Fed: Kids encouraged to vote for children's book of the year

AAP General News (Australia)
04-01-2008
Fed: Kids encouraged to vote for children's book of the year

MELBOURNE, April 1 AAP - Schoolkids have been encouraged to vote for their favourite
book after the shortlist for the Children's Book Council of Australia's (CBCA) Book of
the Year was released today.

Children can be "junior judges" by voting online, in a bid by the CBCA to encourage
Australia-wide participation by schools.

CBCA national president Bronwen Bennett said this year's shortlist represented a diverse
range of books.

"This year there seemed to be a very strong trend towards the conservation, environment
and global warming - those big issues," Ms Bennett said.

Book of the Year prizes will be offered for older readers, younger readers and early
childhood. There will also be prizes for information books and picture books.

Nearly 400 books were entered for his year's awards, with the winner to be announced
during Children's Book Week on Friday, August 15.

Nominees for the children's book of the year for older readers include Jackie French
for Pharaoh: The Boy Who Conquered the Nile; Sonya Hartnett for The Ghost's Child and
David Metzenthen for Black Water.

In the younger readers category, nominees include Emily Rodda for The Key to Rondo
and Sherryl Clark (with illustrator Elissa Christian) for Sixth Grade Style Queen (Not!).

David Metzenthen and Jackie French (with her illustrator, Bruce Whatley) were nominated
again for Winning the World Cup and The Shaggy Gully Times respectively.

The early childhood book of the year nominees include Aaron Blabey for Pearl Barley
and Charlie Parsley, Bon Graham for The Trouble with Dogs! and Elise Hurst for The Night
Garden.

AAP wt/jrd/apm/cdh

KEYWORD: BOOK KIDS

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