A FRIEND OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS...

Bev Mathias
(1939-2012)

In the kindly but competitive world of children's books, Bev was a quiet colossus rather than a star.

Not that she missed out on the limelight. The redoubtable Eileen Colwell was an early admirer of her storytelling, her talents as a broadcaster led to a six year reviewing stint on BBC Radio 1, and the sheer spread of her publications for both children and adults - on view at the Quaker Memorial Meeting in Wigtown on May 19th - puts many more pushy kid-lit contenders to shame. Somehow, with Bev, the limelight was always refined into the glow of a good job jobbed.

It was the same when she became Children's Officer at the National Book League (later Book Trust) and with her founding directorship of REACH (the National Advice Centre for Children with Reading Difficulties) which received the Eleanor Farjeon Award in 1986. Even after 'retiring' to her beloved Wigtown - Scotland's National Book Town - Bev's commitment didn't flag. She completed an overhaul of the local festival's data-base just before she died. Unlike McCavity, when there was hard but vital work to be done, Bev was always there.      

Not bad going, you may think, for someone who didn't move to Britain till she was forty. She was born and raised in Australia. This was the source, no doubt, of her drive, her grounded-ness, and her wonderful gift for friendship.        

Good on you, Bev. 

From Chris Powling  

In this photo, she is entertaining (mid 1980s) a group of children from
Clare School, Norwich at the Hungate Bookshop.

The Children’s Bookshow

This year The Children’s Bookshow is 10 with a lot to celebrate!  The  Children's Bookshow  now reaches over 6000 children every year, bringing them the very best writers and illustrators from all over the world.

2012 sees is a thrilling line up of artists -  11 authors and illustrators performing in 12 venues across the country and a programme of free workshops in schools – starting in Bexhill on 28  September and finishing in Coventry on 8th November.

From internationally acclaimed artists such as Ulf Stark (Sweden) and Carll Cneut (Belgium), to household favourites Michael Rosen and Alexis Deacon, The Children’s Bookshow is set to inspire and delight children with great poems, beautiful illustrations and fabulous stories.

For details see The Children’s Bookshow website

Dates and Venues:

• Friday 28 September 10.30 a.m -  Carll Cneut at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill on Sea
• Monday 1st October 1.30 pm  - Patrick Benson at King's Hall, Ilkley
• Monday 1st October  10.30 am  - Daniel Morden at People's Theatre, Newcastle
• Tuesday 2nd October  11 am  – Alexis Deacon at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
• Tuesday 2nd October 10.30 am – Ulf Stark at Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
• Friday 5th October 11.00 am – Daniel Morden at New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich
• Monday 8th October 11.00 am  - Patrick Benson at The Courtyard, Hereford
• Wednesday 17th October 10.30 am -  Alexis Deacon at Theatre Royal, Plymouth
• Monday 22nd October 1.30 pm – Jessica Souhami at Kings Lynn Arts Centre, Kings Lynn
• Wednesday 24th October 1.30 pm – Kit Wright and Posy Simmonds at Oxford Playhouse
• Wednesday 7th November 10.30 am – Valerie Bloom at Arnolfini, Bristol
• Thursday 8th November 11.00 am – Michael Rosen at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

Dickens and Childhood Conference and Symposium  Monday 18 June 

 It is not too late to book  in for the one-day conference, which  will include walks, lectures, readings, and parallel sessions on topics that will appeal to students, teachers, Dickens experts, and the ‘interested reader’. The event will include an evening symposium of contemporary children’s authors speaking on how reading Dickens has influenced their work. The venue is V&A Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green, London. 

For more information or to book, visit: www.le.ac.uk/engassoc/conferences/D2012.html

Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak (red scarf) is seen here with Norton Juster (left) at an exhibition opening of his work - November 2002.

Maurice Sendak has died aged 83.  His long-time editor, Michael de Capua, told The New York Times that the author died in Danbury, Connecticut, USA, after complications from a recent stroke.  He wrote some 17 books and was a prolific illustrator perhaps best known for his 1963 tale of Max - Where the Wild Things Are.

