Anzac Heroes wins Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award

ANZAC Heroes by Maria Gill wins Margaret Mahy Book of the Year - WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2016 NEW ZEALAND BOOK AWARDS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

Left:  Judge Fiona Mackie, Scholastic publishing manager Lynette Evans, illustrator Marco Ivancic, author Maria Gill, TV personality and MP Maggie Barry, at the NZ Book Awards for Children & Young Adults

“Simply stunning, with gold-standard production values,” say the judges of the winner of this year’s Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award in the prestigious New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. ANZAC Heroes is also the winner of the Elsie Locke Award for the Best Book in the Non-Fiction category.

Maria Gill’s book ANZAC Heroes, illustrated by Marco Ivancic and published by Scholastic New Zealand, is a collaboration between writer and illustrator at its best. From nurse and pilot to soldier and spy, this book offers a beautifully arranged cast of ANZAC heroes from World War I and World War 2, and includes lifelike illustrations with maps, a medal room, fact boxes, index and a glossary. Each hero has a personal story and timeline.

Fiona Mackie, convenor of the judging panel says, “ANZAC Heroes was impossible to put down. The book brings to life the people who risked everything, left everything and lost everything as they participated in World Wars 1 and 2. There’s carefully chosen material, never overwhelming the reader, but not skimping on detail either. The meticulous research brings these heroes to life creating the perfect book package. Readers will learn an amazing amount about the people who represented, fought and, sometimes, died for us.”

The 2016 judging panel was convened by teacher-librarian, Fiona Mackie; librarian, Kathy Aloniu; and author Melinda Szymanik. In addition, English academic, Professor Martin Salisbury was the advisor for the Russell Clark Illustration Award. Professor Salisbury is the Professor of Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK; he leads its MA Children’s Book Illustration programme that he established in 2000. He has been a member of the international jury for a number of illustration and picture book awards.

The te reo Māori entries were judged by librarians Te Rangi Tangohau and Lawren Matrix, and Auckland Museum’s Senior Outreach Programmer, Mereana Taungapeau. The convenor of the te reo Māori panel was University of Auckland Kaitiaki Māori librarian Riki-Lee Saua.

The winners of the 2016 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and HELL Children’s Choice Awards were announced at a ceremony at Wellington’s Circa Theatre on the evening of Monday, 8 August. The Awards are a unique celebration of the contribution New Zealand’s children’s authors and illustrators make to build national identity and cultural heritage.

The Best First Book Award winners are Sophie Siers and Helen Kerridge for Allis the little tractor. A perfect blend of text and illustration, the judges thought this book had a nostalgic feel without being old-fashioned. “The book is understated, gentle and warm.”

Patricia Grace wins the Te Kura Pounamu Award for the best book in te reo Māori with Whiti te ra! Translated by Kawata Teepa, this book shares the history behind New Zealand’s most famous haka, Ka Mate. The judges acclaimed this book: “Its stunning artwork and simple language are used to convey an inspiring message of overcoming challenges. Suitable for all ages, this book is a riveting read that will capture hearts and minds.”

The Little Kiwi’s Matariki, written and illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson, is the winner of the Picture Book Award. Little Kiwi takes the reader on a rapid journey, rousing the forest creatures from their slumber as she urges them to come and see the most wonderful sight. English and te reo Māori are blended together naturally and comfortably in this winning book.

Wellington author Kate De Goldi wins the Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction with From the Cutting Room of Barney Kettle. “Surprising, gripping, heart-breaking and ultimately incredibly moving, this novel stood out right from the start. This book is packed with warmth, wonderful language, rich and witty observations, compelling characters and layers of message and meaning,” the judges commented.

Brian Falkner’s Battlesaurus: Rampage at Waterloo is the winner of the Young Adult Fiction Award. This book draws the reader into a world both familiar and unfamiliar – a battle between England and France, at Waterloo, with a plot-altering twist – dinosaurs as weaponry! The judges said that the convincing plot made them believe that Napoleon actually had saurs at the battle of Waterloo, and the cliff-hanger ending left them desperate to find out more.

