Tuesday, June 09, 2015

Great Richness and Diversity in Finalists in NZ Book Awards For Children and Young Adults

9 June 2015


Pirates, orcas and penguins leap from the pages of the 22 books picked as finalists in the 2015 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. 
 
In the 25th year of these venerable awards, New Zealand authors have once again produced beautifully written and illustrated books that are wonderful to hold and read, showing that publishing for New Zealand children is in very good heart.
 
One hundred and forty-nine books were submitted for the Awards. A panel of three judges (judging convenor and children’s book reviewer and literary consultant Bob Docherty; author and children’s bookshop owner, Annemarie Florian; and teacher-librarian Fiona Mackie), with the assistance of Te Reo Māori language adviser, freelance Māori writer and editor Stephanie Pohe-Tibble, have spent months reading, analysing and enjoying all entries.
 
The finalists in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are selected across four categories: Picture Book, Non-Fiction, Junior Fiction and Young Adult Fiction, and there is an additional award for books written in Māori, for which there are finalists for the first time.

2 comments:

Angela S said...

I have spent some time comparing the children's choice finalists with the adult's choice. I have no particular preferences except I would never have put the doggie ditties in front of children. What does show up from my fairly quick look is that children chose a larger number of New Zealand authors and subjects.In other words, their lives and history are reflected more. Great!!!

Angela S said...

Actually, I was wrong. They are equal in NZ subject content, just different in choices and not many the same. and the choices of the kids at the school where I work were totally different from the finalists , funny that!