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Zohreh Ghaeni, president of 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury, has created a new website which provides information on the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Awards’ candidates. The prize, named after Danish author Hans Christian Anderson, is sometimes known as the “Little Nobel Prize” is an international award given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in recognition of a “lasting contribution to children’s literature”. There are two categories of award winners: authors and illustrators. For  the 2010 Awards, 28 writers and 27 illustrators have been nominated by 32 different IBBY National Sections. The winners will be announced at the IBBY Press Conference at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair on Tuesday, 23 March 2010.

Some of my ‘babies’ promoting STORY as a way to reach the world for 2010 are:-

International Conference in GOA India – January 2010 

SCBWI International Conference at The Hughenden 17-19th September 2010

The Kids & YA Literature Festival at the NSW Writers Centre Rozelle 3rd July 2010

My new book ALWAYS JACK comes out for Breast Cancer Awareness month October 2010

I AM JACK in the USA published by Tricycle (Random House USA)

PEACE for Kids – 5th Nami Island Children’s Book Festival, South Korea – IBBY (IBBY), UNICEF, UNESCO - November 2010

Storytellers, Partners in Crime, Sydney Writers & Illustrators Network, Launch of ‘Fear Factor – Terror Incognito Picador – at The Hughenden 2010 www.thehughenden.com.au

More News coming … let’s make 2010 an amazing year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR  TO ALL!  

Today the organizers of The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, given annually to books and works that reflect the spirit of Astrid Lindgren, have announced the 168 candidates nominated for the 2010 award (to download the nomination list as a pdf, click here).

The list of writers, illustrators, oral storytellers and literacy-related organizations, working in various literary traditions and languages, represents more than 60 countries and is a treasure trove of talent and commitment to books and reading.

In addition to author Allen Say and author/promoter of literacy Greg Mortenson, proudly nominated by us, the list includes, among many others, New Zealander author Margaret Mahy; Australian Hazel Edwards; South African Niki Daly; Mongolian writer/poet/promoter of reading Dashdondog Jamba and Filipino illustrator Albert Gamos. And for organizations promoting reading and literacy, it lists IBBY International; Room to Read, in the U.S.; Filipino publishing house Adarna; La Fundación Riecken from Guatemala, and many more.

Considering all these strong candidates, it looks like the jury members have their work cut out for them. Their decision will be a hard one to reach—but reach it they will (and expertly so)! The winner or winners will be announced in Vimmerby, Sweden (the birthplace of Astrid Lindgren) on March 24, 2010, and the announcement will be broadcast live to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, in Italy (which next year will take place March 23-25).

It's International Children's Books Day!...

After a day of foolin' around, we get a day to celebrate the children's book.

Since the late '60s, the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) has celebrated International Children's Book Day on (or around) April 2nd, the anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen's birth, "to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children's books."

From IBBY's website:

Each year a different National Section of IBBY has the opportunity to be the international sponsor of ICBD. It decides upon a theme and invites a prominent author from the host country to write a message to the children of the world and a well-known illustrator to design a poster. These materials are used in different ways to promote books and reading. Many IBBY Sections promote ICBD through the media and organize activities in schools and public libraries. Often ICBD is linked to celebrations around children's books and other special events that may include encounters with authors and illustrators, writing competitions or announcements of book awards.

IBBY’s January Newsletter highlights an exciting project

to enhance friendship between Turkish & Greek children through picture books.

The project ran from March 2007 to June 2008 and worked with 7-8 year olds in both countries. The children explored each other’s cultures through picture books and exchanged letters, photographs and gifts. One of the books they used was the the trilingual (Greek, Turkish and English) A Bridge of Sea by Greek poet Lia Karavia and Turkish writer and illustrator Serpil Ural:

With its message of understanding between people of different backgrounds, the book aims at promoting peace and friendship between Turks and Greeks.

Together, the Greek and Turkish IBBY Sections

proved that children’s books can be used as a tool for better understanding of the other, thus easing the way for peace in the area.

Once again, we see the potential of children’s books to change the world:

a bridge of books can be built among neighbouring countries. Such bridges can go all around the world creating passages to friendship and peace.

IBBY’s January Newsletter highlights an exciting project

to enhance friendship between Turkish & Greek children through picture books.