Taupo illustrator Donovan Bixley wins the Russell Clark Award for Illustration in Much Ado About Shakespeare. The judges commended this book for its tremendous achievement. “Each illustration tells a story that rewards close examination, providing a rich experience for readers, with the added bonus of a lovingly curated lesson in art history. These illustrations are a technical tour de force.”

The full list of winners of the 2016 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults is:

·                     Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and winner of the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction

Prizes: $7,500 for the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and $7,500 for the Non-Fiction Award

ANZAC Heroes by Maria Gill, illustrated by Marco Ivancic; Scholastic New Zealand

·                     Best First Book Award: Prize $2,000

Allis the little tractor by Sophie Siers, illustrated by Helen Kerridge; Millwood-Heritage Productions

·                     Te Kura Pounamu Award for the best book in te reo Māori: Prize $7,500

Whiti te rā! by Patricia Grace, translated by Kawata Teepa, illustrated by Andrew Burdan; Huia Publishers

·                     Picture Book Award: Prize $7,500

The Little Kiwi’s Matariki written and illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson; David Ling Publishing (Duck Creek Press)

·                     Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction: Prize $7,500

From the Cutting Room of Barney Kettle by Kate De Goldi; Penguin Random House (Longacre)

·                     Young Adult Fiction Award: Prize $7,500

Battlesaurus: Rampage at Waterloo by Brian Falkner; Pan Macmillan Australia (Farrar Straus Giroux)

·                     Russell Clark Award for Illustration: Prize $7,500

Much Ado About Shakespeare illustrated by Donovan Bixley; Upstart Press

New Zealand children enthusiastically voted for their own specially selected finalists’ list for this year’s HELL Children’s Choice Awards. Each book wins $1,000. The winners are:

·                     Te reo Māori

Te Hua Tuatahi a Kuwi written and illustrated by Kat Merewether, and translated by Pānia Papa; Illustrated Publishing

·                     Picture Book

The House on the Hill by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Sarah Davis; Scholastic New Zealand

·                     Junior Fiction

The Girl Who Rode the Wind by Stacy Gregg; Harper Collins

·                     Non-Fiction

First to the Top by David Hill, illustrated by Phoebe Morris; Penguin Random House (Puffin)

·                     Young Adult Fiction

Stray by Rachael Craw; Walker Books

HELL general manager Ben Cumming says HELL is delighted at the response to this year’s HELL Children’s Choice. “As sponsors of the Children’s Choice Awards, and champions of child literacy, we are really encouraged to see how invested young readers are in Kiwi literature. Getting kids excited about books is exactly why we’ve been involved with the Awards for the past three years, and why we continue to drive our Reading Challenge through schools and libraries across the country.

“We’d like to thank everyone who voted this year, and to congratulate the winners picked from what was a rich and varied group of shortlisted titles. Creativity is at the heart of what HELL stands for and, more importantly, it is what drives young readers to keep picking up books and be inspired.”

Fiona Mackie says the judges were heartened by high quality of books, and the number of first-time authors and illustrators who submitted their books for the awards. “We were also impressed with the high standards of publication from smaller or niche publishers who are creating material that rivals the well-established publishers. On behalf of the judges, I want to say that being able to read, appreciate and enjoy the best literature in New Zealand for children and young adults is an amazing privilege. With increasing sales of books for children and young adults over the past year, the New Zealand book industry is in fine fettle.”

The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults could not exist without the generosity, commitment and vision of its sponsors. The New Zealand Book Award Trust is grateful to all these organisations for their support: Creative New Zealand, HELL Pizza, Copyright Licensing Limited, Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd, Wellington City Council, Nielsen Book Services and the Fernyhough Education Foundation.

