New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
Snake and Lizard, by Joy Cowley and illustrated by Gavin Bishop ( Gecko Press) won the New Zealand Post Book of the Year.
The winners of the categories of the 2008 New Zealand Post Book Awards were:
2008 Picture Book Award: Melanie Drewery (author), John O'Reilly and Ali Teo (illustrators), Tahi - One Lucky Kiwi (Random House)
Honour Award: Stanley Palmer, To The Harbour ( Lopdell House Gallery)
2008 Junior Fiction: Joy Cowley (author), Gavin Bishop (illustrator), Snake and Lizard (Gecko Press)
Young Adult Fiction Maurice Gee, Salt (Penguin New Zealand)
Young Adult Fiction Honour Award: Anna Mackenzie, The Sea-wreck Stranger (Longacre Press))
Children's Choice Award: Ruth Paul, The King’s Bubbles (Scholastic)
Best First Book Award: Tina Matthews, Out of The Egg (Walker Books)
2007 Winners
Illustrated History of the South Pacific, by Marcia Stenson, won the 2007 New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award.
The winners of the categories of the 2007 New Zealand Post Book Awards were:
2007 Picture Book and Children's Choice Award: Kyle Mewburn, Ali Teo and John O'Reilly (illustrators), Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! (Scholastic New Zealand)
Picture Book Honour Award: Jennifer Beck and Lindy Fisher, A Present From the Past (Scholastic New Zealand)
2007 Non-fiction: Marcia Stenson, Illustrated History of the South Pacific (Random House)
2007 Junior Fiction: Janice Marriott, Thor's Tale (HarperCollins Publishing)
2007 Young Adult Fiction: Bernard Beckett, Genesis (Longacre Press)
Honour Award: Aaron Topp, Single Fin (Random House)
Best First Book Award: Ben Galbraith, The Three Fishing Brothers Gruff (Hodder Children's Books)
2006 Winners
Hunter, by Joy Cowley, won the 2006 New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award.
The winners of the categories of the 2006 New Zealand Post Book Awards were:
2006 Picture Book: Ben Brown, Helen Taylor (illustrator), A Booming in the Night (Reed Publishing)
Honour Award: Tim Tipene, Huhana Smith (illustrator) Haere – Farewell, Jack, farewell (Huia Publishers)
2006 Non-fiction: Leon Davidson, Scarecrow Army: The Anzacs at Gallipoli (Black Dog Books)
Honour Award: Glenys Stace, Blue New Zealand: Plants, Animals, Environments – A Visual Guide (Puffin)
2006 Junior Fiction: Joy Cowley, Hunter (Puffin)
Honour Award: Jill Harris, Sil (Longacre Press)
2006 Young Adult Fiction: Brigid Lowry, With Lots of Love From Georgia (Allen & Unwin)
Honour Award: Margaret Mahy, Kaitangata Twitch (Allen & Unwin)
Best First Book Award: Phil Smith, The Unknown Zone (Random House New Zealand)
Children’s Choice Award: Jennifer Beck, Lindy Fisher (illustrator), Nobody’s Dog (Scholastic New Zealand)
2005 Winners
Clubs: A Lolly Leopold Story, written by Kate De Goldi and illustrated by Jacqui Colley has won the celebrated New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award 2005.
“Clubs shows us a new way to tell stories, new ways to use pictures and new ways to mix the words and pictures together,” said the convenor of this year’s judging panel and respected children’s book writer and illustrator, Bob Kerr. “The voice of Lolly Leopold was so real and the world of the Tai Tapu school playground so convincing that we forgot all about the grown up’s with their names on the cover. The precocious Lolly really has written this landmark book.”
Kerr was joined on the panel by popular entertainer Jackie Clarke and children’s bookseller, Julie Harper. Each spent their summer reading and re-reading the 122 submissions for the awards. They were particularly impressed with the quality of writing in the Junior Fiction and Young Adult Fiction categories this year.
The New Zealand Post Book of the Year was presented by John Allen, Chief Executive Officer, New Zealand Post, at the awards ceremony hosted by the Hon Judith Tizard, Associate Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage, at Parliament on Thursday 19 May.
Clubs: A Lolly Leopold Story (published by Trapeze) was the winner of the Picture Book Category. It was chosen from the four category winners.
Malcolm and Juliet, written by Bernard Beckett (Longacre Press) won the Young Adult Fiction Category. The judges said: Malcolm and Juliet is the winner because of its startling originality, breathtaking turn of phrase and diamond sharp wit. The frank depiction of teenage sex might be a little confronting for parents, which means it’s probably right on the money for its target audience.