The project ran from March 2007 to June 2008 and worked with 7-8 year olds in both countries. The children explored each other’s cultures through picture books and exchanged letters, photographs and gifts. One of the books they used was the the trilingual (Greek, Turkish and English) A Bridge of Sea by Greek poet Lia Karavia and Turkish writer and illustrator Serpil Ural:

With its message of understanding between people of different backgrounds, the book aims at promoting peace and friendship between Turks and Greeks.

Together, the Greek and Turkish IBBY Sections

proved that children’s books can be used as a tool for better understanding of the other, thus easing the way for peace in the area.

Once again, we see the potential of children’s books to change the world:

a bridge of books can be built among neighbouring countries. Such bridges can go all around the world creating passages to friendship and peace.

(Click on event name for more information)

Children’s Book Holiday~ Mongolia

Grimm Stuff: Folktales and Fairy Stories Exhibition~ ongoing until Nov 8, Wellington, New Zealand

Book Week~ ongoing until Nov 9, Japan

28th Santiago International Book Fair~ ongoing until Nov 16, Santiago, Chile

The Heart of Innocence: Exhibition of Works for Children by Czech Illustrators~ ongoing until Nov 23, Macau

Children’s Literature Festival~ Nov 1, Keene, NH, USA

The Kennedy Center’s 13th Annual Multicultural Children’s Book Festival~ Nov 1, Washington, D.C., USA

The Once Upon a World Children’s Book Award Festival~ Nov 2, Los Angeles, CA, USA

TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award Winners Announced~ Nov 6, Toronto, ON, Canada

Kaleidoscope Children’s Literature Conference: Bridging Worlds ~ Nov 6 - 8, Calgary, AB, Canada

YALSA’s Young Adult Literature Symposium: How We Read Now~ Nov 7 - 9, Nashville, TN, USA

12th Annual Rochester Children’s Book Festival~ Nov 8, Rochester, NY, USA

17th Annual Connecticut Children’s Book Fair~ Nov 8 - 9, Storrs, CT, USA

National Young Reader’s Day~ Nov 10 - 14, USA

Over Rainbows and Down Rabbit Holes: The Art of Children’s Books Exhibition~Nov 11 - Mar 8/09, Amherst, MA, USA

28th Indonesia Book Fair~ Nov 12 - 16, Jakarta, Indonesia

National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) 18th International Conference~ Nov 12 - 16, New Orleans, LA, USA

National Book Week~ Nov 14 - 20, India

IBBY/NCRCL Conference: Ecology, Environment and Children’s Literature~ Nov 15, London, United Kingdom

7th Annual National Pacific Islander Educator Network (NPIEN) Conference~ Nov 15, Paramount, CA, USA

Children’s Book Week: Classic Canadian Reading~ Nov 15 - 22, Canada

National Library Board’s 9th Asian Children’s Festival~ Nov 15 - 23, Singapore

Govenor General’s Literary Award Winners Announced~ Nov 18, Montreal, QC, Canada

26th Annual National Black Storytelling Festival and Conference~ Nov 19 - 23, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Children’s Literature Assembly Events at the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention~ Nov 20 - 23, San Antonio, TX, USA

7th Annual International Children’s and Young Adult Literature Celebration~ Nov 22, Madison, WI, USA

Bookaroo: India’s First Ever Festival of Children’s Literature~ Nov 22 - 23, New Delhi, India

Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) Workshop: Negotiations & Love Songs:The Literature of Young Adults~ Nov 24 - 25, San Antonio, TX, USA

Salon du Livre et de la Presse Jeunesse: Children’s Books & Magazines~ Nov 26 - Dec 1, France

Guadalajara Book Fair~ Nov 29 - Dec 7, Guadalajara, Mexico

(Click on event name for more information)

Canadian Library Month~ Canada

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read~ ongoing until Oct 4, USA

International Children’s and Youth Literature Festival~ ongoing until Oct 4, Berlin, Germany

3rd Annual CYBIL (Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards) Nominations Open~ Oct 1 - 15

National Young Writers’ Festival~ Oct 2-6, Newcastle, Australia

Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards Ceremony~ Oct 3, Boston, MA, USA

21st Yukon International Storytelling Festival~ Oct 3-5, Whitehorse, YK, Canada

2008 Ceremony of Best Books~ Oct 4, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Américas Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature Winners Ceremony~ Oct 4, Washington, D.C., USA

