Michelle Paver Exhibition

Cambridge University's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has display cases based on Wolf Brother and Spirit Walker . The displays form part of a series of displays at the Museum based on novels for children and for adults and, says the museum, they were impressed by the quality of her research, the accuracy of her descriptions and how well they matched the objects in the collection. For more information go to www.torak.info

Book Trust Early Years Shortlist

Baby Book Award

Baby’s Very First Book: Day illus. Angela Brooksbank (Campbell Books)
Baby Loves Peekaboo! by Dawn Sirett, designer Rachael Parfitt (Dorling Kindersley)
Daddy Hug by Tim Warnes, illus. Jane Chapman (HarperCollins)
Baby Touch: Playtime Book and DVD by Justine Smith, illus. Fiona Land (Ladybird)
Is This My Nose? illus. Georgie Birkett (Red Fox)
Amazing Baby: Rainbow Fun! by Emily Hawkins, illus. Emma Dodd (Templar)

Pre-School Award

It’s a George Thing! by David Bedford, illus. Russell Julian (Egmont)
Grizzly Dad by Joanna Harrison (David Fickling)
The Cow That Laid an Egg by Andy Cutbill, illus. Russell Ayto (HarperCollins)
Wendel’s Workshop by Chris Riddell (Macmillan)
The Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis, illus. Gwen Millward (Puffin)
There’s An Ouch in My Pouch! by Jeanne Willis, illus. Garry Parsons (Puffin)

Best Emerging Illustrator

That Yucky Love Thing by Michael Catchpool, illus. Victoria Ball (Gullane)
Here Comes Frankie! by Tim Hopgood (Macmillan)
Eliot Jones, Midnight Superhero by Anne Cottringer, illus. Alex T Smith (Scholastic)
Bridget Fidget by Joe Berger (Puffin)
The Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis, illus. Gwen Millward (Puffin)
Ape by Martin Jenkins, illus. Vicky White (Walker)

The winners will be announced on 23 September

Save Kids TV Campaign

A groundswell of political opinion is growing in support of the campaign aims and all three parties are engaged with it now. At the recent Showcomotion conference (2 – 4 July, Sheffield) Ed Vaizey MP Conservative Shadow Minister of Culture and Broadcasting gave a Keynote address. Visit www.showcommotion.com for further information. You can still lend your support to this campaign by signing up at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/kidstelevision/, increase the political pressure by emailing a letter drafted by PACT to your local MP: http://pact.co.uk/campaign/ or attend the Voice of the Listener and Viewer’s annual conference in November (see events listings).

Costa judges - children wanted!

Costa Children's Book Award - The search is on for three young people to be judges for this year's Costa Children's Book Award. This is an opportunity for anyone between the ages of 9 and 13 who needs to write a 200-word book review and submit it through the Costa website before midnight on 8 August. Jacqueline Wilson will select three winners who'll sit on the panel with adult judges and select the shortlist and winner of this year's award. They'll also attend the gala dinner and presentation next January and receive a £100 book token. If you know any disabled children who might be encouraged to enter, they should visit www.costabookawards.com/awards/young_judges_this_year.aspx

Nice work if you can get it

RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN’S BOOKS AND THOMAS COOK JOIN FORCES TO ENCOURAGE READING FOR LEISURE

Random House Children’s Books and Thomas Cook are delighted to announce a joint initiative which will lead to the introduction of Reading Zones into all Thomas Cook resorts that feature club: KidsWORLD. The Reading Zones will be jam-packed with favourite books from leading children’s authors and they offer great chill out zones for children on holiday.

Tony Hopkins of Thomas Cook comments “This year is The National Year of Reading and it’s made us realise how vitally important it is for parents and their children to read books together. Our new Reading Zones will help encourage youngsters to pick up a book while they’re on holiday and enter a world of excitement and imagination. We want to help them understand that reading isn’t just something to be done at school – it can be enjoyed wherever you are.”

Managing Director of Random House Children’s Books Philippa Dickinson comments “We're delighted to be working with Thomas Cook to take books to places where children and their families are on their holidays. Holidays are a great time to read and this is an excellent way to encourage the habit of thinking of books alongside the sunscreen, the swimsuit and the towel.”

