BfK News: January 1996
AWARDS
Smarties Book Prize
0-5 Winner
The Last Noo Noo, Jill Murphy, Walker, 0 7445 3228 0, £8.99
6-8 Winner
Thomas and the Tinners, Jill Paton Walsh, ill. Alan Marks, Macdonald Young Books, 0 7500 1532 2, £8.50; 0 7500 1533 0, £3.50 pbk
9-11 Joint Winners
Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson, ill. Nick Sharratt, Doubleday, 0 385 405375. £8.99
Weather Eye, Lesley Howarth, Walker, 0 7445 2488 1, £8.99; 0 7445 4305 3, £3.99 pbk
The Overall Winner of the 1995 Prize was Double Act.
Schoolchildren from Burscough Primary School in Lancashire made the announcement at a presentation at London Zoo.
The Kurt Maschler Award
This year’s Emil went to The Little Boat by Kathy Henderson with illustrations by Patrick Benson. The book is published by Walker Books (0 7445 2181 5, £8.99).
Runners-up were:
The Magical Bicycle by Berlie Doherty and Christian Birmingham (Collins, 0 00 193740 5, £8.99)
Song of the Earth by Mary Hoffman and Jane Ray (Orion, 1 85881 119 8, £12.99)
Tattybogle by Sandra Horn and Ken Brown (Andersen, 0 86264 596 4, £8.99)
Myths and Legends of the World: The Golden Hoard by Geraldine McCaughrean and Bee Willey (Orion, 1 85881 201 1, £14.99)
Friends of the Earth’s 1995 Earthworm Award
This year’s winner was an interactive title from Kingfisher’s Kaleidoscope series – The Living Forests, 1 85697 283 6, £12.99.
Wirral Schools Paperback of the Year
Chosen by Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils from Wirral Secondary Schools this new Award was received by Ian Strachan for throwaways (Mammoth, 0 7497 1294 5, £3.50 pbk).
BOOKS OF THEIR OWN
Published in November, too late to be picked up in our last issue, is A book of my own – a report on a book-buying and supported reading project involving children in the care of Hampshire and Manchester Social Services:
‘Almost 100 children, aged between 5 and 16, volunteered to take part in the project. Each child was given £25 to spend on books of their choice, and was paired with an adult who supported them in choosing and reading their books. The books were theirs to keep, even if they had to move to another home. At the end of the project, the majority of children showed improved levels of reading, said they were getting on better at school and expressed an enthusiasm for books.’
Since, as the report points out, of the 52,000 children and young people in residential and foster care in England and Wales, something like 75% will complete their schooling with no qualifications (compared with 6% of young people living with their families), the significance of this project can hardly be exaggerated:
‘The project demonstrated the value of providing consistent adult support for those separated from their families. There is also an indication that such a project enhances self-confidence and can help to raise aspirations amongst young people in care.
“… it made work at school much easier.” (Boy, 12)
“I liked the attention.” (Girl, 8)
“I never used to read, now I read quite regularly.” (Boy, 15)
“I do not wish to return to school but I am now considering college.” (Girl, 16)’
The report is published by the Who Cares? Trust which was established as an educational charity in 1992 to promote the needs of young people in the care system while also offering information and practical suport. In response to the project’s findings, the Trust calls on local authorities and voluntary organisations to –
– take active steps to promote literacy and encourage reading;
– provide carers with training and guidance in providing support for reading, whilst also setting aside time for reading;
– establish libraries in residential children’s homes, with the involvement of the young people living there;
– ensure that children in their care have the opportunity to choose, on a regular basis, books of their own for leisure and educational purposes.
Admirable advice, of course. Let’s hope it gets the attention it deserves.
Please contact Caroline Gilchrist on 0171 251 3117 for more information or to obtain, price £6.00, a copy of the report itself.
THREE MORE GOODBYES…
Oh dear. When we announced in our last issue the farewell of Liz Attenborough from Puffin, we were uneasily aware that we should also, earlier in the year, have mentioned the departure of the redoubtable Ingrid Selberg from Reed Books. Now, as if to pay us out for our omission, comes news that Julia MacRae, no less, is retiring… not to mention, albeit temporarily perhaps, Diana Hickman from Hamish Hamilton. That the children’s book world can scarcely afford the loss of such talent goes without… so we won’t. Suffice it to remark that should any other crucial figure, operating backstage in children’s books, think they can worm their way into these pages by taking such drastic action, forget it. All exits from now on will be resolutely ignored. In the meantime, though, all honour and good wishes to Ingrid, Julia and Diana.
… AND TWO HELLOS
A warm welcome to a pair of debuts on the children’s books scene: to Carousel, a re-vamped version of Anne Wood’s Books For Your Children, edited by Jenny and David Blanch (for details contact them on 0121 643 6411) which concentrates on a young-parent, Federation-based readership, and also to BOOX, focusing on that volatile teenage market (contact Miranda McKearney on 01962 865102). Good to have them alongside in the battle to keep alive the rumour of reading pleasure.
1996 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
10 Febuary – “I like Books” Children’s Reading and Literature in the Primary School
Anthony Browne, Aidan Chambers and Gervase Phinn are the speakers for this one day conference to be held at Liverpool Hope University Collage. £45 includes lunch and refreshments. Details from Ruth Whitfield on 0151 737 3383
14 March – Cliff Moon Conference: Making Books With Children
Paul Johnson leads an all-day conference based on the proposition that ‘Children Learn to write in order to make books. They do not make books in order to learn to write.’ Cost (inc. VAT, all materials and lunch) is £50. Apply to Lucy Clarke on 01926 314366 or write to Books for Students, Bird Road, Heathcote, Warwick CV34 6TB.
23 March – All-day conference at Birmingham University: Babies Into Books
Speakers include Wendy Cooling, Barrie Wade, Maggie Moore, Ann Scott and Trevor Dickinson. The cost is £46 including lunch and drinks. Apply to Wyn Mills on 0121 414 4844 or write to Dr Barrie Wade, School of Education, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT with a cheque payable to ‘University of Birmingham’.
29-31 March – SERENDIPITY
The 28th annual conference of the Federation of Children’s Book Groups is to be held at Ashridge Management College, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. The programme includes a broadcast of Radio 4’s Treasure Islands – Any Questions and an array of speakers who include Adèle Geras, David Lloyd, Colin McNaughton, Tony Bradman, Michael Hardcastle, Jacqueline Wilson, David Bennett and Terry Deary – plus a ‘Puffin Panel’ featuring Berlie Doherty, Philip Ridley and Bernard Ashley.
The cost of the full residential weekend is £200 for non-members of the Federation and £140 for members. Daily rates are also available. For more details contact Mrs J Ashley, 49 Lea Road, Harpenden AL5 4PQ or Harpenden Children’s Book Group on 01582 713150 or 01582 767812.
16 May – Cliff Moon Conference: Books for the Under Fives
Guest speakers Angela Redfern of the University of Reading and Shirley Hughes – to be confirmed. Details as for 14th March, above.
March’s BfK offers
Liz Fincham on Author Visits
Anne Fine on… well, Author Visits
June Counsel on the need for Book Ownership
David Bennett on becoming an Anthologist
Robert Hull’s Round-Up of Books on a Sporting Theme
Tony Bradman in Authorgraph… plus Reviews, News and more Reviews