Orange County Children’s Book Festival~ Oct 5, Costa Mesa, CA, USA

Children’s Book Week~ Oct 6-12, United Kingdom

13th Annual New England Conference on Multicultural Education~ Oct 8, Hartford, CT, USA

School Library Journal Webcast: Capturing Struggling Readers and Reluctant Readers~ Oct 8

Book It! Cheltenham’s Children’s Literature Festival~ Oct 10-19, Cheltenham, United Kingdom

18th Monterrey International Book Fair~ Oct 11-19, Monterrey, Mexico

YALSA’s Teen Read Week: Books With Bite @ Your Library~ Oct 12-18, USA

“Multicultural Bites” with authors Mitali Perkins, Coe Booth and An Na (part of ReaderGirlz’s celebration of Teen Read Week)~ Oct 13

Ubud Writers and Readers Festival~ Oct 14-19, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Frankfurt Book Fair~ Oct 15-19, Frankfurt, Germany

55th Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards Ceremony~ Oct 17, New York, NY, USA

IBBY Ireland Conference: Green Gables to Globalization: Crossover, Canada and Children’s Books~ Oct 18, Dublin, Ireland

SCBWI Tokyo Writers’ Day~ Oct 18, Tokyo, Japan

Children’s Literature Council Fall Gala~ Oct 18, Santa Ana, CA, USA

Vancouver International Writers Festival~ Oct 21-26, Vancouver, BC, Canada

The Big Picture Party: Celebrate the Power of Picture Books~ Oct 27, London, United Kingdom

Book Week~ Oct 27-Nov 9, Japan

Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Awards Ceremony~ Oct 30, San Marcos, TX, USA

28th Santiago International Book Fair~ Oct 31-Nov 16, Santiago, Chile

During our session with the IFLA (International Federation of Libraries Associations and Institutions) in Bologna, both speakers (Patsy Aldana and Viviana Quiñones) stressed the importance of children having access to books which both reflect their experiences and open windows onto other customs and cultures. We were urged to pay a visit to the stand shared by a number of different African publishers, and there we met three very special publishers, all producing books to meet that demand.

The first two were librarians we had met at the session the day before: Antoinette F. Correa from BLD (Bibliothèque-Lecture-Développement) Éditions in Senegal and Pili Dumea of the Children’s Book Project (CBP) for Tanzania.

Antoinette, pictured right with a selection of her books, told me that she set up BLD Éditions to meet the needs of both teachers and pupils, who were crying out for access to good books in their own language. She is a well-known figure in the IFLA, and sees the continued development of libraries as crucial work: as well as publishing books, BLD helps to set up libraries and trains librarians.

Pili, pictured left, is secretary to the CBP for Tanzania, which, again, connects children with books published locally. Last year the CBP was awarded the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize for its work promoting the love of books among children and adults. One eleven-year-old, talking about her school library, following the school’s affiliation to the CBP, said

“I have read most of the books in the school library which helped me learn about different topics through interesting stories told in our own national language, Kiswahili, which is easier to understand than English.”

The third publisher was Bakamé Éditions from Rwanda, who publish children’s books in the national language, Kinyarwanda, which is understood by all Rwandans. They also run various projects to promote reading, including their “Bibliothèque en route” – a rucksack library, which takes books out to children who do not have access to an actual library. It gets a tiny mention on their English pages, but if you read French, there’s more here. Editions Bakamé was the joint recipient of this year’s IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award and this article on IBBY’s website is also an interesting read.

The work these organisations are doing is truly awe-inspiring and it was a real privilege to meet Antoinette and Pili.

Continuing with our current literacy focus, and thinking towards World Literacy Day on September 8th, this is the first of three posts focusing on and beyond a session at this year’s Bologna Book Fair…

In my first post following our return from the Bologna Book Fair, I highlighted the session organised by the IFLA (International Federation of Libraries Associations and Institutions). The session was organised by the Netherlands Public Library Association and they called it “Invitation to JES: Join – Enjoy – Share”. Despite not being librarians, Aline and I were made very welcome and we really enjoyed chatting to the librarians afterwards. In fact, the various informal discussions got so lively that we were asked to keep the noise down – well, makes a change! As well as our Dutch hosts, there were children’s librarians there from all over the world: Australia, Colombia, Croatia, France, Italy, Japan, Senegal and Tanzania. The atmosphere was buzzing!

