The books up for Best Picture Book in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
The books up for Best Picture Book in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
From sharks and dawn raids to earthquakes, kidnap plots, Jean Batten and the chaos that is kids at breakfast time, top New Zealand books published in the past 12 months for children and young people have been named.
Some 33 local authors and illustrators are finalists in the 2018 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, chosen from 152 entries submitted for the awards. The judges say the shortlist's strength is the range of vividly drawn and memorable characters who encounter both physical and mental challenges.
"These books, fiction and non-fiction, help us try on different lives, see the world through another's eyes, and be inspired by stories of our past, present, and possible futures," says convener of judges, Jeannie Skinner.
They also enjoyed the richly authentic voices, which reflect the New Zealand landscape, vernacular and humour, with convincingly drawn family and peer dynamics.
The winners of the 2018 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are announced on Wednesday, August 8. School children can meet the 2018 finalist authors and illustrators at four regional events in the week leading up to the awards ceremony. These are in Hamilton, Dunedin, and Wellington.
Meanwhile, French school children have gifted one acclaimed New Zealand writer/artist an international win.
The first book in Donovan Bixley's Flying Furballs series has been selected by young readers in France to receive the Tatoulu prize. Founded 20 years ago, the prize aims to encourage children to read and discuss books.
Children register to take part in Tatoulu (which means you've read everything), read a selection of books and vote for the one they most enjoyed. Flying Furballs 1: Dogfight or Les Aerochats as it's known in France, won a landslide victory in its category.
"I feel like the cat who got the cream with this award," says Bixley. "It's the best kind of accolade to know that children on the other side of the world have chosen Flying Furballs as a winner because kids are completely honest with their response to books . . . if they don't like something, they just put it down."
The prize adds to an already busy year for Bixley.
In March, he went to the Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy; in May illustrations from his take on Old MacDonald's Farm were used for a special Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra performance for children. Next month, he releases the fifth book in the series, Flying Furballs 5: Kit-napped, and in August, he launches a reimagining of the story of Māui.
Meanwhile, the 2018 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are:
Picture Book Award Granny McFlitter the Champion Knitter, Heather Haylock, illustrated by Lael Chisholm (Penguin Random House) I am Jellyfish, Ruth Paul (Penguin Random House) That's Not the Monster We Ordered, Richard Fairgray & Terry Jones (Penguin Random House) The Gift Horse, Sophie Siers, illustrated by Katharine White (Millwood Press) The Longest Breakfast, Jenny Bornholdt, illustrated by Sarah Wilkins (Gecko Press)
Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction
Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction
How Not to Stop a Kidnap Plot, Suzanne Main (Scholastic NZ)
How to Bee, Bren MacDibble (Allen & Unwin)
Lyla: Through My Eyes — Natural Disaster Zones, Fleur Beale, edited by Lyn White (Allen & Unwin)
My New Zealand Story: Dawn Raid, Pauline (Vaeluaga) Smith (Scholastic NZ)