The Aldeburgh Festival is staging two performances of Where the Wild Things Are and Higglety Pigglety Pop with music by Oliver Knussen played by the Britten Sinfonia.  Details on the festival website or bookings for the two performances (8 June at 7.30pm or 10 June at 2.30pm) ring 01728 687110.  No more fitting tribute to a great artist.

Branford Boase shortlist 2012

just to keep you all up to date...

Seven authors including three Carnegie Medal contenders on Branford Boase Award shortlist in record year for debuts The Branford Boase Award is given 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. In a year which has seen a record number of books submitted for the award there are seven books on the shortlist:

 Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough, edited by Annie Eaton and Natalie Doherty (Bodley Head)
Being Billy by Phil Earle, edited by Shannon Park (Puffin)
 Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans, edited by Annie Eaton and Ruth Knowles (Bodley Head) Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis, edited by Charlie Sheppard (Andersen Press)
Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis, edited by Liz Cross (OUP) A Beautiful Lie by Irfan Master, edited by Emma Matthewson (Bloomsbury)
 My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher, edited by Fiona Kennedy (Orion)

Of this year’s shortlist, Lissa Evans, Ali Lewis and Annabel Pitcher are all shortlisted for 2012 Carnegie Medal, the UK’s most prestigious children’s book award.

This year’s judges are independent bookseller Kate Agnew, of The Children’s Bookshop Muswell Hill; Carol Webb, 2011 School Librarian of the Year; Fiona Lafferty, editorial director of the Good Book Guide and Jason Wallace, author of Out of Shadows, winner of last year’s Branford Boase Award. The panel is chaired by Julia Eccleshare, children’s books editor of The Guardian.

Julia Eccleshare says: “In 1999, the year of the first award, only 20 titles were submitted. This year 61 submissions were made, many of those extremely impressive. Our shortlist is varied in setting, themes and voice but each book succeeds brilliantly in what it sets out to do.” The winner of the Award will be announced on Thursday July 5th 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.

Norton Juster in the UK

I thought I had written my last blog on this site but as the new team have not yet taken over thought I couldn't pass up mentioning the excellent evening at Foyles where Norton Juster talked to Nicolette Jones.

A near capacity audience rocked with laughter and learnt a little more about this fine American author. Daniel Hahn interviewed him the following morning and this will appear in the Independent on Sunday sometime during the next few weeks. An interview by Michelle Pauli will also appear on the Guardian website. And there will be an article by David Blanch in the next issue of Carousel - they met for lunch at the extremely pleasant Portrait Restaurant at the top of the National Portrait Gallery (wonderful views across Trafalgar Square).

see also http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/473585.html

New Team

As you have probably read in Carousel there are changes to the Editorial Team. I and husband Chris Stephenson felt that the 50th issue was a good point to stop. A new team will be taking over - though David, Pat and Val remain. And new people will be handling the website - the website itself will be undergoing a design change which we hope you enjoy.

If you are a writer, actual or potential or illustrator again actual or potential you might be interested to look at the schedule for the next Society of Authors Children's Writers and Illustrators Group Conference which takes place this September. Just visit www.cwigconference.com to see the programme. Non-members are welcome. Email me if you have any queries enid.stephenson@gmail.com

Salvatore Rubbino

Salvatore Rubbino's work has often received compliments in Carousel, most recently in the article looking at books about London. Now you can buy original artwork from his latest book "Just Ducks!" written by Nicola Davies and published by Walker this month.
You can see a range of them at www.childrensbookillustration.com . The top picture shown is original published artwork "They're STILL eating when I cross the bridge to go to school" Watercolour, gouache and white acrylic paint. 590mmx420mm £595. The second "Just Ducks!" is original unpublished artwork. Watercolour and gouache. 310mmx360mm £345. Any queries please contact Linda Owen-Lloyd at linda@childrensbookillustration.com

In 2011 Salvatore was judged one of the country's top ten new illustrators in the Booktrust Best New Illustrators Award.

