Girl with Two Dads, Mel Elliott, editor Emma Dods, designer Abi Luffman (Egmont)
  • My Hair, Allen Fatimaharan, written by Hannah Lee, editor Alice Swan, designer Emma Eldridge (Faber & Faber)
  • The Star in the Forest, Helen Kellock, editor Anna Ridley, designer Aaron Hayden (Thames & Hudson)
  • Where is Your Sister?, Puck Koper, editor Suzanne Carnell, designer Jo Spooner (Two Hoots)
  • The Mole and the Hole, Brayden Kowalczuk, editor Katie Cotton, designer Zoë Tucker (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books)
  • Incredible Jobs You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of, Natalie Labarre, editor Victoria England, designer Holly Phillips (Nosy Crow)
  • On the Origin of Species, Sabina Radeva, editor Anna Barnes Robinson, designer Keren Greenfield (Puffin)
  • I Saw a Bee, Rob Ramsden, editor Janice Thomson, designer Goldy Broad (Scallywag Press)
  • One Fox: A Counting Thriller Book, Kate Read, editor Suzanne Carnell, designer Jo Spooner (Two Hoots)
  • Collecting Cats, Lorna Scobie, editors Sophie Cashell & Linas Alsenas, designer Strawberrie Donnelly (Scholastic)

Use @KlausFluggePr  #KFP20

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

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)

 

 

 

YA Book Prize 2020 Shortlist

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The ten books shortlisted for the 2020 YA Book Prize are:

The judges for the prize are
School Library Association’s 2017 School Librarian of the Year, Lucas Maxwell;
author and inaugural Children’s Laureate for Wales, Eloise Williams;
Stacey Croft, blogger and brand and digital marketing manager at National Book Tokens;
body positivity campaigner and influencer Megan Crabbe.

The judging panel will be joined by teenage judges from schools across the country and Julia Eccleshare, children’s director of The Hay Festival, which is partnering with The Bookseller on the prize.

The panel will be chaired by The Bookseller’s deputy features editor Caroline Carpenter.