BfK News: March 1997
CONFERENCES
The Federation of Children’s Book Groups
Plymouth Conference 4th to 6th April 1997
The Federation of Children’s Book Groups will be holding its annual conference at The University of Plymouth with the theme Turning Tides and Hidden Depths. Speakers include Michael Foreman, Philip Ridley, Theresa Breslin, Philip Pullman, Simon James and Frank Hodge (USA). There will a wide choice of seminars led by special guests including Michael Morpurgo. Topics will range from ‘Ideas for Stories’, ‘Organising a Book Event’, ‘The American Scene’ and more. There will also be a publishers’ exhibition and a book shop.
The cost of a full residential weekend is £110 for Federation members and £135 for non-members. Daily rates are also available. Information from: Ali Pedlar, 19 Dunraven Drive, Derriford, Plymouth, Devon PL6 6AR enclosing a 26p s.a.e.
Children’s Books Ireland
1997 Children’s Literature Summer School: `Letting in the Light’
23rd to 25th May 1997
The new Children’s Books Ireland (incorporating CLAI & ICBT) is holding its 7th summer school in The Dublin Writers’ Museum, 18 Parnell Square, Dublin 1. Speakers include Benjamin Zephaniah, Aidan and Nancy Chambers, Janni Howker, Theresa Breslin, Melvyn Burgess and Don Conroy.
Information and full programme from: Clare Ranson, Children’s Books Ireland, The Irish Writers’ Centre, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 (Phone/Fax: 00 353 1 872 5854) or Liz Morris (membership secretary) on 00 353 1 830 8348.
PRIZES
Anne Fine has won the Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year prize with The Tulip Touch (Hamish Hamilton), reviewed in BfK 102. The judges were Elizabeth Hammill, Jacqueline Wilson, Joanna Carey and two fourteen-year-olds – Cameron Queen and Ela Stevenson, the winners of a book review competition run by Whitbread and The Times.
Jacqueline Wilson was the overall winner of the Sheffield Children’s Book Awards for Double Act (Doubleday), also the short novels category winner. Jill Murphy won the picture books category for The Last Noo Noo (Walker) and Robert Swindells won the longer novels category for Unbeliever (Hamish Hamilton).
PEOPLE
Author Philippa Pearce, best known for Tom’s Midnight Garden, and poet Roger McGough received the OBE in the new year’s Honours Lists.
Anne Fine has won the Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year prize with The Tulip Touch (Hamish Hamilton), reviewed in BfK 102. The judges were Elizabeth Hammill, Jacqueline Wilson, Joanna Carey and two fourteen-year-olds – Cameron Queen and Ela Stevenson, the winners of a book review competition run by Whitbread and The Times.
Jacqueline Wilson was the overall winner of the Sheffield Children’s Book Awards for Double Act (Doubleday), also the short novels category winner. Jill Murphy won the picture books category for The Last Noo Noo (Walker) and Robert Swindells won the longer novels category for Unbeliever (Hamish Hamilton).
Lesley Sim is the 1997 Chair of the Youth Libraries Group, the section of the Library Association responsible for work with children and young people. Lesley, who is a children’s librarian in Hampshire, has previously been YLG’s Publications Officer. She will also chair the judging panel for the Library Association’s Carnegie and Kate Greenaway awards.
Catherine Blanchard, head of children’s services at Hertfordshire Libraries, is the only librarian on the government’s National Reading Initiative advisory panel. The broad aim of the Initiative is to encourage more children to read. Other panel members include the TV personality and children’s author, Floella Benjamin, and actor Timothy West.
Barry Cunningham and Elinor Bagenal are setting up a new children’s company for Element Books. They were previously Editorial Director and Senior Editor respectively for Bloomsbury Children’s Books.
Sarah Odedina has been appointed Editorial Director for Bloomsbury Children’s Books. Joining her from Penguin Children’s Books, Emma Matthewson has been appointed Commissioning Editor.
Fiona Kenshole has been appointed Publishing Director of Children’s and Reference Books for Oxford University Press. She was previously Publishing Director for Hodder Children’s Books.
Andrea Reece has been promoted to Deputy Managing Director at Hodder Children’s Books.
Susie Jenvy has been appointed Editor for Faber Children’s Books.
Alex Strick has been appointed Children’s Literature Manager at Book Trust. She previously worked for the St John Ambulance managing the Youth Section.
Ian Spanton has been appointed UK Sales manager for Walker Books.
OBITUARY
Edward Blishen
(1920-1996)
The writer and literary journalist Edward Blishen died on 13th December. The 76-year-old writer began his career as a teacher and then progressed to being a freelance writer and broadcaster. His books include Roaring Boys (1955), a semi-fictional account of life in a London secondary modern school, and The God Beneath the Sea (1970), a retelling of Greek myths which won the Carnegie Medal, as well as anthologies such as The Oxford Book of Poetry for Children. He was the editor of the Junior Pears Encyclopedia and of the collection of essays on children’s literature, The Thorny Paradise.
PUBLIC LENDING RIGHT RESULTS
PLR is a system of payment to authors and illustrators based on the number of times their books are borrowed from public libraries. The data collected provides useful feedback on the popularity of particular books with library readers, including children. It can also sometimes provide encouraging evidence that even out of print titles continue to find an active readership in libraries.
PLR information just released for July ’95- June ’96 reveals that:
* Loans of children’s fiction (including picture books) increased from 19.8% to 23% of all loans despite a steady decline in adult borrowing.
* Loans of children’s non-fiction declined from 5.6% to 4.6% of all loans.
* The popularity of writers catering for older readers and teenagers continues to grow.
* Janet and Allan Ahlberg were the fifth most popular writers in the list, and the most popular children’s writers.
* The ten most popular children’s authors (in order of loans) were Janet and Allan Ahlberg, Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Ann M Martin (The Babysitters’ Club), R L Stine (Point Horror), Rene Goscinny (Asterix), Kate William (Sweet Valley High), Dick King-Smith, John Cunliffe (Postman Pat and Rosie & Jim) and Jamie Suzanne (Sweet Valley Twins).
COMPETITION: WIN AN AUTHOR AND GET PUBLISHED!
Children who enter A & C Blacks’s writing competition could win their school a well known author for the day. All they have to do is write a review of about 200 words of their favourite book explaining what makes it so special. They can choose to review fiction or non-fiction. The winning review will be published in BfK. The five runners-up will receive sets of ten ‘Jets’ titles for their school. The competition will be judged by BfK editor, Rosemary Stones. Entries should be submitted by 30th April 1997 to Charlotte Burrows, A & C Black, 35 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4JH.
(MORE) FAME FOR BILBO BAGGINS
J R R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings has been voted Britain’s most gladdening book of the century by Waterstone’s customers and Channel 4 viewers. The sequel to The Hobbit (no. 19 in the listing) which was originally devised as a story for Tolkien’s children, The Lord of the Rings achieved cult status with students in the 1960s. The other children’s titles listed are The Wind in the Willows (no. 16), Winnie the Pooh (no. 17), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (no. 21), The Diary of Anne Frank (no. 26), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (no. 34), Watership Down (no. 40), Sophie’s World (no. 41), Gormenghast (no. 55), Matilda (no. 76), James and the Giant Peach (no. 80) and The BFG (no. 97). Two of these titles are in translation; only one is by a female writer.
BFS POETRY BEST SELLER CHART
Top 10 Listings Into School Bookshops January To December 1996
6-9 year olds
1. You Little Monkey and Other Poems for Young Children, John Foster, OUP
2. Playtime Poems, collected by Jill Bennett, OUP
3. A Purple Poetry Paintbox, chosen by John Foster, OUP
4. A Green Poetry Paintbox, chosen by John Foster, OUP
5. A Very First Poetry Book, chosen by John Foster, OUP
6. A First Poetry Book, chosen by John Foster, OUP
7. All Day Saturday and Other Poems, Charles Causley, Macmillan
8. Rhymes for Bedtime, Ladybird
9. Nuts about Nuts, Michael Rosen, HarperCollins
10. A Jumble of Clothes, compiled by Jill Bennett, Transworld
9-12 year olds
1. Michael Rosen’s Book of Very Silly Poems, Michael Rosen, Puffin
2. Please Mrs Butler, Allan Ahlberg, Puffin
3. The Secret Lives of Teachers, Brian Moses, Macmillan
4. You’ll Never Walk Alone (More Football Poems), chosen by David Orme, Macmillan
5. (joint placing) You Canny Shove Yer Grannie Off a Bus!, Lindsay Macrae, Puffin
One of Your Legs is Both the Same, compiled by Eunice McMullen, Macmillan
7. lt’s Raining Cats and Dogs, edited by Pie Corbett, Puffin
8. Heard it in the Playground, Allan Ahlberg, Puffin
9. Revolting Rhymes, Roald Dahl, Puffin
10. ’ere We Go! (Football Poems), chosen by David Orme, Macmillan
This listing has been specially compiled for Books for Keeps by Books for Students from their sales data. Books for Students Ltd is a major specialist supply company to schools and libraries and the organiser of Readathon in schools.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Godhanger
Dear Editor
Much as I admire both Julia Eccleshare’s judgement and Dick King-Smith’s genius, I’m afraid I find Julia’s exposition of Godhanger [BfK 102] implausible. It seems to me to be one of those books writers feel compelled to write from time to time because the book world considers writing of a comic or supposedly lighter kind to be of less worth than ‘serious’ writing. However, books of this type really should be consigned to a bottom drawer rather than published in such an attractive way as this. The major problem, I feel, is that King-Smith is striving to be poetic when in many of his books there is poetry in abundance. The type of poetry aimed for in Godhanger produces sentences like ‘There were many creatures, he realized, less fortunate than himself, who must needs dwell in Godhanger to get their livelihood, but who would live there unless he must?’ All these must needs-ing produces tortuous work like this whereas the simplicity of style in works like The Sheep Pig produces true and direct poetry. This lofty aiming for higher things also produces diminished characterisation: compare the character of the wild cat in Godhanger with the similar character in The Mouse Butcher while the character of the Skymaster himself (the Christ figure) is just too sanctimonious for his own good.
