Jane Nissen wins the Eleanor Farjeon Award 2007
Jane Nissen
The Eleanor Farjeon Award is made for distinguished service to the world of children’s books and is given to someone whose commitment and contribution is deemed to be outstanding. The spirit of the award is to recognise the unsung heroes who contribute so much to every aspect of children’s books. Members of the Children’s Book Circle vote for the person they think deserves the award.
The 2007 Eleanor Farjeon Award was presented by Anne Harvey, representing the Eleanor Farjeon Estate, to Jane Nissen on Monday 26th November at the Unicorn Theatre, London. Jamila Gavin gave a special talk based around the work of the 2007 winner. Receiving the award, Jane said:
‘I am very thrilled to accept this award- I can’t really believe that I’ve joined the ranks of all the distinguished past winners. Much of the success of Jane Nissen Books over the past nine years has been due to the support I’ve had from the free-lancers who’ve helped me produce and publicize my tiles , and the reviewers who’ve given them space in the press. It’s been a wonderful time for me . Thank you.’
Jane Nissen Books – Jane Nissen Books has been hugely successful in bringing some of the best-loved children’s books of the 20th century back into print and enabling a new generation of readers to discover for themselves high-quality, timeless titles that should not be lost.
Jane, a former Associate Publisher at Penguin Children’s Books, set up her list in 1998 immediately after her retirement from Penguin.
Other nominations for the 2007 Award include:
Eileen Armstrong – Eileen is a huge advocate of children’s literature in schools and libraries. She is currently chair of the School Library Association, which aims to highlight the need for school libraries across the country.
Seven Stories – Seven Stories is where our rich heritage of British children’s books is collected, explored and celebrated. Books are their inspiration for all kinds of exhibitions, activities and events that encourage and inspire children.
Jo Williams and Marianne Adey – Jo and Marianne are volunteers who have worked tirelessly over the last 10 years to organise the FCBG Red House Children’s Book Award. The award is given each year and the winner is voted for by their readers.