Aunt Effie and the Island that Sank, written by Jack Lasenby (Longacre Press) won the Junior Fiction Category. The judges said: The assured writing in this book confirms the author’s place as one of New Zealand’s finest storytellers. Only Jack Lasenby could come up with such slapstick humour that combines real New Zealand events and icons, both present and past, with well-drawn imaginary characters and nonsensical adventures. This is highly original storytelling at its very best.
Welcome to the South Seas: Contemporary New Zealand Art for Young People, written by Gregory O’Brien (Auckland University Press) won the Non Fiction Category Winner. The judges said: Gregory O’Brien has successfully combined his knowledge of art and his ability to communicate with young people in producing what can only be described as a stunning and vibrant introduction to contemporary New Zealand art.
Lynley Dodd’s picture book, The Other Ark (published by Mallinson Rendel) was the clear winner of the Children’s Choice Award. Voting was up 25% from last year.
An award for Best First Book was presented to Lorraine Orman for Cross Tides, her debut novel for young adults published by Longacre Press.
The winner of each category was awarded with $5,000. The winner of the New Zealand Post Book of the Year takes home an extra $5,000. The winner of the Best First Book Award and the Children’s Choice Award receive prize money of $1,000 each.
The New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults celebrate quality and excellence in books for children and teenagers. These awards and the festivities which surround them have enjoyed the support of New Zealand Post as principal sponsor since 1997.
New Zealand Post works closely with Booksellers New Zealand to encourage children to read and enjoy books. New Zealand Post is committed to building literate communities through its sponsorship of the awards. The awards are also supported by Creative New Zealand and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd and are administered by Booksellers New Zealand.
For further information or a copy of the Judges’ Report, please contact: Sandra Noakes, Media Co-ordinator, New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2005 Ph 09 411 9908 Email: sandra.noakes@xtra.co.nz
For more information visit: www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz.
Bob Kerr, one of New Zealand’s best-known children’s book writers and illustrators, will convene the panel of judges in the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2005. Kerr is joined by specialist children’s bookseller, Julie Harper and popular entertainer, Jackie Clarke.
As a group they bring a wide scope of children’s literary experience from writing, illustrating, teaching and theatre to the job of judging the best children’s books published in New Zealand in the past year.
The finalists in the New Zealand Post Books Awards 2005 were:
Picture Book Category
(for books in which illustrations with text carry the impact of the story and where illustrations comprise at least fifty percent on the content of the book)
Clubs: A Lolly Leopold Story by Kate De Goldi, illustrated by Jacqui Colley (Trapeze)
Koro’s Medicine by Melanie Drewery, illustrated by Sabrina Malcolm (Huia Publishers)
The Night Kite: Poems for Children by Peter Bland, illustrated by Carl Bland (Mallinson Rendel)
The Other Ark by Lynley Dodd (Mallinson Rendel)
Taming the Sun: Four Māori Myths by Gavin Bishop (Random House New Zealand)
Non Fiction Category
(for books which present well-authenticated data with consideration given to imaginative presentation, interpretation and style)
From Weta to Kauri: A Guide to the New Zealand Forest by Janet Hunt, photography by Rob Lucas (Random House New Zealand)
Everything You Need to Know About the World by Simon Eliot by Lloyd Jones, illustrated by Timon Maxey (Four Winds Press)
The Life-Size Guide to the New Zealand Beach by Andrew Crowe (Penguin Books)
John Britten: The Boy who did do Better by Jennifer Beck (Scholastic)
Welcome to the South Seas: Contemporary New Zealand Art for Young People by Gregory O’Brien (Auckland University Press)
Junior Fiction Category
(for creative writing where the text is the heart of the book, variously suitable for primary or intermediate level students)
Aunt Effie and the Island that Sank by Jack Lasenby (Longacre Press)
Beyond the Shroud (Book Two – The Karazan Quartet) by V M Jones (HarperCollins Publishers)
My Story: A New Song in the Land – The Writings of Atapo, Paihia, c.1840 by Fleur Beale (Scholastic)
Walking Lightly by Fleur Beale, illustrations by Michaela Sangl (Mallinson Rendel)
You’ve Got Guts, Kenny Melrose by Shirley Corlett (Scholastic)
Young Adult Fiction Category
(for creative writing, suitable for secondary school students of various ages)
Coming Back by David Hill (Mallinson Rendel)
Dark by Penelope Todd (Longacre Press)
Malcolm and Juliet by Bernard Beckett (Longacre Press)
Out of Tune by Joanna Orwin (Longacre Press)
Robert Moran – Private by Ken Catran (Lothian Books)
