10 Years Of Readathon

In 1984, when Books for Students first launched their annual reading event Readathon - to promote both books and a range of children's charities - over £100,000 was raised. Last year the amount reached a Magic Million for the first time, with more than 702,000 children taking part nationwide. The Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children and the Roald Dahl Foundation were the receiving charities.

So how will this year go? Readathon, headed by former Children's Book Foundation Director Brough Girling, is a central part of the Daily Telegraph's Children's Book Week which runs this year from 8-15 October, but can be organised at any time in the autumn term for as long or short a period as suits a particular school.

Interested? All participating schools are sent a free pack with everything that's needed including sponsor forms, display and classroom project materials and a gift for every child taking part.

Further details concerning the Readathon campaign are available from Christine Kenny on 0926 314366.

Summer Storyboat

Smaller scale than Readathon, but just as much fun, this charity aims to bring children, parents, storytellers, authors and illustrators together for a week of book and story-related activities. The day begins at 10.00 am, continues 'til 5.00 pm and includes drawing, face-painting, badge-making, storytelling, singing and dancing…but, BfK is assured, no walking of the plank.

John Ryan called it `a remarkable and highly entertaining enterprise' and, as the creator of Captain Pugwash, he should know. Jan Mark wrote `It does wonders for morale because, even at the height of an English summer, under monsoon skies and sub-arctic temperatures, people turn up.'

Details of this summer's voyages are:

Mon 15 August - HERTFORD - Hartham Common off Hill Road - Mick Gowar

Tue 16 August - WARE - Sacred Heart School - Colin West and Jan Mark

Wed 17 August - STANSTEAD ABBOTS - near the Marina off Station Road - John Ryan and Rob Lewis

Thu 18 August - BROXBOURNE - near the Fish and Eels Public House, Dobbs Weir -Julia Marriage and Sonia Holleyman

Fri 19 August - BROXBOURNE - near the Lido - June Counsel and Julia Jarman

This year's `author on board' is Robert Leeson, no Jonah he. For more information contact M A Spalding at 46 Hampton Close, Stevenage, Herts SG2 8SP; tel. 0438 815091 (home) or 0462 682908 (school).

Eileen Colwell wins the 1994 Eleanor Farjeon Award

Administered by the Children's Book Circle and sponsored by Books For Children, the Eleanor Farjeon Award for Services to Children's Books is one of the most prestigious in the industry. Previous winners include Anne Wood, Robert Leeson, Jill Bennett, Margaret Meek… but 1994's winner surely ranks alongside the best of them. Regular readers of BfK will need no introduction to Eileen Colwell whose career was celebrated by Helen Cresswell's article `Librarian for Life' in our July '93 issue.

Eileen Colwell's achievements go well beyond even innovative, energetic librarianship, however. Primarily, and all over the world, she's known as a storyteller. The presentation ceremony in London on 19th May showed why. After her acceptance speech, which centred on her friendship with Eleanor Farjeon herself, Eileen told one of her favourite Farjeon stories to a spellbound audience of publishers, writers and assorted children's book people. The applause at the end threatened to raise the roof of the Artworker's Guild. `That's why we bother with all this,' one CBC member was heard to murmur afterwards.

So salutations to Eilen Colwell says BfK. And our sympathy to whoever has to make nextyear's acceptance speech.

OBITUARY

RICHARD SCARRY

1919-1994

Back in 1963, the 44-year-old Richard Scarry never dreamt of the fame and success he would come to enjoy. When the president of his publishing house suggested the title The Best Word Book Ever, and one of his assistants had dared to doubt -'Perhaps it won't be the best ever?'- he'd replied, `But it's Richard Scarry's best word book ever!'

And indeed so it turned out, still selling and selling as part of the sixty million copies of his books sold throughout the world in 28 languages.

`If my characters were Caucasian blond children, they wouldn't sell, but as they're animals (though I consider them people) there's no racial problem,' Scarry once said. His houses look vaguely Swiss - American, his uniforms crazily mixed-up, with firemen wearing anything from a colander to a Roman feathered helmet, while no one could possibly tell if his bumbly cars have left- or right-hand drive. What mattered to him was that a child should laugh as much as he himself did when a car exploded.

Every artist wants to do a children's book, he said. He himself did nothing else. He shunned the burden of becoming involved with a TV show (no one else but he could portray his little creatures) and simply sat back and enjoyed the rewards of a contract with a giant merchandising company.

He was justly proud of teaching children not only counting and spelling, but about daily life and the organisation of the working world around them. His holy text was that learning should be fun. He said he could be heard laughing to himself as he worked, but he was deeply aware of his responsibilities: told by a mother that her son endlessly climbed into the washing machine after seeing a joky Scarry repairman doing so, he re-drew later editions.

