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    Book Awards: the illustration finalists

    Book Awards: the illustration finalists

    This year's NZCYA Awards coverage kicks off with the Russell Clark Award for Illustration Award finalists! We have some exclusive insights into the process of illustrating each book, including working sketches, storyboards, decadent interior spreads, and even a photograph of some real life inspo – scroll down to see! Thanks to the Book Awards Trust for the book descriptions. Dozer is a characterful and very recognisably cat-like cat — with his fluffy-footed stalking of prey,
    The finalists of the NZ kids' book awards are...

    The finalists of the NZ kids' book awards are...

    The annual New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a highly anticipated part of the Aotearoa literary calendar, for folks of all ages who have a passion for books for young people. They acknowledge excellence in writing, illustration and publishing, and provide a vital platform to celebrate the best and most vibrant things going on in the kids' lit scene. There are six main categories, with prize money of $7,500 to each winner. There’s also a Best First Book
    The winners of the 2019 Book Awards are ...

    The winners of the 2019 Book Awards are ...

    Fresh off the ceremony at Te Papa Tongarewa, the results are in and your New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults winners are... Spread from of The Bomb, by Sacha Cotter & Josh Morgan The Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and the Picture Book Award The Bomb Written by Sacha Cotter & illustrated by Josh Morgan Published by Huia RRP $23.00 Buy Now Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction The Dog Runner Written by Bren MacDibble Published by Allen
    Book Awards: the Non-Fiction finalists

    Book Awards: the Non-Fiction finalists

    Another week, another category of NZCYA Award finalists to highlight! Today, it's the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction finalists, answering questions about the hows and the whys of their fabulous books. From backyards, burrows and biographies to legends and linework, bringing together awesome authors and talented illustrators (sometimes in a two-for-one!) – it's quite the collection. So read on... SARAH PEPPERLE (ART-TASTIC) Which five words would you use to describe your bo
    Book Awards: the Junior Fiction finalists

    Book Awards: the Junior Fiction finalists

    As the next instalment in our coverage of this year's NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we asked the five finalists of the Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction to interview each other. Here's Philippa Werry, Des Hunt, Eirlys Hunter, Bren MacDibble and Steph Matuku talking the genesis of their ideas, planning, and childhood influence. Philippa Werry: Can you remember the moment when the germ of the idea for this book came to you? Des Hunt:
    Book Awards: the illustration finalists

    Book Awards: the illustration finalists

    As part of our ongoing finalist coverage of this year's New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we have some glorious snippets to look at from the five Russell Clark Award for Illustration finalists! There are covers, decadent interior spreads, working sketches and even a script sample in there – so go forth and enjoy! Thanks to the Book Awards Trust for the descriptions of the books from a visual perspective. A semi-fictionalised account of Captain Cook’s jour
    Book Quiz: The 2019 children's book awards

    Book Quiz: The 2019 children's book awards

    The ceremony for this year's New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults is creeping ever closer, with the big event taking place on August 6. So as we did last year, we thought we ought to test your shortlist knowledge... Every answer is the title of a finalist book – except for question 7, which has two titles as the answer – and answers are at the bottom of the page. If you need to do a little revision before you check your marks, our coverage of the 2018 awards
    Book Awards: The Picture Book Finalists

    Book Awards: The Picture Book Finalists

    As part of our coverage of this year's NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we've asked the publishers of the picture book finalists to explain why that story caught their imaginations and demanded to be told in published picture book form. The journey to meeting and making Mini Whinny Stacy Gregg is a hugely popular and masterful storyteller, so when the opportunity arose to publish a series of playful pony-themed picture books that would reach out to a younger audi
    The finalists of the NZ kids' book awards are...

    The finalists of the NZ kids' book awards are...

    The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a core part of the Aotearoa literary calendar, for young people and adults alike. They acknowledge excellence in writing, illustration and publishing, and provide a vital platform to celebrate the best and most vibrant things going on in the kids' lit scene. There are six main categories, with prize money of $7,500 to each winner – plus a Best First Book prize, awarded at the judges' discretion, which has a value o
    The Giselle Clarkson Comic: Number 21

    The Giselle Clarkson Comic: Number 21

    Many of the awards for children's literature in New Zealand (bestowed by either Storylines or the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults) are named after important people. Illustrator Giselle Clarkson has researched these award namesakes, made short biographies, and drawn imaginary trophies for each award. Fascinating stuff! GISELLE CLARKSON Giselle Clarkson is a freelance illustrator and comic creator from Wellington. Her work has appeared in a bunch of School
    And the winners of the Book Awards are ...

    And the winners of the Book Awards are ...