To mark this new and exciting relationship two author weeks will launch the project this summer. Authors Steve Cole and Janey Louise Jones will be taking their Astrosaurs and Princess Poppy events out to Thomas Cook holiday resorts in Majorca.

Steve Cole has just got back from his tour of the resorts on the island where he introduced over two hundred children to his Cows In Action and Astrosaurs books.

“I’ve been to some unlikely places with the Astrosaurs and Cows in Action but never expected to en-cow-nter them in Majorca! I’m delighted to be taking part in such an exciting new initiative –it’s a fantastic opportunity to bring young readers from all over the country together for some out-of-this-world holiday fun.”

Best-selling author Janey Louise Jones will take a trip to the Balearic Island this August where children will be treated to Princess Poppy party games and book readings from the author.

“I am delighted to be doing Princess Poppy events in Majorca for Thomas Cook this summer. It was an honour to be asked by such a reputable company and it will be lovely to see Princess Poppy fans in holiday mood!”

Childrens Illustrators in Bath

SWILL & Friends: An Exhibition of Children’s Book Illustration
by South West Illustrators and leading guest illustrators

Bath Central Library
The Podium, Bath

19th-28th September 2008

www.swillustrators.co.uk www.swillustrators.blogspot.com

0117-9730022 (SWILL) 01225-394041 (Bath Library)

This September, Bath will be buzzing with children’s book authors and illustrators for the second Daily Telegraph Bath Festival of Children’s Literature 2008. Chill out with a visit to Bath Central Library for this fantastic exhibition of artwork from leading children’s book illustrators and get The Big Picture in this National Year of Reading. With work ranging from that of world-known Babette Cole, author/illustrator of beloved classics Princess Smartypants and Mummy Laid an Egg, to that of brand-new book illustrator, Paula Bowles, over 30 artists are represented in a colourfully diverse and diverting show. The illustrators featured are largely locally-based but internationally-employed. They are Grahame Baker Smith, Paula Bowles, Tim ‘Willy’ Bullock, Ivana Svabic Cannon, Michelle Cartlidge, Margaret Chamberlain, Babette Cole, Frances Cony, Steve Cox, Christina de la Mare, Kate Davies, Richard Deverell, Chris Fisher, Mary Hall, Penny Ives, Simon James, Peter Malone, Rodney Matthews, Jackie Morris, Jan Nesbitt, Graham Oakley, Tessa Norris, Anna Popescu, Katy Rhodes, John Sibbick, Sue Shields, Suzy-Jane Tanner, Alan Snow, Carol Tratt, Sarah Warburton, Nadine Wickenden. Original works, cards and prints are available to buy and you can meet the illustrators themselves during the exhibition.

For the latest gen on who and what’s on show visit SWILL’s blog www.swillustrators.blogspot.com or ring 0117 9730022.
Staged in association with The Daily Telegraph Bath Festival of Children’s Literature (www.bathkidslitfest.co.uk), National Year of Reading (www.yearofreading.org.uk) and The Big Picture (www.bigpicture.org.uk). We are delighted to receive sponsorship from Hodder Children’s Books, Orchard Books and Templar Publishing.

