CONTENTS New Year issue 2016
2 Editorial ___________________________________
3 2016: the books to watch! Leading children’s editors look ahead
_________________________________________
6 Windows into Illustration: Michael Foreman and a life in pictures
_________________________________________
6 Authorgraph: Caroline Binch interviewed by Tricia Kings
_________________________________________ _________________________________________
12 Visual Literacy: flying to another place by Piet Grobler
14 Andersen Press – _________________________________________ _________________________________________
17 Good Reads chosen by pupils at Aith Junior High School, Shetland
17 I Wish I’d Written… Jonathan Stroud chooses
18 Two Children Tell: Nick and Humour
Forty Years Young the influential publisher Klaus Flugge interviewed by Joy Court
16 Obituary: Peter Dickinson remembered by Ferelith Hordon
_________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________
19 The Art of Writing a Novel by Lisa Williamson
_________________________________________
20 An introduction to new publisher Tiny Owl by Jill Bennett
_________________________________________
21 Reviewers and reviews Under 5s (Pre-School/Nursery/ Infant) 5-8 (Infant/Junior) + Editor’s Choice 8-10 (Junior/Middle) 10-14 (Middle/Secondary) 14+ (Secondary/Adult) + New Talent
_________________________________________
32 Classics in Short No. 114 Alice Under Ground
_________________________________________ COVER STORY
This issue’s cover illustration is from Elmer’s Little Library by David McKee. Thanks to Andersen Press for their help with this cover.
Reading the Way: Inclusive Books from Around the World.
In November 2015, Outside In World reported on the findings of research, Reading the Way: Inclusive Books from Around the World, undertaken in 2014/15.
The project was led by Alexandra Strick and Deborah Hallford, with the aim of identifying outstanding books published in languages other than English that were either accessible to all children including disabled ones, and/or which featured characters with some kind of physical or cognitive disability. These books were then translated into English, and shown to focus groups to give their views. There is a distinct lack of books accessible to disabled children, and so Reading the Way was particularly interested in finding books supporting their needs, for instance through language, symbols, Braille, or tactile illustrations. Children with disabilities are also under-represented in children’s literature, but disabled children gain higher self-esteem reading about disabled
Books for Keeps
January 2016 No.216 ISSN 0143-909X © Books for Keeps CIC 2015 Editor: Ferelith Hordon Assistant Editor: Ruth Williams Managing Editor: Andrea Reece Design: Louise Millar Editorial correspondence should be sent to Books for Keeps,
c/o The Big Green Bookshop, Unit 1, Brampton Park Road, Wood Green, London N22 6BG
2 Books for Keeps No.216 January 2016
characters who are not depicted as helpless victims, and children who are not disabled can their understanding of disability. Over thirty books were translated into English from nine different languages and presented to the focus groups either in the form of pdf files or, in the case of books accessible to disabled children, as mock-ups. The focus groups included academics, children with visual impairments, children with complex needs and their teachers, children with autism and their parents, and publishers. The groups were asked to discuss a number of issues including how positively disabled people were depicted in the books, whether the books filled a gap in the market, and whether they would be commercially viable if published in the UK. The project met with a very positive response, and
reinforced Strick and Hallford’s belief in the need and desire for inclusive and accessible books in translation, and the value of such books. For more information about the research, and the books selected, email
info@OutsideInWorld.org.uk Dr Rebecca R Butler
Books for Keeps is available online at
www.booksforkeeps.co.uk A regular BfK Newsletter can also be sent by email. To sign up for the Newsletter, go to
www.booksforkeeps.co.uk and follow the Newsletter link. If any difficulty is experienced, email addresses can also be sent to
enquiries@booksforkeeps.co.uk*
Email:
enquiries@booksforkeeps.co.uk
Website:
www.booksforkeeps.co.uk *Email addresses will be used by Books for Keeps only for the purpose of emailing the Newsletter and will not be disclosed to third parties.
_________________________________________
10 Ten of the Best: Sarah Mears of the EmpathyLab chooses the best children’s books to encourage empathy
editorial A Happy New Year to all our readers.
It is amazing how time has sped and yet another year has passed – a cliché but still very true; I never cease to be ‘amazed’!
Looking back there is much to savour. There is a greater awareness and presence of translated books. Poetry publishing is exhibiting a liveliness that belies any diagnosis that this area is dead. There is a new YA Award to celebrate. The CILIP Carnegie and Greenaway Awards announced a partnership with Amnesty International UK, which will ‘commend human rights in children’s literature’. The Pictures Mean Business campaign is raising the profile of illustrators. Research is providing proof of the value that reading to, and with, children has on literacy and social wellbeing. None of these are innovations as such, but they are certainly healthy signs.
Of course it is not all rosy. Small publishers and independent bookshops in particular, continue to struggle in the face of the all-embracing reach of Amazon. It is no easier for authors and illustrators to find an outlet for their work, and even if they do, they may not be given the chance to develop. Libraries and library services remain in the firing line and under threat. However, the launch of My Library by Right campaign by CILIP is a welcome move, and will need vigorous support from all. Sadly there is still little actual mention of qualified librarians to staff libraries, with the children’s services in particular often being seen as appropriate for temporary assistants or volunteers. There is continued emphasis on information management, rather than recognising the importance of cultivating the imagination, and recognising that in order to develop a reading habit children need to enjoy it. There appears to be no children’s module on the
UCL syllabus for their MA in Library and Information Studies, suggesting that once more work in children’s libraries is not seen as a good career choice. It’s a far cry from my vision of two qualified children’s librarians in every library! The implication is that working with children’s books does not require thought, that there are no questions to be answered, and that finding the right book at the right time for the right child is just a matter of looking at the bestseller shelf.
If I seem to be very single minded in my advocacy of professional children’s librarians, it is because I believe they are very important. After all, everyone knows the value of a lively, well-informed teacher to spark interest and engagement; and independent bookshops make a virtue of staff knowledge to attract customers. Librarians provide readers with the opportunity both for a very personal interaction and for making unexpected discoveries. It is quite easy to find a book that matches a child’s existing taste, or fits into current publishing trends. But what about experimenting with different authors? The recent death of Peter Dickinson brought this to mind. Many of his books are out of print, but they can still be found in libraries. He is an author who never wrote in a single genre, but always challenged and entertained. There are also plenty of authors writing today who need a school or children’s librarian to point a reader in their direction, but to do this, these librarians need to be knowledgeable.
Luckily there is still Books for Keeps to provide support – and with an archive that goes back to the 1980s, I recommend it to you! And can I urge you to Keep Reading!
Ferelith Hordon, Editor
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32