David Almond Competition

Apologies that things have been so quiet around here. I’ve been distracted by long weekends, London and the general May mayhem.

Anyway, by way of an apology here’s a link to current CBI competition to win David Almond books.

Shame on me that I had read no David Almond books before last year . Since I finally got started though, I just can’t stop. If you’re new to his books, start with Skellig, it really is terrific.

IBA Full shortlists available

Shortlists all out today – see here for all those irrelevant adult prizes!

Children’s Shortlists below.

The Dublin Airport Authority Irish Children’s Book of the Year – Jn for readers aged 8 and under.

THE GREAT PAPER CAPER by Oliver Jeffers

HER MOTHER’S FACE by Roddy Doyle, illustrated by Freya Blackwood

BEFORE YOU SLEEP by Benji Bennett

HIGHWAY ROBBERY by Kate Thompson

The Dublin Airport Authority Irish Children’s Book of the Year – Snr for children in the 9 + age group.

THE MAGICIAN by Michael Scott

ALICE AND MEGAN FOREVER by Judi Curtin

SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT – PLAYING WITH FIRE by Derek Landy

THE POISON THRONE by Celine Kiernan

Celine is also nominated in Best Newcomer Category, Bravo!

Bravo Poetry Aloud (and famous Seamus of course)

Seamus Heaney has been awarded the ninth David Cohen Prize for Literature. A popular winner Seamus accepted the award with his usual wit and warmth.

A great part of the prize? – he gets to select a recipient for the £12,500 Clarissa Luard Award and he choose Poetry Aloud organised by The National Library of Ireland and Poetry Ireland. Congrats to one and all.

Photo below via Book Brunch featuring Seamus and Maire Heaney along with Aongus O hAonghusa of the National Library and Jane O’Hanlon of Poetry Ireland. In accepting the award Jane said it was

“A heartening expression of support which acknowledged the organisations’ commitment to high-quality literary arts practice with young people.”

CBI’s Table Quiz – come one, come all

Think you know your Poison Factory from your Poison Throne?

Or even your Chamber of Secrets from your Secret Garden?

If so, the CBI annual table quiz is your chance to show-off your knowledge of  children’s books. There will be plenty of general knowledge questions as well for all the non- book worms.

Previous participants will know that its a very relaxed event – plenty of craic and humour to keep you amused.

Thursday January 22nd at 7pm, Tickets €40 per table of four(ish).  We’re pretty flexible around numbers.

To register your table please contact the Jenny in the CBI Office on 01-8727475 or email: info@childrensbooksireland.ie.

Venue: Teacher’s Club, 36 Parnell Square West, Dublin 1

Festive Fear

Lots of things have been getting in the way of posting lately – Pj Lynch, parties, Budapest, stemming the flow of 2009 leaks

Normal service will hopefully resume next week – In the meantime here are some scary stories from CBI’s recent Derek Landy competition to keep you amused.

Walker Books on walkabout in Dublin

Sarah Webb just alerted me to a new partnership between Walker Books and NCAD – looks like an interesting project. Macmillan have been doing something similar with the Macmillan prize for students but I think this might be the first time that a publisher either from Ireland or abroad has targetted a specific group of Irish students – Do you think they would let me enrol just for this week so I could hang out with Bruce Ingman?

The NCAD (National College of Art and Design), Ireland’s most prestigious art college, will play host to leading Walker Books illustrator Bruce Ingman this month. The award-winning illustrator is best known for his modern classics with author Allan Ahlberg, The Runaway Dinner, Previously and The Pencil, which was published this Autumn.
From the 17th to the 21st November, Bruce will be conducting a week long project with the 3rd year Visual Communication students in NCAD. He will be joined on 21st November by Walker Books’ Picture Book publisher Deirdre McDermott, herself a former student of the Visual Communication course at the college. Together they will offer one lucky student the opportunity of an internship at Walker next summer 2009. Along with Brendon Deacy, senior tutor at NCAD, Bruce and Deirdre will be looking for the most promising new book-making talent, be it in illustration, graphics or typography.

Barefoot Books launch a young storytellers competition

Barefoot Books have launched a new competition for those under 14 which is all about storytelling. It’s all happening through youtube and young storytellers have to upload their stories to the site. There is a few technical steps to overcome but you have plenty of time considering the closing date isn’t until November. For more on the competition – visit barefoot books site

Here’s a sample of one of the entries

I came across this on Publishing News which alarmingly has just announced their decision to cease publication both in print and online. It’s a shame I always enjoyed their weekly e-news bulletins.