9+ JCR Emma Dodd, K A (Kelly) Gerrard

Emma Dodd and K A Gerrard's 'A Roman Rescue' and 'An Egyptian Escape' are the two featured titles.

Festival website: www.oxfordliteraryfestival.org
Box Office: 0870 343 1001

Frogspell, by C J Busby, has been recommended by Richard and Judy's Children's Book Club 2012 as one of ten books which appeal to both boys and girls of different age groups.

Frogspell is the first in a four-book series for younger readers set in the time of King Arthur. The adventures revisit Camelot, Merlin and Arthur but with a fresh touch, great characterisation and dialogue, and humour. The stories are well plotted, funny and perfectly pitched for the younger reader. Click here for Cauldron Spells which Templar publishes in March!

For full details of the Club's recommendations, run with WHSmith, click here.

Lancashire Library Service's newly launched Early Years Book Award has shortlisted Round and Round the Garden in the Baby category.

This will be heavily promoted award around Lancashire during April and May and with other organisations such as Children's Centres, Clinics, Childminder groups etc. It will also be read at special Storytimes and other Early Years activities taking place in the libraries.

The Blackhope Enigma, Teresa Flavin's first book, has been shortlisted for the Dorset-based New Horizons Book Award 2012, and longlisted for the newly-created Amazing Book Award, organised by the Book Nook in Hove and local Sussex librarians. Last year, the book was shortlisted for the Scottish Children's Book Award (winner to be announced in February 2012), and was also shortlisted for the West Sussex Children's Book Award 2011 and the Leeds Book Awards 11-14 Category, which involved 57 schools across the Leeds area.

How the World Works, by Christiane Dorion and illustrated by Beverley Young, with pop-ups designed by Andy Mansfield, has been shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2011, Best Book with Facts.

At the School Library Information Book Award 2011 on 2nd November, Templar's The Life and Times of William Shakespeare won the Children's Choice vote in the 12-16 age category, and then went on to win the Children's Overall Favourite book.

Around 90 books were submitted and a shortlist of 9 books was chosen. The awards were split into two with the Librarians voting for the title they liked the best, and then participating schools voting for the book they wanted to win. Unsurprisingly, the children's and librarians' choices were different - but Templar was thrilled that the young teen age group nominated Shakespeare.

Christiane Dorion and Beverley Young are the recipients of the 2012 Louis J. Battan Author's Award K-12 category for their book How the Weather Works. The citation reads: "Uniquely interactive and visually stimulating, their stunning and informative book engages readers of all ages in a variety of atmospheric science topics." The Award - K12 is presented by the American Meteorological Society to authors of outstanding, newly published learning materials or books that foster the understanding of atmospheric and related sciences in K-12 audiences.

Best Book for Young Readers

Kate de Goldi's wonderful The 10PM Question (ABENDS UM 10 in German) has won the Best Book for Young Readers Award in Germany's CORINE International Book Awards for 2011. Kate will going to Germany as a guest of her German publishers, Carlsen Verlag, to receive the award in November this year.

Congratulations to Grahame Baker-Smith, whose moving story FArther has won the CILIP Kate Greenaway medal 2011.

"This is a clever picture book with a dream-like quality," commented the judges. "It is beautifully designed with a wealth of detail, conveying dark emotions, storms of war and weather, and a powerful sense of loss and bereavement."

Grahame Baker-Smith, who was shortlisted for the award in 2010 for Leon and the Place Between, was amongst seven other contenders on this year's shortlist, five of whom were past winners of the coveted award, making it one of the most keenly contested shortlists for years.

The Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded annually by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.  The process by which books are nominated and judged is unique, with the shortlist and winners decided by an expert panel of children’s librarians from the Youth Libraries’ Group of CILIP. The winner receives a cheque for £5,000 in addition to the coveted medal. 

How the World Works, by Christiane Dorion and illustrated by Beverly Young, has been shortlisted for the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize 2011. The judges said: "We loved the way this book uses stunning pop-ups and other mechanisms to explain the science of the Earth - covering everything from the hydrological cycle to plate tectonics."

Earlier this year, the book was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards and the SLA Information Book Award.