Chinese Children's and Picture Book Art Exhibition

London hosts the first exhibition in Britain of Chinese Children's and Picture Book Illustration. The exhibition coincides with this year's focus on China at the London Book Fair and will be launched at an opening ceremony and discussion forum - The Era of Picture Reading - at the London Book Fair on Monday 16 April where British illustrators including Michael Foreman, John Burningham and Carol Thompson will meet visiting Chinese illustrators Liam Peilong, Xiong Liang and Jiang Jianwen.

The exhibition is at the Bhavan Centre, Institute of Indian Art and Culture, 4a Castletown Road, London W14 9HE 16-22 April open frm 11am to 7pm. The gallery is just round the corner from the Earls Court Exhibition Centre the site of the London Book Fair. The discussion is at the London Book Fair on 16 April at 2.30-3.30.

Campaign for the Book

Alan Gibbons says:
Schools Minister Nick Gibb has said: “I passionately believe that every school should have a school library.” I have written to him pointing out that I submitted a petition calling for statutory school libraries and it was rejected. I would urge everyone to email him on gibbn@parliament.uk asking him to move towards a position where school libraries become statutory.

Michael Morpurgo: Libraries and the NHS

The Evening Standard on 27.3.12 reporting on their Get London Reading Literacy Campaign quoted Michael Morpurgo as saying "A reading life leads to a wider understanding of the world around you and your place in it. It is something you can do all your life and free, as long as there are libraries" Keeping libraries free is as important as keeping the NHS free, he added "In this country we all believe that health care should be free at the point of delivery. Literature, stories and poems are the same. It is not something just for rich, educated and privileged people, it is for all of us."

Carnegie Medal Shortlist 2012

DEBUTS SHINE ON YOUNGEST CARNEGIE SHORTLIST FOR YEARS

No less than four debut novels feature on the eight-strong shortlist for this year's CILIP Carnegie Medal; the UK's most prestigious children's book award which has a long track record of spotting new writing talent ahead of the game.

First children's novels by Lissa Evans, Ali Lewis, Annabel Pitcher and Ruta Sepetys go head to head with books by former CILIP Carnegie Medal winner, David Almond; Sonya Harnett; Andy Mulligan, and Patrick Ness, the 2011 CILIP Carnegie winner.

The eight books on this year's shortlist are variously suitable for readers of 12 years, or younger, bucking the trend of recent shortlists which have majored on teenage and young adult fiction. Against diverse settings ranging from contemporary England, outback Australia and wartime Siberia; to places imagined but with strong echoes of our turbulent world today; the shortlisted novels take young readers into the lives and minds of a diverse cast of characters as they contend with everything from bereavement; poverty, corruption and tyranny, to a recalcitrant young camel, and the difficulty of finding the right words.

CILIP Carnegie shortlist 2012

David Almond
MY NAME IS MINA
Hodder (9+)
ISBN: 9780340997253

Lissa Evans
SMALL CHANGE FOR STUART
>Doubleday (8+)
ISBN: 9780385618007

Sonya Hartnett
THE MIDNIGHT ZOO
Walker (9+)
ISBN: 9781406331493

Ali Lewis
EVERYBODY JAM
Andersen (12+)
ISBN: 9781849392488

Andy Mulligan
TRASH
David Fickling (12+)
ISBN: 9780385619011

Patrick Ness
A MONSTER CALLS
Walker (9+)
ISBN: 9781406311525

Annabel Pitcher
MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE
Orion (10+)
ISBN: 9781444001839

Ruta Sepetys
BETWEEN SHADES OF GREY
Puffin (12+)
ISBN: 9780141335889

Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlist 2012

GREENAWAY SHORTLIST CELEBRATES THE ILLUSTRATORS' ART, FOR READERS OF ALL AGES

Ink and photoshop, watercolours and wax crayons, papercuts, and even beetles and breadboards: an enormous variety of techniques and art styles are celebrated on the eight-strong shortlist for this year's CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal; the UK's most prestigious prize for children's book illustration, and the only one to consider illustration exclusively.