Campaign for the book

A campaign for the book
Sometimes it just isn't good enough for a writer to sit in his or her study tapping out the latest novel. Events recently propelled me into a fortnight of frantic activity that made me sit down and think very carefully about the position of the book in society. The trigger was an invitation to speak at a public meeting in Doncaster, South Yorkshire to protest against swingeing cuts to the town's library service.
According to the public sector union Unison, Mayor Winter's administration is proposing savings of £662,000 and a further £268,000 being put aside to pay for redundancies. In all some thirty staff are earmarked to go. There will also be cuts to the book budget and to opening hours.
Corporate Director of Customer Services (sic), Stuart Hall, has had this to say about cutbacks that will materially damage the library service:
“What is the point in buying new books? Tescos sell them cheaply and everything you need to know is on the Internet.”
He also said:
“What’s the point of having a Rolls Royce when a Mondeo will do?”
On my return home, I fired off an open letter protesting against this butchery to the many writers, educationalists and librarians I had encountered at the 150 public speaking engagements I do every year.
The response was instantaneous. The signatories are too many to list here but they included Philip Pullman, Philip Reeve, Michael Morpurgo, Geraldine McCaughrean, Toby Litt, Anne Fine, Mark Steel, Beverley Naidoo and dozens of others.
Many contributors to the statement included personal testimonies to the importance of public libraries in their own professional journeys.
The statement figured in the Doncaster press and produced much hand-wringing in the corridors of power. Indeed, Mayor Winter wrote to me this week, responding to the statement. His letter denied that there was any wide-scale cost-cutting at all. This gave an extra fillip, if one was needed, to the several hundred strong demonstration by librarians and their supporters through Doncaster town centre on Saturday, July 12th. At the rally, author Helena Pielichaty and I spoke.
But my concerns go wider than just Doncaster, dire though the situation is. Many of those who emailed me told me of similar situations in their own areas. To cap it all, on Thursday, July 10th at the Kids' Lit Quiz Final in Oxford, I was told by a librarian, a leading member of the Federation of Children's Book Groups, that she faces a £7,000 pay cut. I was appalled to discover how a local authority could treat someone with vast experience and expertise.
In conclusion, recent events acted as a flash of lightning which illuminated the current landscape in the world of books. Libraries are under threat. Some sixty closed last year. The numbers of professional library staff fell in the decade 1995 to 2005 by 13%. National book expenditure in libraries is at its lowest level since 1995.
Nor is it just public libraries. Everywhere, there is a shift from the book to computer services. In some schools the library has been closed, only to reopen as an IT suite. And the books? They have been boxed up and locked in a cupboard somewhere. School librarians have been dismissed and don't forget, only 28% of schools had qualified staff in the first place. Finally, in both public and school libraries, there is a shift from qualified staff to untrained volunteers. In my opinion, this amounts to nothing less than an undeclared war on the book.
I would propose a national conference to set up an umbrella body including everyone who wants to preserve the place of the book in the life of the UK. The country has plummeted down the international PISA ratings for children's reading, a scandal when we remember the UNESCO report that concluded that reading for pleasure is a more important indicator of educational achievement than social class. The conference would include the main professional bodies such as CILIP, the SLA, the Society of Authors, the Poetry Society, the teaching and public sector unions, children's book magazines such as Carousel, Books for Keeps and Armadillo and the country's novelists, illustrators and poets.
The aim would be to draw up a brief, popular, commonly agreed charter to defend the place of the book in our national life. Hopefully, it could also produce a free book full of accounts from people in public life together with poems, stories and snippets about the importance of reading. This may sound a very ambitious undertaking but, despite the marvellous Year of Reading, everywhere I go reading for pleasure faces significant challenges. There are sharks circling in the water. It is time to make a splash and drive them away.

Alan Gibbons, children's author
0151 474 8392
www.alangibbons.com (website)
www.alangibbons.net (blog)

Read It Again Prize

"Max and the Doglins" by Amanda Montgomery Higham is the winner of the third "Read it Again!" Cambridgeshire Children's Picture Book award. Amanda was presented with the award by last year's winner Tim Hopgood at a special presentation ceremony in front of 230 children at the Burgess Hall, St Ives in Cambridgeshire on Thursday 26th June.
The award is for a debut picture book where the story and pictures are the work of one person.

Carnegie and Greenaway Awards

CILIP Carnegie Winner Here lies Arthur by Philip Reeve

CILIP Kate Greenaway Winner Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett

The Award Ceremony at the British Library on Thursday 26 June was compared by Bob (I didn't catch his last name) who is head of CILIP. His style is very much jacket off, sleeves rolled but despite a jokey manner he made a worth while plea for local authorities to maintain their expert children's librarians. Michael Portillo presented the prizes and showed convincing interest throughout the ceremony.

Lauren Child Exhibition, Manchester

Green Drops and Moonsquirters: The Utterly Imaginative World of Lauren Child
Saturday 21 June 2008 - Sunday 21 September 2008
Manchester Art Gallery
FREE
Join Charlie and Lola, Clarice Bean and friends in an interactive summer exhibition for under 7s and their families.