Congratulations to Stephanie Burgis, with A Most Improper Magick, on winning the Waverton Good Read Award, and Teresa Flavin, for The Blackhope Enigma, which was shortlisted.

Every year the residents of Waverton make an award to the best British debut novel published in the previous 12 months. 69 novels were submitted for the 2010/11 award, in the first year in which children's books were included.

Owen Davey with Foxly's Feast has won the category of Most Promising New Talent in the Junior Design Awards run by the parenting magazine Junior.

This was the first time the magazine has run the Junior Design Awards competition, and there will be a special 164 page Collectors' Edition of Junior magazine (July issue, on sale June 3) which will showcase all the winners. The Junior website, www.juniormagazine.co.uk will also feature the winners.

Australian illustrator and author Shaun Tan has won the 2011 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for children's literature. The prize jury cited Tan as a "masterly visual storyteller, pointing the way ahead to new possibilities for picture books."

Tan has produced about 20 books, including "The Rabbits," ''Tales from Outer Suburbia" and "The Lost Thing," which was made into an animated film in 2010. His works have been translated into more than 10 languages. Jury chairman Larry Lempert said that Tan's "pictorial narrative is universal and touches everyone regardless of age."

The annual 5 million Swedish kronor ($780,000) award is named after late Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren, creator of the Pippi Longstocking book series.

Two Templar illustrators, Levi Pinfold (pictured) and Kevin Waldron, have won the Booktrust Best New Illustrators Award 2011, which celebrates the best rising talent in the field of children’s illustration today. First awarded in 2008, the prize is given to ten emerging illustrators whose work demonstrates "remarkable creative flair, artistic skill and boundless imagination."

The awards were announced at a ceremony at London's Illustration Cupboard on Tuesday 22 March 2011. An exhibition of the winners' artwork will be held there from 22nd March to 26th March 2011.

Click here for details of the venue.

Snuggle Bunny and I Like Bugs have been shortlisted for the Sheffield Baby Book Awards.

Families, nurseries and Early Years settings in the city take part in the Book Award project, with the winner being announced in November.

Ruby Nettleship and the Ice Lolly Adventure, by Thomas Docherty, has been shortlisted for the Hillingdon Picture Book of the Year 2011 Award. Groups in 25 local primary schools will be reading the six shortlisted titles from February 2011, with the winner announced in June.

The following Templar titles have been longlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal:

FArTHER by Grahame Barker-Smith; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, illustrated by Robert Ingpen; The Django, by Levi Pinfold; Where on Earth is the Moon? by Ruth Martin, illustrated by Oliver Latyk; Not bad for a Bad Lad, by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman; The Pirate Cruncher, by Jonny Duddle.

The judges will announce a shortlist on Friday 8th April 2011, with the winner announced on Thursday 23rd June 2011.

The Disappearing Moon, by Simon Bartram, has been longlisted for the UKLA Children’s Book Award 2011 (3-11yrs).

The award aims to encourage teachers to be readers of children’s books amd to represent the best of children’s books published over the last year UKLA Children’s Book Awards are held in high esteem by teachers, who regard the shortlists as a reliable indicator of the best books of the year for inclusion in class and school collections. 

Jonny Duddle's The Pirate Cruncher has been selected as one of the 50 best books by Scholastic Education Plus in their picture book category for 2010, and How the World Works has won Best Overall Non-fiction Book in the Scholastic Education PLUS read me supplement 2010.

The following Templar titles are also highly recommended, and will appear in the Best of the Rest section: Bob’s Best Ever Friend, Where on Earth is the Moon? and The Little Lost Dragon.

Levi Pinfold has been voted Best Emerging Illustrator in the Early Years Awards, hosted by Book Trust, for 2010. His book, The Django, was praised by Wendy Cooling, chair of the judges as one that you could keep on returning to and said her neighbour's daughter, aged 4, kept coming round after school asking for this book to be read to her. Levi’s artistry was also praised and Book Trust workers and librarians all said it was a marvellous book to take into different communities.

Inspired by the life and work of jazz musician Jean ‘Django’ Reinhardt, this beautiful picture book tells a fictional story of the young Jean who longs to play the banjo. The trouble is, his imaginary friend the Django keeps getting him into lots of trouble, but he also gives Jean his infectious enthusiasm for music. picture copyright: Asimina Giagoudaki

Jason Chapman has won the Silver Award in the Association of Illustrators Images Competition, in the Children’s Book Category for Stan and Mabel.