    Freshly announced at the Awards Ceremony in Wellington, the winners of the 2018 NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are ... Pages 60-61 of Aotearoa, by Gavin Bishop The Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and the Elsie Locke Award for Non-fiction Aotearoa: the new zealand story Illustrated and written by Gavin Bishop Published by Penguin Random House NZ RRP $40.00 (hardback) Buy Now The Picture Book Award i am jellyfish Written and illustrated by Ruth Paul Published by Pe
    Book Awards: The Non-fiction Finalists

    Book Awards: The Non-fiction Finalists

    As part of our coverage of this year's NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we've asked the publishers of the non-fiction finalists to explain why that manuscript, that idea caught their imaginations. Their responses are compelling and passionate, and you may need to get your wallet ready ... Aotearoa: The New Zealand Story was inspired by a recent international publishing trend for large-format, high-spec, lavishly illustrated children’s non-fiction. We’d been eyein
    Book Quiz: The 2018 children's book awards

    Book Quiz: The 2018 children's book awards

    This year's NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults winners will be announced on 8 August. Before that, we thought we'd test your knowledge of the shortlisted books. Each answer is the title of one of this year's finalists. Good luck! Answers are at the bottom of the page, but if you need to revise or fill in gaps before you peek at them, our coverage of the 2018 awards began in this run-down of all the finalists. CATEGORY: PICTURE BOOK AWARD 1. The illustrator of this b
    Book Awards: the Young Adult finalists

    Book Awards: the Young Adult finalists

    As part of our coverage of this year's NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we asked the five finalists of the Copyright Licensing NZ Award for Young Adult Fiction to interview each other. Here's Erin Donohue, Eileen Merriman, Cally Black, Mary-anne Scott and Gareth Ward on titles, inspiration and why they write YA. Erin Donohue: Why have you chosen to write Young Adult rather than another genre? Eileen Merriman: I find adolescence such a fascinating transition perio
    Book Awards: the illustration finalists

    Book Awards: the illustration finalists

    As part of our finalist coverage of this year's NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we have some exclusive insights into the process of each of the five Russell Clark Award for Illustration Award finalists. They've given us drafts and sketches, along with some final images, and it's fascinating! Thanks to the Book Awards Trust for the book descriptions. The story of 17th century Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, one of the first Europeans to come to Australia and New Zeal
    Book Awards: The Junior Fiction Finalists

    Book Awards: The Junior Fiction Finalists

    As part of our coverage of this year's NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we asked the five Wright Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction finalists four questions about their book and characters. The finalists are: Lyla, by Fleur Beale (A & U); The Thunderbolt Pony, by Stacy Gregg (HarperCollins); How to Bee, by Bren McDibble (A & U); How NOT to stop a kidnap plot, by Suzanne Main (Scholastic); and Dawn Raid by Pauline (Vaeluaga) Smith (Scholastic). 1. Wha
    The finalists of the NZ kids' book awards are...

    The finalists of the NZ kids' book awards are...

    The NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a unique celebration of the contribution New Zealand’s children’s authors and illustrators make to building national identity and cultural heritage. Awards in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are made in six categories. All awards carry prize money of $7,500. In addition, the judges may decide to award a best first book prize of $2,000 to a previously unpublished author or illustrator. The overall p
    Book List: Resilient Families and Young People

    Book List: Resilient Families and Young People

    We were fascinated to discover recently that the Australian Association of Family Therapy announces its own Family Book Awards. Thalia Kehoe Rowden finds out more from Margaret Hodge, one of the therapists who chose this year's winners. It's probably not news to you that books can be great medicine. Last year, child psychologist Amy Wilson-Hughes wrote this excellent guide to books that can be helpful for children struggling with anxiety and it remains one of our most popular
    And the winners of the Book Awards are ...

    And the winners of the Book Awards are ...

    Freshly announced at the Awards Ceremony in Wellington, the winners of the 2017 NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are ... The Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and the Russell Clark Award for Illustration SNARK Illustrated and written (after Lewis Carroll) by David Elliot Published by Otago University Press RRP $59.99 (hardback) The Picture Book Award That's Not a Hippopotamus By Juliette MacIver Illustrated by Sarah Davis Published by Gecko Press RRP $29.99 (hardbac
    Book Awards: the picture book finalists

    Book Awards: the picture book finalists

    For the final part of our finalist coverage of this year's NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we have quite the treat for you: excerpts of the five Picture Book Award finalists! Here are the first few pages of each book, along with descriptions from the Book Awards Trust. Who'll be the winner? We find out on Monday, 14 August ... An uplifting story about imagination, and a rather wonderful caterpillar. It has magic and charm, evocative language and rhyme which echo
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