The 2015 Children’s Book of the Year awards were announced Aug. 21. The theme this year was “Books Light Up Our World,” and there were many lights shining this year in schools, homes and bookshops all over Australia.
We have awards in five categories: Picture Book of the Year; Younger Readers. Early Childhood; Older Readers; and Eve Pownall Award for nonfiction.
Author Libby Gleeson won two of those categories, Younger Readers and Early Childhood, and for the very first time an illustrator, Freya Blackwood, received the Book of the Year award in a record breaking three categories, Younger Readers, Early Childhood and Picture Book of the Year.
Never before has a single creator won three times in the same year. And these two amazing people are friends as well as book creators and have worked together on many titles.
Libby says:
“Like so much of the work I have written for younger children, this book has come from the children I have lived with, the way that I have learnt of the rich imaginations that little children have.
“I am so lucky to have Freya Blackwood as the illustrator for this book. Some years ago, when I first began working with Freya, I said that I had enormous admiration for her work and that I felt in the book we then did that there was a wonderful marriage of words and images. My admiration has grown stronger and I think her success today tells us what a force she now is in Australian picture book illustration.”
Read more of the award speeches.
And later that evening Libby was also announced as the recipient of the 2015 CBCA Nan Chauncy Award, a biennial award created to honour individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the field of Australian Children’s literature.
See the list of winning and honoured titles.
Cheers from a very bright Australia.
Cynsational Notes
 |
| More on Chris Cheng |
With
more than 35 titles in traditional and digital formats, including
picture books, non-fiction, historical fiction, a musical libretto and
an animation storyline, Christopher Cheng is well experienced in Australian children’s literature.
He conducts workshops and residences for children and adults and holds
an M.A. in Children’s Literature. He is a board member for the Asian Festival of Children’s Content and on the International Advisory Board and co-regional advisor (Australia and New Zealand) for the SCBWI.
A recipient of the SCBWI Member of the Year and the Lady Cutler Award
for services to children’s literature, Chris is a devoted advocate of
children’s literature, speaking at festivals worldwide.
Christopher will be covering the children’s-YA book scene in Australia, New Zealand and across Asia for Cynsations. Read an interview with Christopher.