BfK News: January 1995
AWARDS
Kurt Maschler Award 1994
£1000 in prize money and a bronze statue goes this year to Trish Cooke and Helen Oxenbury, for So Much, published by Walker, 07445 2220X, £9.99
1994 Special Needs Children’s Book Award
Winner:
See Ya, Simon by David Hill, Viking, 0 670 84866 2, £8.99, Puffin, 0 14 036381 5, £3.25 pbk
Highly Commended:
Blabber Mouth by Morris Gleitzman, Macmillan, 0 330 33283 X, £2.99 pbk
Jessy and the Long-Short Dress by Rachel Anderson and Shelagh McNicholas, A & C Black `Jets’, 0 7136 3798 6, £5.50
The Smarties Book Prize
1994 Overall Prize Winner and for the 9-11 Category.
Hilary McKay’s The Exiles at Home (Gollancz, 0 575 05598 7, £9.99) –
Children from Euxton Primrose Hill County Primary School, Chorley chose The Exiles at Home, and Hilary McKay was presented by Class 4 with a trophy and £6,000 at Book House in London. The young panel commented:
`We chose The Exiles at Home because it reminded us of our families – the characters were so real. It was so good that we didn’t want to put the book down!’
6-8 Category Winner and a prize of £2,000: Dimanche Diller by Henrietta Branford, ill. Lesley Harker, Lions, 0 00 674748 5, £2.99 pbk
0-5 Category Winner and a prize of £2,000: So Much by Trish Cooke, ill. Helen Oxenbury, Walker, 0 7445 2220X, £9.99
Earthworm Award 1994
Project Kite by Sian Lewis, Andersen Press, 0 862 64439 9, £8.99
NEWS
One in Twelve New Books Lost by British Public Libraries Through Spending Cuts Alone
British public libraries have lost, through falling expenditure, one in twelve of the new books they purchased 10 years ago says a new report, Public Libraries and their Book Funds, published by the National Book Committee.
The worst situation emerges in London and the English Metropolitan Districts where one-quarter of new books have gone. Northern Ireland has lost one-seventh of its new additions. The English Counties, Wales and Scotland have maintained spending, but expenditure in the English Counties and Wales remain below the UK average. Scotland is the best spender per head of population at £2.49. In England, one in 10 of new public library books has disappeared.
The report calls on the Secretary of State for National Heritage to remedy the situation. A legal duty is placed upon the Department to superintend and promote the library service, and appropriate legal action is urged in those areas where swingeing cuts have been made.
For information telephone John Davies (Educational Publishers Council) on 0171 580 6321 or the Press Office at Book Trust on 0181 870 9055.
Readiscovery
A Book in the Hand of Every Scot – Man, Woman and Child!
That’s the aim of a major campaign launched in Scotland with the assistance of award-winning writer William McIlvanney and children from Garnet Bank Primary School. Readiscovery is a year-long campaign to promote books and reading all over Scotland in 1995.
Scotland has long been regarded as a nation of readers – but in an age where the number of leisure pursuits has doubled in the past decade, there are clear indications the reading habit is under threat, particularly amongst young people. Readiscovery will put across the importance of reading, the benefits to be gained from it and – most importantly – the pleasure to be found in it for everyone.
The campaign, initiated by the Scottish Arts Council, will act as an umbrella for the many book events already happening in Scotland, and is working closely with Book Trust Scotland and existing book organisations. There will be local activities in bookshops and libraries under the Readiscovery banner from Stranraer to Thurso -including The Book Bus touring Scottish primary schools, a nationwide poster campaign, author visits galore and a National Book Day planned for Saturday 12th August 1995.
For details contact Readiscovery, The Scottish Book Centre, 137 Dundee Street, Edinburgh, EH11 1BG (tel. 0131 221 1995).
Lindsey Fraser appointed Head of Young Book Trust and Deputy Director of Book Trust
Lindsey Fraser, Executive Director of Book Trust Scotland, has assumed management responsibility for Young Book Trust and also becomes Deputy to Brian Perman, Executive Director of Book Trust. She’ll continue to be based in Edinburgh and the staffing of Book Trust Scotland will be increased from three to four with the addition of a new Young Book Trust Project Manager.
Jean Egbunike, previously Marketing Co-ordinator, has become Publicity and Promotions Manager for Young Book Trust and Book Trust.
Lindsey Fraser began her working career as a bookseller – at James Thin in Edinburgh and Heffers Children’s Bookshop in Cambridge. On her appointment she said:
“These changes establish Young Book Trust as an enthusiastic, informed and noisy national voice for children’s books. Always central to Book Trust’s operation, Young Book Trust’s role will be strengthened by expertise and energy from both sides of the Border, from board level down. It’s an exciting new job and I’m looking forward to it.”
POSTERS
Newly available from the Welsh Books Council… a spectacular, full-colour poster to promote reading, plus author leaflets on Jenny Nimmo, Catherine Fisher and Clare Cooper. Contact Menna Lloyd Williams, Welsh Books Council, Castell Brychan, Aberystwyth, Dyfed SY23 2JB (tel 0970 624151).
And
from Book Trust Scotland a `Wild About Books’ poster. Delightfully illustrated by Julia Lacome and available in English, Gaelic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. Each poster costs £2.00 (inc VAT & p/p) or £1.75 if five or more are ordered. Available from Book Trust Scotland, 137 Dundee Street, Edinburgh EH11 1BG.
PUBLICATIONS
Ways Into Reading For Reluctant Readers…
From Puffin, chosen by Wendy Cooling, comes a booklist for teachers and librarians – in a new format which is smart, glossy and enables the contents to be kept up to date very easily.
Available from Elaine McQuade or Pauline Cooke at Penguin Children’s Books, 27 Wrights Lane, W8 5TZ or ‘phone 0171 416 3000.
Our Choice 2
Good Reads Recommended by Teenagers
Over 80 books selected and reviewed by teenagers from all over the country. Categories include Contemporary Fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Horror, Thrillers and Non-Fiction.
Our Choice 2 is a magazine intended to help young people find some of the books they want to read. Designed specifically to grab the attention of its intended audience in the same way that a pop magazine, TV/video guide does…
Published by Book Trust, Our Choice 2 is available from Young Book Trust, Book House, 45 East Hill, London SW18 2QZ and costs £3.00 (discounts for bulk orders) – contact Jean Egbunike on 0181 870 9055.
APOLOGY
In our November 1994 issue, we incorrectly named the publisher of Designing and Planning a Primary School Library and The School Library: Preparing for Inspection as the Library Association. This should have read, of course, the School Library Association. Our apologies for any confusion caused.
March BfK
In our next issue…
Alan Wakeman on translating The Little Prince
Viv Edwards on choosing books for pupils for whom English is a second language
Eleanor von Schweinitz on the structuring of non-fiction
Books to link in with VE Day
Gillian Cross in Authorgraph
Plus, of course, reviews, reviews, reviews…