He was thrilled and moved by the response from his international audience. `I had a letter from a mother whose child had been horribly injured, and was lying in hospital almost like a vegetable, not interested in anything. She gave him The Best Word Book Ever and immediately he came to life as it were, took an interest and got well. OK, maybe it would have happened anyway, but she felt it was a turning point.' Scarry earned himself more than one kind of riches.

Stephanie Nettell

The Children's Book Award

The following Category Winners were presented with silver bowls and a trophy went to the Overall Winner:

Category 1 - Picture Book

Amazing Anthony Ant by Lorna and Graham Philpot (Orion, 185881 005 1, £8.99)

Category 2 - Shorter Novels

The Finders by Nigel Hinton (Viking, 0670 84641 4, £8.99; in September from Puffin, 0 14 036239 8, £3.50 pbk)

Category 3 - Longer Novels and Overall Winner

The Boy in the Bubble by Ian Strachan (Methuen, 0 416 18739 0, £9.99; Mammoth, 0 7497 1685 1, £2.99 pbk)

AWARDS

TIR NA N-OG AWARDS

For the best English book with an authentic Welsh background, the 1994 Award goes to Denny and the Magic Pool by Pamela Purnell (Pont Books, 0 86383 990 8, £2.75).

The Macmillan Prize

This year's winner is Ross Collins who receives a £1,000 cheque and publication of his book, The Sea Horse. Michael Wace, director of Pan Macmillan, comments `Ross Collins' entry was outstanding. It's rare to find a student who is not only an able illustrator, in full control of an interesting palette, but also has a strong design sense and the ability to write an entertaining story.'

The CLAI Summer School Award for Outstanding Service to Children's Literature

On Friday, 13th May, Ireland's Minister for Education announced that the 1994 Award had been made to Eilis Dillon in recognition of her support for all facets of children's literature in Ireland - by encouraging emerging writers and by working to bring books of quality, in particular those written by Irish authors or published in Ireland, to a wide audience of young people.

CONFERENCES etc.

The Cape Clear International Storytelling Workshop, 29th October - 5th November 1994, conducted by Eddie Lenihan and Liz Weir. Cost £50 for course, accommodation extra. For full details, contact Chuck and Nell Kruger, Cape Clear Island, Co Cork, Ireland (tel/fax 028 39157).

Reading University - 10th Anniversary Conference, Saturday, 8th October 1994- to celebrate a decade of the MA in Children's Literature. Speakers include Fred Inglis and Peter Dickinson with academic papers by Michael Rosen and others… along with the opening of a new archive collection of BBC Radio 4’s Treasure Islands radio programme. Cost £20 (£10 students). Applications to Catriona Nicholson, The Meadow, Chalkshire Road, Butler’s Cross, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP17 0TJ (cheques payable to the University of Reading).

Books In Brief

Warmly Recommended:

Meet the Authors and Illustrators by Stephanie Nettell, Scholastic, 0 590 55578 2, £9.99

Mini-BfK-style authorgraphs of 60 children’s books celebrities by an accomplished interviewer and critic. Shrewd warm-hearted, well informed… not to be missed.

Red Pages: A Guide to Children’s Books Relevent to Special Needs by Frances Ball (available from 16 Poplar Farm Close, Milton-under-Wychwood, Chipping Norton, Oxon OX7 6LA), £4.00 post free

Comprehensive, user-friendly and excellent value.

Commended Books for Under-Twelves, Alasdair Campbell, (available from LISE Publications, Education Libray, University Collage, Hendrefoilan, Gower Road, Swansea SA” 7NB), £4.00 post free

Sharp-eyed compliation by the Outstanding Children’s Book Project Team based on commendations for the Carnegie Medal and other British book awards.

Making Books Work and Rhymes, Jingles… and All That Stuff (available from Janet Evans, St Katharine’s Collage, Stand Park Road, Childwell, Liverpool L16 8ND), £5.50 each post free

A variety of book activities, expertly put together, but with a fetching personal flavour.

Dare we say Hilairious?

Another crisp fiver to Quentin Blake for passing on the following invitation - to us, not HB:

Young Book Trust invite:

Hilaire Belloc

to celebrate the launch of Children's Book of the Year 1994

on Thursday 9 June from 6.30pm at Book House

RSVP

Sandra Vince, Young Book Trust Book House, 45 East Hill, London SW 18 2QZ Telephone: 081 870 9055 Fax: 081 874 4790

Cautionary Verses

Hilaire Belloc

Omnibus Edition with all the original pictures by B.T.B.

Introduction and new pictures by Quentin Blake

Innocence or optimism at Book House?' Quentin asks. Maybe immortality breaking new ground, says BfK.

Keep the Howlers coming...