Previous winners Catherine Rayner and Emily Gravett have again impressed the judges with their skilful command of paint, layout and narrative; 2010 nominee Viviane Schwarz is back, her bold cats literally exploding from the pages; Petr Horacek and Vicky White both illustrate animals too, vividly, but in very contrasting styles: his puffin is rendered in bright, bright acrylics and wax, while she uses charcoal, paint and pastel to equally stunning effect. Meanwhile Rob Ryan's exquisite papercut illustrations perfectly match Carol Ann Duffy's text in The Gift.

This year the shortlist highlights the importance of illustration in books for older readers: Dave McKean's extraordinary piece of graphic storytelling is integral to David Almond's Slog's Dad; Jim Kay's atmospheric and textured images are an organic and vital element of A Monster Calls (also shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal).

CILIP Kate Greenaway shortlist 2012

Emily Gravett
WOLF WON'T BITE
Macmillan (4+)
ISBN: 9780230704251

Petr Horáček
PUFFIN PETER
Walker Books (4+)
ISBN: 9781406324600

Jim Kay (text by Patrick Ness)
A MONSTER CALLS
Walker Books (9+)
ISBN: 9781406311525

Dave McKean (Text by David Almond)
SLOG'S DAD
Walker Books (8+)
ISBN: 9781406322903

Catherine Rayner
SOLOMON CROCODILE
Macmillan (4+)
ISBN: 9780230529229

Rob Ryan (Text by Carol Anne Duffy)
THE GIFT
Barefoot Books (6+)
ISBN: 9781846863547

Viviane Schwarz
THERE ARE NO CATS IN THIS BOOK
Walker Books (4+)
ISBN: 9781406316896

Vicky White (Text by Martin Jenkins)
CAN WE SAVE THE TIGER?
Walker Books (6+)
ISBN: 9781406319095

Norton Juster in conversation - London

Norton Juster in conversation with Nicolette Jones
26th April 2012 6:30pm - 7:30pm Charing Cross Road Literary Event, Children's Event, Free Event

On the 50th anniversary of The Phantom Tollbooth's arrival on British soil, its author Norton Juster makes a rare visit to the UK. Juster will be discussing his life, work and inspiration, plus his much-awaited new book Alberic the Wise with writer, journalist and broadcaster Nicolette Jones.

Venue: The Gallery at Foyles,Third Floor, Charing Cross Road
Tickets: Free, but need to be reserved by adding the required number to the basket below or by emailing events@foyles.co.uk. No physical tickets will be issued: the order confirmation you will receive after adding ticket/s to your basket is your proof of reservation.

Little Angel Theatre May - July

Box Office: 020 7226 1787

Little Angel Theatre,14 Dagmar Passage, London N1 2DN

www.littleangeltheatre.com

The Ugly Duckling
A Little Angel Theatre Production for ages 3+

A Little Angel classic keeping close to the spirit of Hans Anderson’s perceptive story. Accompanied by live music and voices, beautifully made puppets tell the story of the little Duckling who grows up feeling “different”. Meet Mother Duck and her charming family, the wise Blackbird, the friendly Bug-Eyed Toad and the pompous Great Gobble-Gobble Turkey. An adventure is waiting to be had ending in cheers aplenty with this classic tale.
Running Time: Approx 1 hour 10 mins including interval
Performance Dates and Times:
Sat 19 May – Sun 8 Jul 2012
Wed / Thu: 10am and 1pm (11am and 2pm during Easter holidays)
Friday: 1pm and 5pm (11am and 2pm during Easter holidays)
Sat / Sun: 11am and 2pm
Suitable for ages 3+

Baby friendly performances on Sundays at 11am. Extra baby friendly performance on Thu 7 Jun 11am.
Relaxed performance on 16 June, 2pm
Designed for adults or children who might find it difficult to sit quietly and still for an entire performance, or who are uncomfortable with sudden lighting changes or loud noises.