In Stan and Mabel, the music-loving dog and cat set off to find their neighbour, who’s gone to judge ‘The Best Orchestra in the World’ competition. Little do they know, they’ll be forming an amazing animal orchestra of their own!

City in Peril shortlisted by Surrey Libraries

Paul Collicutt’s RC Adventures City in Peril has been shortlisted for the Surrey Libraries' Children's Book Award for best fiction paperback for 7-9 year olds. The book will be promoted in libraries and selected schools from September to December, with voting taking place in January 2011.

Big Scary Monster, by Thomas Docherty, is on the shortlist for the 2011 Coventry Inspiration Book Award in the What’s The Story poll (4-7).

The fifth year of the Inspiration Book Awards will be launched during Children's Book Week (4 October 2010).   Eliminations "Big Brother" style of the books with the least votes each week begin in January 2011

For more details about the awards and voting, click here

Day of the Assassins, by Jonny O’Brien, has been shortlisted for the The Children’s Quills, a new award for historical fiction for children administered through the Historical Association.

The shortlist has been nominated by school children around the country and had to show that: kids enjoyed the book and would recommend it; there was evidence not only that the “history was good” but that the reviewer had learnt something and was keen to find out more. Now, a group of four judges will deliberate on the shortlisted titles.

Leon on the shortlist

Leon and the Place Between was a shortlisted title for the 2010 CILIP Kate Greenaway award. Written by Angela McAllister and illustrated by Grahame Baker-Smith, Leon and the Place Between last year won Judge's Top Choice for Scholastic Best Books 2009.

2010 Best Children's Illustrated Book Awards

Charles Darwin and the Beagle Adventure, by A. J. Wood and Clint Twist, was winner of the Key Stage 2 Non-Fiction award at the 2010 Best Children's Illustrated Book Awards, Dracula received a special award, and The Pirate Cruncher, by Jonny Duddle - was successful in reaching the shortlist.

Dracula, retold by Nicky Raven and illustrated by Anne Yvonne Gilbert, is one of the titles for The White Ravens 2010, the annual selection of outstanding international books for children and young adults presented at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. The books for this year's exhibition, 250 titles in more than 30 languages, have been selected from the thousands of books that the library received as review copies from publishers, authors, illustrators, and organisations from all over the world within the last year.

The UK Literary Association chose two Templar titles for the shortlist for their Book Award 2010: Leon and the Place Between for the 3-11 age category, and Tales from Outer Suburbia for the 12-16 range.

Booktrust Best Book Guide 2010

Big Scary Monster and Tales from Outer Suburbia will both be featured in this year’s Booktrust Best Book Guide, which goes out to 23,000 primary schools and is also available to download on the Booktrust website in June this year.

The Disappearing Moon, by Simon Bartram, has been shortlisted for this year’s Rotherham Children’s Book Award in the category of books for gifted and talented children in Key Stage 1 and 2 years. The winner will be announced in early July.

This cosmic new fiction series stars Bob, the famous Man on the Moon. In this first book, when the Stupendous Alacazamo makes the moon disappear, it looks like Bob might be out of a job!

Jonny Duddle's The Pirate Cruncher has been shortlisted for the ‘Read it Again!” award sponsored by  Cambridgeshire Libraries.

Along with seven other books, The Pirate Cruncher will be read, discussed and voted for by thousands of children in libraries, schools and reading groups throughout the county, with the winner announced in late June 2010.

Day of the Assassins, by Johnny O’Brien, has been longlisted for the Book Trust's Booked Up 2010. This book gifting programme is sponsored by the Dept for Children, Schools and Families. If chosen, over 600,000 12 year olds will receive a copy of this book.

Templar is also delighted to announce that Day of the Assassins has been longlisted for the 2010 Branford Boase Award. The award, now in its 11th year, is made annually for an outstanding first novel by a first-time writer of a book for young people. At the same time, it marks the important contribution of the editor in identifying and nurturing new talent.

