Dunedin
author and illustrator David Elliot wins 2017 Margaret Mahy Book of the Year
Award
Dunedin
author and illustrator David Elliot has won both the Margaret Mahy Book of
the Year Award, and the Russell Clark Award for Illustration , at the 2017 New
Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
His
book Snark: Being a true history of the expedition that discovered the Snark
and the Jabberwock . . . and its tragic aftermath, published by
Otago University Press, was announced the winner at the awards ceremony on
Monday evening in Wellington.
Snark
is a tumultuous romp through worlds created by Lewis Carroll, brought to life
through the vivid imaginings and fabulous art of its award-winning author and
illustrator David Elliot.
The
judges’ report acclaimed Snark as a ‘dynamic piece of work which will
have value many years from now’ that offered ‘everything the reader could want
– mystery, adventure and intrigue, all spectacularly wrapped up in a creative
package that will enthral the whole family.’
The
report described David Elliot’s draughtsmanship as outstanding, and said the
cohesive way he combined all the elements of the book was what won the judges
over.
Elliot
says he was pleased and surprised that his ‘genre bending’ book had won out
against a ‘strong field of wonderful children’s books’.
Otago
University Press Publisher Rachel Scott says the book is a unique creation from
one of New Zealand’s leading children’s authors and illustrators, and the
awards are an exciting achievement for the Press and Dunedin, a UNESCO City of
Literature.
David
Elliot is based in Port Chalmers, Dunedin. He has won many awards for his work,
including New Zealand Post Children’s Book of the Year in 2011 (with Margaret
Mahy) for The Moon & Farmer McPhee. Pigtails the
Pirate won Best Picture Book in the 2003 awards.
No comments:
Post a Comment