And the winners are...

This is not to do with the tennis which is now completely wide open, but with children's book award winners - certainly not a simpler set of awards to predict!

Now many of you will be aware of the winners already, I am rather late with my report due to an arm injury making typing rather a challenge!

Nevertheless the Carnegie and Greenaway awards have been announced for 2010 with Freya Blackwood winning the Kate Greenaway Medal for her picture book illustrations in the gorgeous Harry and Hopper whilst Neil Gaiman won the Carnegie Medal for his deliciously dark Graveyard Book.

These awards are for some, the highlight of the year and they are certainly very highly regarded by authors, publishers, librarians and even children as well as a wide reading audience. The difference with these awards is that the winners are chosen by adults, librarians, whilst children form shadowing groups to read the titles for themselves and discuss the pros and cons of each, selecting their own winners.

Gaiman and Blackwood are both very worthy winners having produced exceptionally good stories that have a strong and wide appeal. Gaiman's Graveyard Book follows the adventures of Bod, a young boy who would be completely normal if it were not for the fact that he lives in a graveyard being raised and educated by ghosts! His adventures and the dangers that he faces, particularly from the man who murdered his family make turn this from a good story into a gripping and exciting adventure. Neil Gaiman has done a double with this book, also winning the prestigious Newbery Medal in America. He explained that he was inspired to write this story when his young son rode into a graveyard on his tricycle yet the echoes of Kipling's Jungle Book must also have been an inspiration. It was certainly an inspired and unusual choice for a story and Gaiman has applied his undoubted skill making it into a brilliant and exciting story.

Freya Blackwood's illustrations in Harry & Hopper on the other hand are based on personal childhood memories. She says that when she read the story she was in tears, it bough back memories of her own whippet dog who met a very sad end. This on its own proves that picture book stories are powerful and have the ability to move even adults before the pictures are even added. Blackwood was certainly inspired in her illustration and was the ideal choice of illustrator for this story. Her illustration is muted in colour, suiting the story. It makes excellent use of space and perspective, drawing the reader in and helping them to connect personally to what they are reading and seeing. The story is handled in a very sensitive style and the visual is strong.

Two excellent and very worthy books have been awarded prestigious medals that are well deserved in the 2010 Carnegie Awards. Features on both will appear in the September issue of Armadillo magazine, int he meantime there are two very good books to read and an author as well as an illustrator to investigate further. Enjoy reading and sharing these stories, whilst we offer congratulations from all at Armadillo.

Carnegie & Greenaway Medal Winners Announced

What a fabulously sunny day for taking a trip up to London, heading to BAFTA on Piccadilly and enjoying the reception and announcement for the CILIP Carnegie and Greenaway Children's Book Awards 2009.

With a strong shortlist this year for both awards it was always going to be difficult to choose the winners. This award however is unique, there are no commercial aspects to it, books are selected entirely by librarians and judged by them too. Children shadow the award, reading the books and posting their comments on the specially designed website and with over 3,800 reading groups shadowing this year there are plenty of reviews to read!

Kirsty Wark introduced proceedings reminding the assembled audience of the importance not only of libraries, as a haven and inspiration for children but also of some of the classic books that had given her, and many of us pleasure. The phrases 'You are never alone with a book' and 'Read to Live as quoted by Joy Court chair of the 2009 judging panel summed up the feelings of all those gathered. We were there to celebrate the very best books that have been published in the last year and whilst there can only ever be one winner all those on the shortlist are in fact winners.

However without further preamble I should tell you that the winners were - for the Kate Greenaway medal Catherine Rayner with the beautiful, funny and heartwarming 'Harris Finds His Feet'. For the Carnegie Medal the first ever posthumous award was presented to Siobhan Dowd for the wonderful and evocative Bog Child.

Catherine Rayner was stunned by her win, honoured and flattered. She explained how hard it had been to complete this book and had lots of thanks for all those who had supported her.

The sisters of Siobhan Dowd accepted her prize and were followed by a moved David Fickling who made a passionate speech on her behalf.

On behalf of Armadillo and the team, congratulations to the two winners and to all those authors and illustrators who made it onto the long and shortlists. Let us all continue to inspire children and create more generations of readers.