Around this time of year, I know to check what is on shortlists for picture book awards. They are always good indicators of what is to come, indicators of what authors and illustrators are doing, indicators of what is new and good suggestions for my own reading. Two that I particularly watch for are Oscar's Book Prize and The Alligator's Mouth Award because they are of significance to the readers I teach.
Oscar’s Book Prize is an annual award for the best picture book for pre-schoolers and young children. The prize was founded in 2014 by James Ashton and Viveka Alvestrand in memory of their three-year-old son Oscar Ashton who died unexpectedly in 2012. It aims to reward the creativity of early-years literature and to highlight the importance of reading with children.
There are seven classes of preschoolers using the school library and this award enables me to find books for this age group that the teachers may not have met. Each year a teacher will read one of the shortlisted books, enjoy it and then come and ask for more books by that author or illustrator.
This year's winner is Just the Two of Us by Polly Noakes. We have only two other books of hers, so this gives me some homework to do. I purchased the first Gina Kaminski book, Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf because it appeared on so many shortlists, but it has not proved to be a favourite with teachers or children, so given the price of this new one I haven't purchased it and I'll wait til August and get the paperback. Hank Goes Honk is funny and sure to be a hit. It is illustrated by Duncan Beedie and his books are popular in the library, as are Fred Blunt's.
Much has been written already about There's a Tiger on the Train, but despite ordering it quite a while ago it still hasn't arrived. It is available in bookshops in Australia now, but it wasn't when I ordered it. This picture book is by Mariesa Dulak who won the 2020 FAB prize, which is awarded by the publisher Faber to new writers and illustrators from BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) backgrounds. It has illustrations by Rebecca Cobb who is well known by preschoolers and has another book of her own A Wild Walk to School on the shortlist for Picture Books to Shout About together with Duncan needle's Heavy Metal Badger.
In contrast The Alligator Mouth Book Award celebrates the best in highly illustrated children’s fiction for readers aged 6 - 8. There are 12 classes of children at school in this age group and these lists have enabled me to learn about series that might not yet be available in Australia. This is where I learned about Adventuremice which won last year and the series Pizazz, Indigo Wilde, Kate on the Case, Flamingo Hotel, Sam Wu and Dave Pigeon all of which have their fans.
Other UK shortlists I browse
• Inclusive Books for Children Awards These fiction book awards showcase the best of the diverse voices and stories published in the UK and Ireland.
• UKLA Book Awards The only national awards entirely judged by teachers, demonstrate how important it is to them, that all children and young people can find themselves represented in the books that they read or study.
• The Children's Book Award The Children’s Book Award is the only UK award voted for solely by children from start to finish. Over 1,000 new books are submitted to be read and reviewed by local Testing Groups across the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment