BfK News: March 2009
AWARDS
The 2009 Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation
The winner is Sarah Ardizzone for her translation from the French of Toby Alone by Timothée de Fombelle (Walker Books). The other shortlisted books were·My Brother Johnny by Francesco D’Adamo translated from the Italian by Sian Williams (Aurora Metro Press), When the Snow Fell by Henning Mankell translated from the Swedish by Laurie Thompson (Andersen Press), Letters from Alain by Enrique Perez Diaz translated from the Spanish by Simon Breden (Aurora Metro Press), Tina’s Web by Alki Zei translated from the Greek by John Thornley (Aurora Metro Press) and Message in a Bottle by Valérie Zenatti translated from the French by Adriana Hunter (Bloomsbury Publishing).
The award is administered by the English-Speaking Union and sponsored by the Marsh Christian Trust.
Presenting the Award, Anthony Horowitz said: ‘Storytelling and literature are the fastest way to connect people; the truth is that you cannot really understand a nation unless you understand their culture. It would seem sensible to attempt to cross those boundaries in any way we can, particularly as we seem to live in a world in which the divides between religions and races seems more pronounced and more dangerous than ever. This is just one reason why I am so pleased to support the Marsh Award.’
The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays
Congratulations to Opal Dunn who has been awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays in recognition of her contribution to the international education of Japanese children through the setting up and continuing support for Bunko mini libraries throughout Japan. The Japanese model of Bunko groups for bilingual Japanese/English children has since been extended to support other European languages in Japan and been replicated elsewhere in the world by Japanese families.
Opal Dunn is widely known as a specialist in books on early first and second language development. She has been a consultant to the Council of Europe on children’s bilingual education and acts as consultant to the British Council’s LearnEnglish Parents programme.
New Years Honours
Terry Pratchett, author of the Discworld series and winner of the Carnegie Medal in 2002 for Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, received a knighthood. Also honoured were Wendy Cooling, co-founder of the Bookstart Project, who received an MBE; novelist for adults and children, Jane Gardam (winner of the Whitbread Children’s Book Award in 1983 for The Hollow Land) who received an OBE; and Sue Jones, head of children’s services for public library services and the schools library service at Hertfordshire County Council, who received an OBE.
NEWS
The Most Borrowed Book of 2008
In a difficult year for libraries with fears of declining interest in reading among children fuelled by the rise of the internet not to speak of swingeing cuts in provision, the annual library league tables give some cheer. The Government-funded Public Lending Right which tracked borrowing figures between July 2007 and June 2008 found that books for children and young adults represented a third of loans nationally. J K Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Bloomsbury) was the most borrowed book of 2008 with 109,000 loans.
EVENTS
Fables and Folktales and the Stories of Philip Pullman
A five day residential course at Le Verger, in the heart of the Burgundy countryside, from 14-20 June 2009.
‘After nourishment,’ Philip Pullman once said, ‘and shelter and companionship stories are the thing we need most in the world. Without stories we wouldn’t be human beings.’ This course examines and discusses not just the different facets of Pullman’s own writing but also their relationship to the storytelling traditions within which he works. The course is led by Brian Alderson, founder of the Children’s Books History Society and a former Children’s Books Editor for The Times and organised by Rosemary Stones, Editor of Books for Keeps. For further details and an application form go to www.burgundycourses.com or contact Rosemary Stones (tel: 020 7240 2674, email: piazza@btinternet.com).
