Empowerment, validation, refuge – Yoto Carnegies Shortlist
W HEN the
16-strong Yoto Carnegies
Shortlists were announced at
the London Book Fair, the scene was set for the final decisions which will come in June. As well as the rich array of written and illustrated work that judges and shadowing groups will be delving into, each book now has its own webpage on the Yoto Carnegie website, many with author interviews and challenges for shadowers. In her video, illustrator Erika Meza discusses how her experience as a migrant combined with her reaction to a US Government policy to separate children and parents crossing the US Mexico border, evolved into her book To the Other Side (Hachette Children’s Group). “There are sadly tons of children everywhere… who are suddenly having to find safety somewhere else. I, myself, am a migrant. I’ve been experiencing changes all my life really. I know what it’s like to pack up your stuff and leave the stuff you knew, and called home for a while, behind you.”
But she adds: “I decided to come from Mexico… I packed all my stuff, I packed even my cat and brought him along with me. Refugee children don’t have that luxury. Their changes
are more radical than anyone else’s because they have no choice.” Animal masks feature prominently in her book, so her Shadowers Challenge is to make a mask that will help them – thinking of the powers of animals and combining them, like the rabbit for speed and the tiger for courage.
Aaron Becker’s video gives a guided tour of part of the beautiful Saanich Peninsula on the West Coast of Canada, the setting for his The Tree and the River and for his Shadowers Challenge he asks them to find a building nearby, a shop, a church, a community centre, that is now being used for something different to its original use.
Stories of courage
Maura Farrelly, Chair of Judges for The Yoto Carnegies 2024, highlighted some of the qualities and characteristics that distinguished shortlisted titles from the rest of the longlist (
www.yotocarnegies.co.uk). “These are books to empower young readers, and for some will provide validation and refuge; stories of courage, of characters thriving to find themselves and their place in the world, often in difficult or dangerous situations.”
She adds: “The books shortlisted for the writing medal exemplify immersive and compelling writing
with the power to inspire and move readers across a range of forms. The illustration shortlist is entirely comprised of picture books, with a strong theme of the environment, underlining the way picture books can speak to all ages, and showing how nature and illustrated books can heal and empower.”
Yoto, the screen-free audio platform for children, is the headline sponsor of the Awards. The Yoto Carnegies are also sponsored by ALCS and First News are the official media partner.
The awards’ official book supplier, Scholastic, working with CILIP, has donated shortlist packs to 10 schools in disadvantaged areas to allow them to also take part in the shadowing. Scholastic has also presented a week of online events celebrating the shortlist on their Scholastic Schools Live platform with schools and libraries able to sign up and particpate for free via Scholastic’s website.
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration Lost – Mariajo Ilustrajo A polar bear lost in a large city asks for help but people are too caught up in the hustle and bustle of city life to hear him until he is finally noticed by a little girl. A story of friendship ensues a strong visual narrative, as she
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