Step into the utterly imaginative world of Lauren’s books and explore playhouses where you can:

Sit at Charlie and Lola’s kitchen table and make meals with food from their fridge.
Dress-up in Charlie and Lola’s favourite outfits including Lola’s fabulous alligator costume from I Am TOO Absolutely Small For School.
Draw imaginary friends on a magna-doodle (inspired by Lola’s friend Soren Lorensen).
Visit Grubby Alley where That Pesky Rat lives.
Perform puppet shows to an audience of family and friends (in a theatre created from the four-poster bed in The Princess and The Pea).
You can also see over 40 original illustrations from Lauren's award-winning stories. And have an exclusive first peek at the author's next book.

Green Drops and Moonsquirters is the very first exhibition to be dedicated to Lauren Child's work. Her illustrations artfully combine drawing, collage and photography while witty and irreverent text weaves through the pages in unconventional ways.

Curated and developed by Manchester Art Gallery, the free exhibition premieres at the gallery from 21 June until 21 September 2008 before touring to museums and galleries around the UK.

Supported by the Arts Council England.

Chris Powling: Now don't get me wrong...

NOW DON’T GET ME WRONG…

Chris Powling

Number 26: Age-Banding Books


…I’m all for keeping book buyers informed. That’s what reviews and the reviewing media are for (not least this very journal). Where books for children are concerned, with choosers who may well be someone other than the intended reader, a bit of preliminary reconnaissance is especially helpful. That’s where the blurb on the book itself comes in – not to mention the hard-to-miss signals provided by the lay-out of the pages, the size of the print, the style of the illustrations and a sampling of the actual text. With evidence like this as a guide there’s nobody, so far as I know, who has ever confused the intended readership of, say, THE HOUSE AT POOH CORNER with that of TREASURE ISLAND.


Why, then, are publishers now insisting that all children’s books carry a prominently displayed ‘age-band’ to indicate that a particular title is for readers of 6+, or 9+, or 12+ or, in the case of Adrian Mole perhaps, 13 ¾? Getting a ‘fix’ on a book is one thing. Getting a Kwik-Fix is entirely another.


I’m not surprised there’s been a back-lash. Go to www.notoagebanding.org to see what Philip Pullman, Anne Fine, Jackie Wilson, Michael Rosen and Adele Geras think…along with about 2000 other writers, illustrators, librarians, academics et al. The list is growing steadily as I write. No need to repeat the website’s arguments here but Philip Pullman sums up his objections thus:


“You simply can’t decide who your readership will be. Nor

do I want to, because declaring that it’s for one group in

particular means excluding every other group, and I don’t

want to exclude anybody. Every reader is welcome and I

want my books to say so.”


For me that settles it. Well do I remember, for instance, my first encounter with TREASURE ISLAND. As a ten-year-old, I was equally impressed with the half of it I understood and the half of it I didn’t. Much more puzzling was THE HOUSE AT POOH CORNER which I came across at about the same time. How could such a ‘baby’ book make me laugh so much? If the first had been banded at 12+, say, and the second at 6+, I’m pretty sure I’d have rejected both. As it was, I was happy to find out for myself if these were books for me...because neither of them made me feel unwelcome.


Chris Powling – June, 2008

Age Banding - the story continues

Over 2,000 signatures now on the website. www.notoagebanding.org

the following is from Peter's Library Services newsletter:
BOOK NEWS : "Age" concern continues

The Society of Authors has called for age-guidance plans to be temporarily suspended pending a review, following the unprecedented author revolt last week. Novelist Celia Rees, chair of the children’s writers and illustrators group at the Society of Authors, told the Bookseller that if publishers go ahead it should only be with individual authors’ approval.

“Not all writers are against age guidance, but given the strong opposition that has emerged in recent days, we have proposed to the Publishers Association that the Children’s Book Group’s plans should be put on hold, pending a review, which would include a number of authors,” she said. A spokesperson for the CBG said that publishers were continuing to discuss author concerns on an individual basis. “Publishers are getting lots of valuable feedback from authors, which in turn is helping them address the specific issues and concerns that authors are raising.

