Children’s books battle for awards
The shortlist were announced yesterday and each book will compete for six awards, which includes the Children’s Choice Award, which will be voted for by 10 junior juries located across the country. The winners will be announced on May 8.
The shortlisted titles are:
*The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers;
*The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan;
*Hóng by Anna Heussaff;
*Na Laochra is Lú by Laoise Ní Cléirigh, illustrated by Steve Simpson;
*Spellbound by Siobhán Parkinson, illustrated by Olwyn Whelan;
*Mise agus an Dragún by Patricia Forde, illustrated by Steve Simpson;
*Dark Warning by Marie Louise Fitzpatrick;
*Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton;
*This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers;
*Grounded by Sheena Wilkinson.
Founded in 1990, previous winners include John Boyne for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
Pádraic Whyte, chair of the judging panel that read more than 80 titles, said: “The 10 books on this year’s shortlist offer children and young people from a broad age group rich and satisfying reading experiences. Many of the books engage with difficult contemporary issues while others are stories of whimsy and fun. This is a wonderfully diverse shortlist that highlights the literary and artistic excellence of current Irish Children’s Literature.”
CBI will be working with reading groups from schools and libraries across Ireland.