The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are administered by the New Zealand Book Council on behalf of the New Zealand Book Awards Trust.

Anzac themed books and school visit

Next year is the centenary commemorations of the war in France during WWI. If you are teaching an Anzac unit and have started looking for resources and planning events, here are some you might be interested in:

Due out late February 2016 is my new book ‘Anzac Heroes’ (Scholastic), which tells the stories of 30 Australian and New Zealand men and women during WWI and WWII. Readers will find out about significant battles fought during those two wars and how Australian and New Zealand men and women survived and contributed to the war. Also included are world maps showing where the battles were fought, a timeline of world events, historic photographs, and action illustrations by Marco Ivancic. Includes the stories of army, navy and airforce men, as well as five women and four indigenous soldiers.  

I’ll be sharing stories from the Anzac Heroes book and information about the two world wars while touring the country giving ‘Anzac’ talks – see poster above. If you would like to book a visit, please contact Rosemary Tisdall, New Zealand Book Council or myself.  I’ll use PowerPoint, videos, props, and encourage children to interact with the presentation.  If your school is outside of Auckland I'll need to organise several school visits in your area to make it viable. Already planned is a Taupo tour from 11-15^th April and a Queenstown tour from 6-10^th June. If you are in those regions and would like a school visit please contact me.

From February onwards you can access a free Anzac teaching resource from my website: www.mariagill.co.nz.

We’re planning a ‘What Lies Beneath Exhibition’ with a focus on children’s war books at several venues around the country. I will keep you informed once venues are confirmed.

Other resources that will help you with your planning are:

Philippa Werry’s blog:  http://childrenswarbooks.blogspot.co.nz/  Philippa has reviewed most New Zealand and Australian books written with a war theme. Philippa has also written three excellent war books herself ‘Anzac Day’, ‘Dawn Parade’ and ‘Best Mates’.

For younger children, I’d also include Glyn Harper’s three picture books (illustrated by Jenny Cooper):  Jim’s Letters, Le Quesnoy, Roly the Anzac Donkey.  Plus David Hill’s book (illustrated by Fifi Colston) ‘The Red Poppy’, and Peter Millet’s ‘The Anzac Puppy’.  There’s also been some excellent Australian Anzac stories told by Claire Saxby.

For older children: David Hill, Ken Catran, Morris Gleitzman, and Jackie French have written several war-themed junior fiction novels. There’s also the excellent ‘Kiwis at War’ series published by Scholastic: 1914 ‘Riding into War’ by Susan Brocker, 1915 by Diana Menefy, 1916 by David Hair. Also Anna Mackenzie’s ‘Evie’s War’.

You probably know about these sites:

http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-resources/National-events-and-the-NZC/Anzac-Day-Lest-we-forget  

http://www.vln.school.nz/discussion/view/684188

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/anzac-day/classroom-activities-anzac-day

http://www.education.govt.nz/ministry-of-education/events-and-awards/centenary-of-world-war-i-learn-and-never-forget/  

http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/resources-learning/first-world-war-resources-new-zealand-schools/first-world-war-resource-guide  

http://fairfaxnie.co.nz/115/teacherzone/anzac-day  

http://anzac.govt.nz/resources/index.html  

http://ww100.govt.nz/activities-and-projects .

Good luck with your planning!

A Storylines Festival near you

Storyline Family Festival Days has been going 20 years!! It all started when 33 children's authors and illustrators came together at a hui in 1993 at Joy Cowley's seaside home in the Marlborough Sounds and said, 'Why don't we have a festival celebrating New Zealand children's books'.

This year they are celebrating with SIX Storyline Family Festival Days at the following centres:

Saturday 10th August from 11-4pm at the Dunedin Central Library with: Children’s authors' Kyle Mewburn, Adele Broadbent, Mandy Hager, Rachel Stedman, Simon Pollard, and illustrator Robyn Belton, and storyteller Tanya Batt along with International guests: Isobelle Carmody and Rachel Spratt.