You're not so Scary Sid! has won the Sheffield Baby Book Award 2009. Sam Lloyd's lovable monster puppet tale was named the winner at a ceremony on 24th November at Sheffield City Hall.

Three Templar books are now in the longlist for the 2010 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal: Leon and the Place Between, illustrated by Grahame Baker-Smith, The Princess’ Blankets, illustrated by Catherine Hyde, and Simon Bartram's Bob’s Best Ever Friend. The shortlist for each medal will be announced on 23rd April 2010, and the winning titles are then announced at the prestigious awards ceremony on 24th June 2010.

Giggle Baby!, the amazing baby® activity play book, has been named a Highly Commended Award Winner in the Right Start Best Toy Awards 2009. The book has a fantastic recordable sound chip. Turn the pages to meet some happy, giggling babies, then hear your own amazing baby join in the fun. Record your baby chuckling, cooing or gurgling – then press the button to play the sound every time you turn the page!

Tales from Outer Suburbia, by Shaun Tan, has won the Children’s Book Council of Australia's "Best Book for Older Readers 2009." This is one of the most prestigious awards given in Australia for literary merit and outstanding contribution to Australian children’s literature.

Tales from Outer Suburbia reveals the quiet mysteries of everyday life: homemade pets, dangerous weddings, and secret rooms filled with darkness and delight!

Book Trust Early Year Awards

Miaow Said the Cow, by Emma Dodd, has been shortlisted for the Booktrust Early Years Awards 2009, in the pre-school category. The winner for each category will be announced at an awards ceremony to be held at BAFTA in London on 23rd September, with each winner receiving a cheque for £2,000.

Inspiration Book Awards 2009

Ross Collins' The Elephantom and Thomas Docherty's To the Beach are two Templar books shortlisted for the Inspiration Book Awards 2009. The Awards, now in their fourth year, will be launched during Children's Book Week: 5 October 2009.

Templar Publishing is delighted that two of its illustrators, Thomas Docherty and Marc Craste, were shortlisted for the prestigious 2009 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal.

Little Boat, by Bristol-based illustrator and author Thomas Docherty, is a charming nautical adventure story of a little boat who sails bravely on, whatever dangers he may face. The Greenaway judges said: "Docherty perfectly captures the emotions of a little traveller, with a great sense of movement and perspective, and a limited but highly effective colour palette. You really get the feel of the huge ocean in all its moods."

Varmints is Marc Craste’s debut picture book. The story, written by Helen Ward, tells of a small creature’s search for peace and quiet. The judges' verdict: "A breathtaking and magical piece of work, that is wholly original and allows your imagination space to work. Craste makes outstanding use of light to haunting and often poignant effect."

To watch Thomas and Marc being interviewed about their books, click here.

Spyology has been shortlisted for the Design and Production Award of the Year in the British Book Industry Awards.

A comprehensive training guide to international espionage, Spyology includes Agent K’s personal notes on his exhilarating final mission as well as challenges and codes for the reader to unravel as they decipher the mystery of Operation Codex.  With a special filtering device to read hidden microdot messages, a code-cracking Cryptotron, secret compartments, alias disguises, spy mirrors and fascinating facts, Spyology takes the reader on a thrilling journey of discovery that will reveal the book’s hidden content and secret messages as well as the real truth behind Agent K’s disappearance.

Kevin Waldron's Mr Peek and the Misunderstanding at the Zoo, published by Templar, has won the Opera Prima category at the prestigious 2009 BolognaRagazzi Awards, which recognise the best books in terms of graphic and editorial design.

"Kevin Waldron’s 'opera prima' has all the charm and refreshing enthusiasm of a first work," said the jury. "Story and illustrations literally dance from page to page with the boundless joy of a truly entertaining author. Allusive irony combines with clever graphic art whose sequences recall the pace of silent movies. Yet Kevin Waldron is not just refreshing, lively and highly intuitive. He is also the knowing heir of the many great artists of the Thirties who were behind the memorable American magazines of their day. Waldon’s book is imbued with a veritable cult for a graphic art and printing adventure that made history. The mix of fresh new talent and well-honed research makes for a truly unique work."
 

