RED HOUSE CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD

Children across the UK have been voting for their favourite books of the year in the Red House Children’s Book Award (RHCBA). This year more children than ever have been involved, casting a record 81,000+ votes for over 1000 different books. It is the goal of the Award to encourage as many children as possible to join in the voting and there are new initiatives with Brownie groups and the Black Country Schools Library Service. Also through the increased sponsorship of the Red House, 200 additional new schools are getting involved through School Link.

The winner of the 2007 Red House Children’s Book Award will be announced at a ceremony held at the Guardian Hay Festival on 1st June 2007. The award ceremony is a unique celebration of children’s books; not only are the short-listed authors and illustrators present, along with many previous winners of the award but also a selection of children from all over the country who have taken part in voting for the award winners. In the week leading up to the award ceremony the Guardian Hay Festival will also host five RHCBA author and illustrator events featuring a number of the short-listed authors and past winners, sponsored by Red House.

Now embarking in its 27th year, the award was founded in 1980 by author and librarian Pat Thomson and it is run by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups. The category winners each receive an engraved silver bowl. The overall winner is awarded the Red House Children’s Book Award Silver Tree which they are the custodian of for a year and an engraved silver acorn which is theirs to keep. Each of the short-listed authors and illustrators also receives an incredible portfolio of writing and drawing created by the children and inspired by their book.

The full shortlist for the 2007 Red House Children’s Book Award is as follows:

Books for Younger Children
Silly Billy by Anthony Browne published by Walker Books
The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers published by Harper Collins
The Lamb Who Came for Dinner by Steve Smallman and Joelle Dreidemy published by
Little Tiger Press
Who’s in the Loo? by Jeanne Willis and Adrian Reynolds published by Andersen Press

Books for Younger Readers
The Legend of Captain Crow’s Teeth by Eoin Colfer published by Puffin Books
Araminta Spook: My Haunted House by Angie Sage published by Bloomsbury
You’re a Bad Man Mr Gum by Andy Stanton published by Egmont

Books for Older Readers
Alone on a Wide Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo published by Harper Collins
Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie published by Simon & Schuster
Soul Eater by Michelle Paver published by Orion Books

Children can vote for their favourite books on the 2007 shortlist via the RHCBA website: http://www.redhousechildrensbookaward.co.uk/