Sunday 11th August from 10-3pm at South Christchurch Library authors from above will fly to Christchurch and along with Rachel King, Jenny Cooper, Ben Brown, Jane Buxton, and Simon Pollard will promote their books.

Saturday 17th August, join writers and illustrators in Wellington: Philippa Werry, Ken Benn, David Elliot, Philip Webb, Ant Sang, Fifi Colston, Maria Gill, Ruth Paul, Moira Wairama, and Mona Williams at the Michael Fowler Centre from 10 – 3pm.

There are also Storyline Family Festival Days in Kaitaia at the Kaitaia Library and Te Ahu Centre from 11 – 4pm; and at the South Auckland Vodafone Events Centre from 11-3pm on Saturday 17th August for the first time!

That night (Saturday 17th August) in Auckland authors, illustrators, librarians, teachers and anyone who loves children’s books will celebrate Storylines 20th anniversary at the National Library from 6pm to 8pm. Buy your tickets here.

On Sunday 18th August join writers and illustrators in Auckland: David Hill, Sally Sutton, Mark Sommerset, Chris Gurney, Nina Rycroft, Sandra Morris, Elena de Roo, Melinda Szymanik, Leonie Agnew, Fraser Williamson, Susan Brocker, Leonie Thorpe, Apirana Taylor, and the matriarchs of children’s literature: Joy Cowley and Dame Lynley Dodd at the Aotea Centre from 10 – 3pm.

What can you expect at a Storylines Family Festival Day? You’ll meet authors and illustrators (of course) – you’ll hear them speak, see them draw, do activitieswith them, get your battered or newly bought book signed and chat to them. You can also make crafts, get your face painted, watch shows, enter competitions and win prizes, and pick-up freebies. It is incredible fun – come with your kids, parents, or by yourself! It is all FREE!

Also, on Saturday 24th August at the Ponsonby Art Station see the 'Pictures Without Words' illustration exhibition from 10-4pm. It's FREE too!

I'll be at the Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland Storylines Family Festival Days and would love to see you there! Come and say hello and get your books signed.

What have I been doing in the quiet month of January? Helping organise a fantastic exhibition of children's books.  The Gala Opening Night is on Monday 4th March from 5.30 - 7.30pm.  All are invited but it is essential that you RSVP because we are limited to 100 people. You'll meet on the night: David Elliot, Fifi Colston, Lindy Fisher, Robyn Belton, Kyle Mewburn, Donovan Bixley, Heather Arnold, Melinda Szymanik, and myself! We're part of a panel and afterwards you can ask us questions about the behind-the-scenes of creating a book.

But that is not all ...

Teachers, you could bring a group of 15 students to a Speed-date-an-Author/Illustrator the next day (Tuesday 5th March from 9.30 - 2pm) at the National Library. Students will do seven workshops with: David Elliot, Fifi Colston, Lindy Fisher, Robyn Belton, and Donovan Bixley - the illustrators, Kyle Mewburn, Melinda Szymanik and Maria Gill - the authors. During the break the students/teachers/parents can peruse the exhibition and ask the authors/illustrators firsthand burning questions about the books. See the poster below for details and how to book your class. Only seven x 15 group spaces available - so be in quick! Fees apply.



Teachers can also bring their class along to the exhibition during the month of March at the National Library email: simon.vincent@dia.govt.nz and also at Takapuna Library - email: belynda.smith@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz . There is no charge but you do need to book in advance.

Tongariro Erupts Again!

Photo of Tongariro area but not the site of recent explosion.

Tongariro erupted again on Wednesday 21st November around 1.20pm. A large plume of ash 6000m high can be seen very close to where it erupted last time on August 7th.

To find out more about it go to NZ Herald.

Last week, GNS scientists indicated that Ruapehu might erupt within the next couple of weeks or months too.  They're watching all the volcanic signs very closely.