the Central and Stockbridge libraries.” These connections with libraries meant that winning the Carnegie medal twice, first for Goggle-Eyes (1989), and again for Flour Babies, (1992) was particularly meaningful. “I was moved to tears by winning those medals, and thereby becoming linked in some tiny way to the most worthy and inspired institution, without whom few of the people I know well in life could ever have had such full lives. I owe libraries and librarians so much. The Carnegie Medal embodies one of our finest values – the sheer importance of enriching minds.”
Anne also feels the prestige the awards hold is in large part due to the expertise and experience of its judges who are librarians, and of the criteria by which all of the books are appraised. “There has to be an element of ‘lottery’ in all prizes. But it’s rare for an award of this calibre to go, as so many others have on occasion, to a load of forgettable tosh.” Alongside, winning numerous awards and the critical acclaim lauded upon her work, Anne was the first novelist to be honoured as Children’s Laureate. Her tenure ran from 2001-2003. Anne undertook numerous projects in her time as Children’s Laureate. One of the major projects was to encourage book ownership. “The first thing I did was align my own fondness for personal bookplates with the plethora of good, second-hand books to encourage young people to create their own ‘Home Library.’ I managed to persuade two hundred illustrators and cartoonists to create modern designs, now all freely downloadable, in black and white or colour, from the website
bookplates.co.uk so children could think of these books as ‘new to them’. The list of illustrators includes an impressive array of talent including Quentin Blake, Lauren Child, Raymond Briggs, Nicola Bayley, Brian Wildsmith, Penny Dale and numerous other luminaries of children’s book illustration!”
During her time as Children’s Laureate, Anne also became concerned about the exposure children were having to poetry. “It worried me that the increasing preference for ‘easy-peasy’ verse meant that many children were missing some wonderful but still accessible poetry. I put together three anthologies for different age groups A Shame to Miss 1, 2 and 3.” Revisiting these poems and showcasing them for new audiences was a job that Anne describes as having been massively pleasurable.
Reflecting on what she feels was perhaps the strangest thing she did during her time as Children’s Laureate, Anne recalls cadging money off Terence Pratchett, Jacqueline Wilson, J. K. Rowling, Philip Pullman and pooling this with her own
14 PEN&INC.
money to fund “the start of Marion Ripley’s brainchild, The Clear Vision project (www.
clearvisionproject.org) – a lending library of interleaved, brailled picturebooks for blind and visually impaired children so blind parents could read to sighted children and vice versa. It goes from strength to strength, and I got to visit two high security jails, Gartree and Long Lartin, to thank the men in brailling units. The Clear Vision project is one of the values partners for the Carnegie medal.”
In the twenty-one years since Anne’s time as children’s laureate came to an end, she has continued to champion books and reading and is in demand across the globe as a passionate advocate and keynote speaker. September 2024 sees the publication of Anne’s new novel for upper
primary and lower secondary audiences. On the Wall, will publish with Old Barn Books, it is set during the transition from primary to secondary. “The move is huge. From being seen as the oldest, most responsible members of a fairly small community, pupils find themselves at the bottom of the next, much larger and very different school. They fetch up alongside some they know, but many more they don’t. For a few, the unknown is deeply scary; for others, a fresh chance to thrive and shine, and it takes time for any new year group to bed down with one another.”
The novel has an impressive ensemble cast but focuses on two main leads. “In On the Wall, I’m following one home class, and all their varied characters.
Autumn-Winter 2024
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