Editorial 264
Happy New Year to our readers from all of us at Books for Keeps. This January issue, our 264th, alongside the regular features, includes a look ahead at the books and issues that will be exciting us in 2024. We hesitate to call this ‘the hope issue’, but there are real reasons to be cheerful: the continuing rise in the quantity and quality of ethnically representative and inclusive literature, as highlighted by CLPE’s 6th annual Reflecting Realities Survey; the ongoing resurgence in children’s poetry – indications are that there will be a record number of submissions for this year’s CLiPPA (CLPE Children’s Poetry Award) and the 2023 Poetry By Heart competition received its highest ever number of entries, 2,00 in total, with over 90,000 pupils taking part in some way and over 37,000 poems learned by heart. We continue to watch with awe the work of our Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho, tireless in his efforts to promote poetry – the reading and writing of – and the necessity of children’s libraries. With the world feeling a particularly dangerous and uncertain place at the moment, the growth of EmpathyLab is also to be celebrated; if the growth of an empathy-educated generation doesn’t engender hope for the future, not much will.
January provides us with two new prize shortlists to celebrate. Now in its second year, the Adrien Prize, founded by author Elle McNicoll celebrates children’s books that explore disability experiences. Four books are on the shortlist: Lily Bailey’s When I See Blue (Orion Children’s); Lizzie Huxley-Jones’ Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend (Knights Of); Patience Agbabi’s The Circle Breakers (Canongate); and Thomas Leeds’ Jayben and the Golden Torch (Hodder). In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, McNicoll commented on the quality of eligible books this year, and celebrated that, ‘Disabled leads can be fun and happy and nuanced and in control of the narrative and, most importantly, not dead or cured by the end.’ Hurrah to that!
Also announced this week is the shortlist for the brand new Inclusive Books for Children Children’s Book Awards. 13 books are shortlisted across three categories, Baby and Toddler Books, Picture Books and Children’s Fiction 5 – 9. Marcus Satha, co-founder of Inclusive Books for Children, says of the Awards, ‘Our aim is to showcase amazing, inclusive children’s books that children and their families will love to read. What sets these books apart is that they offer authentic glimpses into different ways of life, as a backdrop to stories told through writing and illustration of the highest standard. Discover the shortlist here and congratulations to all the authors and illustrators on the list.
As we sign off this new year issue, we are also looking forward to the announcement of the category winners of the new Nero Book Awards on 30th January. The shortlist for the children’s category is very strong and it’s cheering to see that children’s books are included in the award alongside adult fiction, debut fiction and non-fiction for adults. The judges are asked to choose the books they would most want to press into the hands of friends and family for their quality and readability, which just about sums up the Books for Keeps approach too.
Whatever you plan to do in 2024, we hope you’ll continue to read Books for Keeps as we continue to report on the books, the words and pictures shaping children’s lives.
As always, if you appreciate what we do, do please make a contribution via PayPal or our Givey fundraising page – work to transfer 40 years of our archive to the website continues and all donations, small or large, are very welcome.
Happy reading, 2024!