The CBG remains committed to the principle of age guidance, which it sees as one of several tools that will help more adults choose and buy a book for the children in their lives.” Walker and Usborne said that they were among those playing a “wait and see” game. Usborne, said that publishers were “never as united as the first statements indicated”. Whilst Walker has indicated it is in “no hurry” to join the age guidance movement.

This week’s “Publishing News” carries a full page listing of authors and book trade people, who feel age banding is ill-conceived – together with a further full page article on page 10. Incidentally last week’s most popular and most read article in Egazette was the “Age raging angst.”

Fantastic Book Awards - Lancashire

My Haunted House by Angie Sage
Oranges in No Man’s Land by Elizabeth Laird
Mr Gum and the Biscuit Billionaire by Andy Stanton
Spy Dog 2 by Andrew Cope
Lexi by L.S. Matthews

The lucky authors have received a uniquely engraved fountain pen AND a very special letter written by one of the schools that voted them a winner! The winners were over the moon! This is what they said:

Andrew Cope said “You’ve put a huge grin on my face!”
Elizabeth Laird said, “Here’s a big huge massive enormous colossal gigantic thank you to all of you!”
Andy Stanton was chuffed with his pen & said, “ I have started writing the next ‘Mr Gum’ book with it. It’s my lucky pen!”

Bisto Book of the Year

Hurrah! A children's book wins a children's book award...so many short listed books for Children's Book Prizes seem to be for teenage books.

Siobhan Dowd’s The London Eye Mystery (David Fickling) was named Bisto Book of the Year 2007/08 at a ceremony in Dublin last week. The author died of cancer last year, and the trophy and cheque for €10,000 were ac­cepted on her behalf by her friend and publisher, David Fickling. Siobhan's husband Geoff Morgan was also at the ceremony and the prize money will be donated to The Siobhan Dowd Trust www.siobhandowdtrust.org.

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize

The long list is:

The Goldsmith's Daughter by Tanya Landman

Bad Blood by Rhiannon Lassiter

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd (David Fickling)

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife that Killed Me by Anthony McGowan

No to Age Banding

No to Age Banding
We are writers, illustrators, librarians, teachers, publishers and booksellers. Some of us have a measure of control over what appears on the covers of their books; others have less.

But we are all agreed that the proposal to put an age-guidance figure on books for children is ill-conceived, damaging to the interests of young readers, and highly unlikely, despite the claims made by those publishers promoting the scheme, to make the slightest difference to sales.

We take this step to disavow publicly any connection with such age-guidance figures, and to state our passionately-held conviction that everything about a book should seek to welcome readers in and not keep them out.

Here are some of our reasons:

Each child is unique, and so is each book. Accurate judgments about age suitability are impossible, and approximate ones are worse than useless.
Children easily feel stigmatized, and many will put aside books they might love because of the fear of being called babyish. Other children will feel dismayed that books of their ‘correct’ age-group are too challenging, and will be put off reading even more firmly than before.
Age-banding seeks to help adults choose books for children, and we're all in favour of that; but it does so by giving them the wrong information. It’s also likely to encourage over-prescriptive or anxious adults to limit a child's reading in ways that are unnecessary and even damaging.
Everything about a book is already rich with clues about the sort of reader it hopes to find – jacket design, typography, cover copy, prose style, illustrations. These are genuine connections with potential readers, because they appeal to individual preference. An age-guidance figure is a false one, because it implies that all children of that age are the same.
Children are now taught to look closely at book covers for all the information they convey. The hope that they will not notice the age-guidance figure, or think it unimportant, is unfounded.
Writers take great care not to limit their readership unnecessarily. To tell a story as well and inclusively as possible, and then find someone at the door turning readers away, is contrary to everything we value about books, and reading, and literature itself.
To sign up and show your support for this statement, send an email to signup@notoagebanding.org . We will publish your name and any relevant description (eg writer, bookseller) on this web site and possibly in the Bookseller advertisement. We'll keep your email address confidential and won't pass it to anybody else, but we may write occasionally with relevant news.

Red House Children's Book Award

Derek Landy’s debut novel, Skulduggery Pleasant, has won the Red House Children’s Book Award (RHCBA) - the only national children’s book award to be chosen exclusively by children.