We had two speakers: the first, Patsy Aldana, the current president of IBBY, gave us a fascinating talk entitled “Books as Mirrors” in which she traced the history of Multicultural Book publishing in her native Canada, and in which her own Groundwood Books has been so ground-breaking (for more on multiculturalism in Canadian publishing, see here). It had been a very painful struggle, she said, to define the role of the writer: who could write legitimately about what? Those white people who had been the only published writers of books under the multicultural umbrella would ask, “Why can’t I write whatever I want? Who are you to tell me not to write about your experience?” and were being asked “What right do you have to steal my story – the world you’re describing is not real”.

This situation is now much resolved in Canada but there are still real concerns. “Children need books that are windows and books that are mirrors,” she said: and unfortunately there is uneven access for children to these kinds of books. What happens to children who never see themselves in the books they read; and one step further, what happens when children are not taught to read in their own language? It is an enormous disincentive to the desire to read. She pointed to the work of some “fabulous” small publishers from all over the world and urged us to visit their stands at the fair – such as Tara Books from India, Ekeré from Venezuela, and Editions Bakamé from Rwanda, (which shared this year’s IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award). Small publishers need our support because so often it is their books which give “that flash of recognition – That is me!”

Citing the example of an Iranian librarian in Sweden who is able to ensure that children of Iranian background can access books attuned to their experience and outlook, Patsy concluded by saying that librarians are the people who can be relied on to bring books to children. Librarians can insist on quality – for without quality it is hard to foster a love of reading and provide the key to the mirror/window.

I think there’s plenty to chew on there and I will post about the second speaker in Part2!

Among the hundreds of publishers from all over the world at the Bologna Book Fair was Kasmir Promet from Croatia. Aline and I were immediately attracted to their booth by the amazing book-sculpture furniture at the front. We liked the posters on display too and bought some postcards. I’m so glad we did as it was only at that point we realised that the artist Andrea Petrlik Huseinović was there and that one beautiful set of her artwork, all in shades of blue, black and white, was from a book which is available in English: and it really is something special.

The Blue Sky is about a little 10-year-old girl who has lost her parents. There is nobody in the world to love her so she shuts herself away in the high tower she builds around herself and looks towards the sky in search of her mother. First the birds become her friends and then, as she remembers happy times with her mother, she starts to make friends with the different sky creatures her memories conjure up. Finally, a blackbird appears. The bird, which had been rescued as a fledgling by the girl and her mother, has come to reunite them. “Nobody has ever seen her again. The birds that fly in the blue sky say that she is somewhere in the clouds, together with her mother”.

This heart-breaking story has a fairy-tale quality which means that children will find it sad, yes, but not unbearable. The fact that the girl is reunited with her mother (and it is a fact, as far as my children are concerned, for example) means that the outcome is positive. However, this is also a cautionary tale with a stern message made clear from the outset: “Had someone hugged her with care and love, had she only experienced a little warmth, the story would have been different”.

Andrea Petrlik Huseinovic has won many awards for her work, both at home in Croatia and internationally. Her illustrations for Pinocchio earned her a place on the IBBY Honour List in 2002; and in 2003 she was awarded a Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB) Plaque for her illustrations for The Blue Sky and Alice in Wonderland. The original paintings for both these books were bought by the Chihiro Art Museum in Japan for its International Collection. Appropriately enough, the idea for The Blue Sky came to Andrea during a UNESCO-BIB art workshop in Bratislava in 2001. In an afterword she talks about her own background, including “the saddest thing in my life”: she lost both her parents when she was ten years old. This knowledge, of course, adds poignancy to the story but it is clear that it is not meant to be taken as autobiographical. It remains an allegory for what happens when children are alone and we do not stretch out our hands and hearts to them. It’s an extraordinary book that works on many levels, for children and adults. It’s the kind of book that needs to be read together, whether as a family or as a school group; and it offers scope for enriching and soul-searching discussion. I bought two copies: one for my boys and one for their school library.

You can read it for yourselves straight away here as it is in the International Children’s Digital Library. If it proves hard sourcing a personal copy, it can be ordered directly from the publisher…

Ah, Bologna!

Aline and I have much to tell about our fantastic trip to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair at the beginning of this month. There really is no better event to take the pulse of the children’s book publishing world: and what a world that is!