Workshops etc - details on the theatre website

David McKee: Mr Benn, Elmer and Me

This informative and utterly delightful short film, under 4 minutes, can be accessed from the Guardian web site
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/audioslideshow/2012/mar/15/david-mckee-elmer

Dundee Children's Festival

This lively Children's Festival takes place at Dundee Rep from 2-12 April. Full details on www.dundeerep.co.uk

Hurry to Leith Gallery

Artist, Marie Louise Wrightson is having a solo exhibition at the Leith Gallery, 65 The Shore, Edinburgh EH6 6RA from 3rd to 31st March.

Marie when asked about her inspiration said,

"Like many people, I have been influenced and inspired by fairy tales, cartoons, films and children’s books; especially the Alice in Wonderland stories. With cautionary messages and wonderful worlds in which to escape, little Alice, the Mad Hatter and The Queen of Hearts have always created an endless fascination and curiosity of wonder for me."

Marie is joined by sculptors Robert Ellis and James Coplestone of Robert James Workshop with their sculptures of various characters from the book.
Local stained glass artist, Emma Butler-Cole Aitken has produced some Mimsy Borogoves and a Cheshire Cat especially for the exhibition.


Cheshire Cat by Emma Butler-Cole Aitken
Hatter's Tea Party by Marie Louise Wrightson

Big Book Challenge

With recent reading initiatives to encourage children to read, including World Book Day in March, The Children’s Trust is re-launching its Big Book Challenge. Children of all ages are invited to take part in this special challenge to read as many books as possible over the next few months and, through sponsorship from family and friends, raise money for children with disabilities. Every penny raised will help to enhance the lives of some very special children at The Children’s Trust, who receive care, education and therapy, including children with an acquired brain injury.

Every child, who takes part in the Big Book Challenge, will receive a special certificate. In addition, each child who raises over £50, will receive a copy of ‘The Bestest Ever Bear’ poetry book, a delightful collection of bear poems. For more information visit: www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/bigbookchallenge or call Sherene on 01737 365017.

Blue Peter Awards

The nation’s children have voted Diary of a Wimpy Kid by American author Jeff Kinney as Blue Peter’s Best Children’s Book of the Last 10 Years, beating J K Rowling’s boy wizard to the top spot in a special online vote.

South London author Gareth P Jones will also be howling with excitement to learn that his werewolf mystery The Considine Curse has triumphed to win the accolade of Blue Peter Book of the Year.

Blue Peter Editor Tim Levell comments on the winners:
‘I am delighted with our two winning books. They are very different in terms of subject matter: one about school life, one about a creepy family with a secret. But they're both funny, well-observed and well-written books that do exactly what Blue Peter tries to do: treat children as grown-ups. The awards even contained a bit of a shock, with Diary of a Wimpy Kid beating hot favourite and top-seller Harry Potter. The accident-prone American upstart has snatched a bit of the boy wizard's
magic.’

The shortlist for the Best Children’s Book of the Last 10 years (in title order) was:
Alex Rider Mission 3: Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz (Walker Books, 2002)
Candyfloss by Jacqueline Wilson, illustrated by Nick Sharratt (Random House Children’s
Books, 2006)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (Puffin, 2008)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J K Rowling (Bloomsbury, 2003)
Horrid Henry and the Football Fiend by Francesca Simon, illustrated by Tony Ross (Orion
Children’s Books, 2006)
Mr Stink by David Walliams, illustrated by Quentin Blake (HarperCollins Children’s Books,
2009)
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo (HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2003)
The Series of Unfortunate Events: Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket (Egmont Books,
2002)
Theodore Boone by John Grisham (Hodder & Stoughton, 2010)
Young Bond: SilverFin ─ A James Bond Adventure by Charlie Higson (Puffin, 2005)

·The shortlist for the Blue Peter Book of the Year 2012 was:
Discover the Extreme World by Camilla de la Bedoyere, Clive Gifford, John Farndon,
Steve Parker, Stewart Ross and Philip Steele (Miles Kelly)
The Official Countdown to the London 2012 Games by Simon Hart (Carlton Books)
The Considine Curse by Gareth P Jones (Bloomsbury)
A Year without Autumn by Liz Kessler (Orion Children’s Books)

·
·booktrust.org.uk/bluepeter
·