Edinburgh Leads Shortlist for Scottish Children’s Book Awards

June 25, 2012 4:36 pm

: Picture by Gareth Easton Photography

It seems only yesterday we were at a star studded awards ceremony in Edinburgh’s Lyceum Theatre hearing the results of the Scottish Children’s Book Awards 2011, but actually it was all the way back in February and enough time has now elapsed for a new crop of nominees to be announced.

Edinburgh-based children’s authors have dominated the shortlist for 2012, with five out of nine shortlisted authors hailing from the city. Catherine Rayner, John Fardell, James Kilgore, Jonathan Meres and Elizabeth Laird will all be competing for the prize.

Run by Scottish Book Trust and Creative Scotland, a unique thing about these awards is that winners are decided by Scottish children, who read all the shortlisted books and vote for their favourites. 23,000 children voted last time round and the organisers are hoping this year will see even more participation from young readers, who have seven months to cast their votes.

Award winning illustrator Catherine Rayner (shortlisted in the Bookbug (3-7 years) category) said:

“I’m thrilled to be shortlisted for this year’s Scottish Children’s Book Awards. This is such a special award as the children themselves are so involved with the whole process. It really encourages them to think about and enjoy books in a different way. I always find it fascinating to hear their refreshingly honest feedback and it’s an honour to have these young people judging my work.”

Meanwhile James Kilgore (shortlisted in the Younger Readers (8-11 years) category) admitted,

“The thought of “Soldier’s Game” in the hands of so many discerning young reviewers is incredibly exciting – if a little scary. But what more could a writer ask for?”

The full Shortlist is as follows:

Bookbug Readers (0-7 years)

Jack and the Flum Flum Tree by Julia Donaldson, Illustrated by David Roberts (Macmillan)
The Day Louis Got Eaten by John Fardell (Andersen Press)
Solomon Crocodile by Catherine Rayner (Macmillan)

Younger Readers (8-11 years)