We’ve met so many interesting people and enjoyed putting faces to names of organisations and publishers; we’ve attended inspiring presentations; and have been dazzled by the quality and endlessly varied styles of the illustrations we’ve come across, both in the books we have browsed through and as part of the fair’s special exhibits. The overall impression was of immense industry – people in deep discussion, buying and selling rights; looking through artists’ portfolios; rushing between presentations – what a buzz!

Over the next few weeks, Aline and I will be posting on a variety of topics. In the meantime, here are some of the highlights for us, in no particular order:

Looking at the proofs for Ed Young’s new book, Wabi Sabi (written by Mark Reibstein);
Meeting librarians from all over the world at a session organised by the IFLA (International Federation of Libraries Associations and Institutions) – so lively that we were asked to be quiet…! – and hearing IBBY President and Canadian Groundwood Books publisher, Patricia Aldana’s presentation entitled “Books as Mirrors”;
Attending the launch of the International Youth Library’s White Ravens 2008 catalog;
Listening to poets Michael Rosen (UK Children’s Laureate) and Jorge Lujan’s contributions to a panel titled “Poetry Break: Poetry in Children’s Books”;
Attending the award-presentation of the Bologna Raggazzi “New Horizons” Award to Chennai-based Tara Publishing, for the hand-made book The Nightlife of Trees, and watching how the book came into being;
Hearing illustrators Robert Ingpen and Paul O. Zelinsky talk about their contributions to the book Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children About Their Art (the proceeds of which go to the Eric Carl Museum of Picture Book Art.)…

Well, I could just keep going – and I will. And so will Aline: so keep coming back as the full picture unfolds…

This date, April 2, has been established as International Children’s Book Day to commemorate Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday and “to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children's books” around the world. The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY.org) is the sponsoring group and each year a different national section creates a promotional poster for this day. This year, it’s Thailand, with the theme of “Books enlighten; knowledge delights.” For a poetry tie-in look for Minfong Ho’s collection Maples in the Mist: Children's Poems from the Tang Dynasty (Lothrop, 1996) which she compiled and translated from the Chinese. Ho was born in Burma and grew up in Singapore and Thailand. She has authored several picture books and novels for young people set in each of these countries including: Rice Without Rain, Hush!: A Thai Lullaby, The Clay Marble, The Stone Goddess, Sing to the Dawn, among others. Here’s one of my favorite poems from Maples in the Mist.

Traveler’s Song
by Meng Jia

My loving mother, thread in hand,
Mended the coat I have on now,
Stitch by stitch, just before I left home,
Thinking that I might be gone a long time.
How can a blade of young grass
Ever repay the warmth of the spring sun?

From Maples in the Mist: Children's Poems from the Tang Dynasty (Lothrop, 1996) collected and translated by Minfong Ho

Tuck this one away and save it for Mother’s Day, too.

P.S. I’m excited to announce that Dr. Cathy Kurkjian (in Connecticut) and I will be serving as the next editorial team for Bookbird, the international journal of children’s literature, the quarterly publication of IBBY, beginning in January, 2009.

Picture credit: http://www.ibby.org/index.php?id=317

A lot of book reviews are written by freelancers who also write books themselves. It makes sense. They love books and know books. But what does that same paper do when they need to review a book written by someone who also receives some kind of pay from them? Do they skip the review? Run a disclaimer? Other?

Such was the case with Chelsea Cain, a weekly contributor to the Oregonian who writes wistful, gentle pieces that connect her past to some goings on about town. Well, now she's come out with a huge debut, a very bloody serial killer book called Heartsick.

The paper ultimately decided to have Chelsea perform both halves of a Q &A. But the Oregonian's managing editor/readership and standards Therese Bottomly says on her editor's blog that in hindsight this was not a good solution. "A straightforward review or news item would have served readers best." (Full disclosure: I think it would have to have been a news item. Portland is a small enough book town that I bet almost anyone they assigned would have know Chelsea a little bit.) Read her blog here, as well as links to the TWO NYT reviews (one pretty good, one not so good, but reader, don't all authors want to experience the heady feeling of having not one, but two reviews in the NYT) . Read the Q&A that started it all here .

Even if the book reviewers don't write themselves, what if the reviewer has become friends with the person whose books they review? My editor has asked me to review books by authors he feels he's too close to.

I think this is a conundrum with no easy answer.





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