As winner of the Red House Children’s Book Award Derek Landy joins a group of illustrious past winners including Quentin Blake in 1981 with Mister Magnolia, Roald Dahl in 1983 with The BFG, Jacqueline Wilson in 1996 with Double Act, J.K. Rowling in 1998 with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Michael Morpurgo with Private Peaceful in 2004. Former Children’s Laureate, Jacqueline Wilson DBE, says of the award “It’s the book award that means the most to me because it’s the one where children do the voting.”


The category winners were in the Books for Younger Children section, Polly Dunbar with Penguin published by Walker Books and in the Books for Younger Readers Chris Riddell Ottoline and the Yellow Cat published by Macmillan Children’s Books. Derek Landy won the Books for Older Readers as well as being awarded overall winner.


· The Red House Children’s Book Award, now in its 28th year, is the only national award 100% selected by children – that includes both the shortlist and the winners.
· It’s totally democratic & accessible - any child can take part and vote via the website www.redhousechidlrensbookaward.co.uk or via a Freepost address.

Who's Kidding Who?

Listed in one of those free book magazines - May edition of Booktime to be precise - is a list said to be from The Mammoth Book of Boys' Own Stuff. I haven't checked it out BUT the list is headed "Ten Books to Read Before the Age of Ten" and includes Coral Island, The Call of the Wild and Treasure Island!!

Angus Book Award 2008

Kate Cann wins 2008 Angus Book Award

Author Kate Cann has won the 2008 Angus Book Award for her novel Leaving Poppy, Lewis Miller, Chair of the Angus Youth Congress, presented the winning author with her trophy, a miniature replica of the Aberlemno Serpent Stone, and £500 prize at a ceremony in Montrose Town Hall on 20 May.

After several months of decision making and debate in the eight Angus secondary schools, the five shortlisted authors arrived from all over the UK to speak to the pupils and take part in the award ceremony in Montrose.

The ceremony, organised by 3rd year pupils, was hosted this year by Montrose Academy. Pupils from the other secondary schools spoke about the shortlisted books and asked the authors questions. This year’s voting was again a close run race but the reaction of the pupils to the announcement of the winner confirmed that this was an extremely popular choice.

The other shortlisted authors for the 2008 award were: Sherry Ashworth for Close-up (Simon & Schuster UK)), J. A. Henderson for Bunker 10 (Oxford University Press), Graham Marks for Omega 10 (Bloomsbury) and Anthony McGowan for Henry Tumour (Definitions).
Leaving Poppy is a taut, tense ghost story with a chilling edge, published by Scholastic. It tells the absorbing story of Amber who has fled from her claustrophobic, manipulative family, determined to start her life again in a different town, only to discover that her new home hides a horrifying, terrible secret. When circumstances bring her suffocating sister Poppy to live with her again, a latent power concealed in the house is awakened. The book raises the question, which is more frightening - the supernatural or the selfish, destructive family?

Kate Cann said: “The Angus Book Award was an absolute blast! It more than deserves its formidable reputation. The girls from Arbroath Academy blew me away with their wonderful report on my book at the ceremony. The kids ran the show and they did it brilliantly. I am so proud and happy to have won.”

●

bedtime stories on the bbc

MICHAEL ROSEN READS BEDTIME STORIES

Next week’s Bedtime Stories on the CBeebies Channel will be read by the Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen.

Michael has chosen five of his favourite children’s books to read – Ruby Sings the Blues (Niki Daly), Eliza and the Moonchild (Emma Chichester Clark), Farmer Duck (Martin Waddell), The Opposite (Tom Macrae) and Slinky Malinki Catflaps & Hairy Maclary of Donaldson’s Dairy (both by Lynley Dodd).

Michael said: “I chose these stories because they are rhythmic and full of feeling and fun. I think it’s really important that children hear the sounds of stories read with full colour and characterisation. Stories on the page need to be lifted and dramatised. I hope if mums and dads are watching they’ll think ... I could read a story like that.”

Bedtime Stories are produced by Angela Young for CBeebies Presentation. You can see Michael reading the stories from May 19th – 23rd on the CBeebies channel at 6.45 pm. Ruby Sings the Blues and Eliza and the Moonchild will both be repeated on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th at 6.45 pm.