And who will read the book anyway? Why, adults, of course, who are easily impressed by pseudo-poetic tosh. Young people are less easily deceived which is why I imagine Godhanger is likely to remain firmly on library and bookshop shelves.
Keith Barker
Westhill College of Higher Education, Weoley Park Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 6LL
Star System
Dear Editor
As a children’s author I must object to BfK’s use of the ‘star system’ for grading books with reviews.
Opinion on whether or not a book is ‘good’ is purely subjective – subject to the likes and dislikes of the reviewer and the star system is trying to reflect those whims in the form of precise mathematics. You have to ask yourself what is the purpose of reviews. Are they to pinpoint exactly whether one book is better than another, or (heavens above) worse than the rest of those reviewed in the magazine? Or are they to make public an (expert?) opinion on various aspects of a novel or work of non-fiction, in order that others may be guided. Books cannot be measured on a mathematical scale like the temperature of the air or the force of the wind.
I personally think reviews themselves are pretty worthless things, especially the good ones. There are no real experts out there. Someone who does not write fiction can only report on whether they think the book works or not, according to the way they have been nurtured on literature. Someone who is an author of fiction usually wants to rewrite the book in the way that they would have written it in the first place. There is nothing more subjective than fiction and here we are using precise measurements of good, bad and possibly ugly.
Garry Kilworth
Rochford, Essex
Judging a Book by its Cover
Dear Editor
Whilst I applaud the establishment of the Big Book Cover Award (anything that promotes an awareness of design is a good thing), I feel the general criticisms that you level at publishers’ cover designs [BfK 102] are too simplistic.
Cover design is not simply a pictorial interpretation of the contents within. A cover has to appear attractive to a multitude of different people, and satisfy the diverse criteria that determine its success or failure. These people can include the author, the editorial/marketing/sales departments within the publishing house, the wholesaler, library supplier, librarian, retailer and reviewer. The book cover may have to clear some, or all, of these hurdles before it even arrives on the shelf to be judged by the child.
These are the ‘politics’ of design which we bear in mind with every design decision, along with the ‘economics’. Arriving at a good design can be expensive, and increasingly our budgets are driven harder as profit margins are squeezed. Many publishers have even cut back their design departments.
Reality dictates that design decisions are so complex that it is easy to lose sight of the end user – the child. We all need to acknowledge the complexity of this process – it is unrealistic to judge it simply on the terms that you do in your article.
Having said all the above, I am delighted and encouraged by our success in this award [winner of the 6-9 category for Diz Wallis’s cover for Dick King-Smith’s The Terrible Trins]; we must be getting something right!
Ronnie Fairweather
Art Director, Penguin Children’s Books, 27 Wrights Lane, Kensington, London W8 5TZ
Book Fairs and Choice
Dear Editor
I am concerned about the limited choice offered by school Book Fairs of all kinds. A child would probably still buy a Point Horror book over, let’s say, a collection of my ghost stories, but she certainly can’t buy my book if it isn’t there to be looked at. I don’t have concrete evidence about Books for Students but others (e.g. Scholastic) carry most Point books (and Goosebumps, Babysitters Club, etc.) to the exclusion of much mainstream fiction. What is really bad, though, is these Fairs’ inflexibility. They will not even stock books by a writer visiting the school on a one-off basis, where the children are eager to buy the books and have them signed. I also think that children make the connection: this writer who is chatting to us is not in our Book Fair – how good can she really be? Should we bother to seek out her books? This defeats the work being done by a writer visiting a school in the first place. Susan Price and I once appeared at a (very good) school in Wolverhampton and not one single book by either of us was available for sale! What do other writers think? I’d love to know.
Adèle Geras
Manchester
