Click here to see the latest press releases about the 2011 award winners.
Monsters of Men
by Patrick Ness
published by Walker BooksGet video and audio from the ceremony, view the Carnegie shortlist or read more on the winners
FArTHER
illustrated by Grahame Baker-Smith
published by TemplarGet video and audio from the ceremony, view the Greenaway shortlist or read more on the winners
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Stories that are the Cat's Whiskers
By DAPHNE LEE
From Tots to Teens, 19th June, 2011
So, I hope you’re eager to learn of more fictional felines this week.
One of my favourite novels about cats is Jennie by Paul Gallico. Unfortunately, it is no longer in print. However, you can find secondhand copies online.
It’s about a boy, Peter, who is transformed into a cat and is cared for by a cat, called Jennie, who
has been abandoned by her owners. If you’re familiar with the way cats behave, you will realise that
Gallico was obviously very fond of and familiar with cats. In fact, he also wrote The Silent Miaow
which is a manual, supposedly written by a cat (translated from the feline into English by Gallico),
that “instructs stray kittens and homeless cats in how to obtain, captivate, and dominate the families of their choice.”
There’s also The Three Lives of Thomasina (readers of a certain age may remember the 1960s Disney adaptation) and Honourable Cat, a collection of poems and essays about cats.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Furry Muses
From Tots to Teens, The Star
12th June 2011
ABOUT three weeks ago, we adopted a cat (left). His name is Igor and he is four years old, which makes him about 32 in human years – a bachelor in his prime, although, as he’s been “fixed”, he won’t be fighting other Toms for the love of the neighbourhood she-cats.
Igor is beautiful – large and muscular, with white fur, touched with cream, and ice-blue eyes. He has a mean stare and I have this theory that he amuses himself by thinking of ways to kill us in our sleep. However, I don’t think he will act on his fantasies just yet as I feel he is rather pleased with his success in training us to scratch his back and tickle his chin and toss his catnip-filled mouse in the air.
Igor is a great source of amusement and joy to the whole family. I think it’s only a matter of time before he sneaks into my writing. Already, during my evening walk the other day, I was thinking him into a book. The things he gets up to – he got very excited over the unrolling of my yoga mat – and even his expressions, which range from dreamy to scathing, are all begging to be made into stories and turned into illustrations.
Sunday, May 08, 2011
R.I.P: Margaret Lim, 23rd June 1947 – 8th May 2011
23 June 1947 - 8 May 2011
On May 8, 2011, Margaret Lim has passed away peacefully in the arms of her loving husband and children. She had lost the fight against cancer and ended her journey on earth, leaving behind lovely memories in our hearts.
Margaret’s work of passion will live on at this blog and, soon, some of her unpublished work will be posted, as well.
We would like to share the following dedication by Margaret’s sister Aileen:
“Maggie passed away on Sunday, 8 May 2011, in Germany. It is a very significant day that is so representative of her life. God could not have granted her a better gift as it was Mother’s Day, and as a creative writer, she would have appreciated the symbol very much. She also only left towards the end of the day, a mother to the last.
Looking back, I realise that she had that special touch of a mother in the way she played her roles in life: as a friend or as a family member – aunt, cousin, niece, sister, wife, and of course mother.
She was always generous, considerate and well-intentioned. She was full of mirth, amidst her seriousness. She never spoke ill of anyone. When an appropriate occasion arose, she always spoke proudly of her immediate family – Wolfhart, SuJen, Einhard, Ken.
I am certain that where she is now, she is shining among the angels, and is so very happy. And why not? In her relatively short life, she has done a lot, achieved a lot, and in no small way as a children’s writer. In this world of children, she was always in touch with God.
Although she and I were supposed to make several small journeys together, and she was supposed to travel to see her relatives and friends, she has gone on a greater Journey, after fulfilling her life’s purpose.
If we celebrate the fulfilled life of this wonderful soul, and be happy with her, our hearts will be healed. And we will remember her in our thoughts as if she has not left us.
Like her paternal grandmother and father who went before, whom she deeply loved, and to whom she dedicated two of her books, she was full of a Mother’s Love.”
- Aileen Lim
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Shaun Tan wins Astrid Lindgren prize | Children's books | guardian.co.uk
Shaun Tan wins Astrid Lindgren prize
World's richest children's literature award goes to Australian author-illustrator, described as a 'masterly visual storyteller'
Shaun Tan was awarded the Astrid Lindgren prize for being 'a masterly visual storyteller'. Photograph: Martin Argles for the GuardianThe Australian author-illustrator Shaun Tan is the winner of this year's Astrid Lindgren prize – the richest children's literature prize in the world, with a purse of 5m kroner (£490,000).
Tan is the second Australian to be awarded the prize in its nine-year history, following Sonya Hartnett's win in 2008.
Continue reading "Shaun Tan wins Astrid Lindgren prize | Children's books | guardian.co.uk" »
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Picture Book of the Month: Mung Mung
Nov 2010
Mung Mung
Author: Linda Sue Park
Illustrator: Diane Bigda
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing, 36 pages
Year: 2004
ISBN: 978-1570914867
IT'S fascinating how people from different parts of the world make different animal sounds. Koreans say a dog goes "Mung mung", while according to the Russians, it says "Gav gav". In Malaysia, we're influenced by the English and our dogs say "Woof woof". Pretty pastel pictures illustrate eight animals and the surprising sounds they make the world over!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama – review | World news | The Observer
'Have I told you that you are a healer?': the Sitting Bull spread from Barack Obama's picture book, Of Thee I Sing, illustrated by Loren Long.When I was asked to review this book, I must admit to a slight feeling of dread. I'm a great admirer of Barack Obama, both for what he has achieved and what he's trying to achieve. But part of me was thinking: Oh, no, not another "celebrity" children's book, another example of a famous person thinking it's easy to write a kid's book – and even easier to write the text of a picture book.I needn't have worried.
Although the poetic language is perhaps trying a little too hard and the text is sometimes too heavy with message, it's a worthwhile book that stands up in its own right.
Recent Comments