Sam Lloyd's You're not so Scary Sid! has been shortlisted for Southampton's Favourite Book to Share Award 2009. The book was selected by a panel of librarians, early years practitioners and parents as a great book to share with children under 5 and as such is on the shortlist for this unique and popular local book award; it received over 4,000 votes from adults and children last year. The winner will be announced in November 2009.

BAFTA nomination for Varmints

The film version of Varmints was nominated for a BAFTA in the Short Animation category. Last year, Varmints won the Grand Prix for Best Film as well as the Audience Award for Best Film at the Bradford Animation Festival 2008. The film is directed by the book's illustrator, Marc Craste, and written by Helen Ward.

Read it Again

Mr Peek and Harold have both been shortlisted for the ‘Read it Again’ Cambridgeshire Children’s Picture Book Award.

Trick of the Tale has been selected as a Top 100 Title for Reading and Sharing by the New York Public Library. This fantastic collection of tales, selected and retold by John and Caitlin Matthews, has stunningly rich and humorous illustrations by Tomislav Tomic.

Thomas Docherty's To the Beach has been shortlisted for the Dundee Picture Book Award. The innovative literary award, which carries a significant cash prize, aims to recognise excellence in storytelling for children as well as encouraging youngsters to read.

To the Beach was also long-listed for the Big Picture Best New Illustrators awards – the best illustrators first published in the UK in or after 2000 – and shortlisted for the ‘Read it Again!’ Cambridgeshire Children’s Picture Book Award.

Giants was named a Parents' Choice 2008 recommended award winner. The Parents' Choice Foundation's panels of educators, scientists, performing artists, librarians, parents and children identify the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels.

Varmints has been named Judge’s Top Choice for the Fiction and Poetry Ages 5-7 category in the Scholastic Best Books 2008, which will be published in in the November issues of Child Education Plus and Junior Education Plus magazines.

Varmints also won an award at the English Association Book Awards (see below) and has been shortlisted, along with another Templar title, X-men Pop-Up, for the Children's Trade category of the British Book Design and Production Awards 2008.

The film version of Varmints has also scooped awards: it's won not only the Grand Prix for Best film but also the Audience Award for Best Film at the Bradford Animation Festival, the biggest such festival in England. To achieve both awards is a rare event.

Two books published by Templar and illustrated by Helen Ward have triumphed at the prestigious book awards run by the English Association.

In the "English 4-11 Book Awards 2008 for the Best Books of 2007", Varmints won the Key Stage 2 Fiction Award, while Wonderful Life came top in Key Stage 1 Fiction.

Another Templar title, Beowulf, retold by Nicky Raven and illustrated by John Howe, was in the 12-book shortlist.

Templar Publishing has been named Independent Publisher of the Year and Children's Publisher of the Year in the 2008 Independent Publishing Awards.

Templar's Managing Director, Amanda Wood says “We are thrilled. These two awards say so much and mean so much. Publishing books that children love, and that librarians and parents want to share with children takes a special kind of commitment and understanding. We produce good quality picture and novelty books – they are not cheap or throwaway. These are books that children treasure and they tell us, keep under their pillows.”

Ruth Huddleston, Sales and Marketing Director for Templar, adds: "The strong relationships that we have built up over the years with our artists and authors and our retail partners alike, enable us to react quickly to market trends and recognise gaps. The risks we take with new artists and new publishing ideas are rewarded by the support of many loyal customers worldwide, who trust us to get it right for them.”

The IPG judges praised in particular Templar’s 'Ology' series of books and accompanying website, and said the company was "a model independent … polished, considered and professional in everything it does. You can sense the passion, imagination, energy and strong philosophy of Templar."

In winning the children's category the judges noted Templar's efforts to broaden its spectrum and to engage with its audience and said it stood out in this category for its "innovative publishing and committed can-do attitude."

Click here to read The Guardian article about Templar, the Ologies and the awards.

In the US, Beowulf has been selected for The Bank Street College of Education’s "Best Children's Books of the Year 2008" in the 9-12 category.

This is one of the most comprehensive annotated book lists for children, aged infant-14. The Bank Street committee reviews over 4000 titles each year for accuracy and literary quality and considers their emotional impact on children. It chooses the best 600 books, both fiction and nonfiction, which it lists according to age and category.