This week Sadbh is Sadbheen, as children's books are in the news. First, the Dublin Writers' Museum is hosting the ninth summer school on children's literature this weekend, entitled Telling Pictures.
Among the speakers are Peter Hunt, the first specialist in children's literature to be appointed professor of English in a British university; poet Julie O'Callaghan; illustrators Anthony Browne - twice winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal - and Satoshi Kitamura; novelist Gregory Maguire, whose titles include Six Haunted Hairdos; the prolific Gillian Cross, whose best-known books are the Demon Headmaster series; and Michelle Magorian, author of the prize-winning Goodnight Mister Tom.
Authors will be signing books tomorrow morning in the Museum Bookshop at the terrifyingly early time of 9.30-10.30 am. Rely on the built-in alarm clocks of the young bibliophiles in your house to get you up in time to meet their favourite authors and illustrators. Further information from Children's Books Ireland at 01-8725854.
IN the year preceding Poet Laureate Ted Hughes's death, he campaigned with fellow writer Michael Morpurgo for a prize which would give children's authors the kudos and recognition which often bypass them.
The result was the creation of the Children's Laureate, a biennial award of £10,000 to a writer or illustrator considered to have made the most significant contribution to children's books over their lifetime.
The first award was presented earlier this month, to much-loved writer and illustrator Quentin Blake, who is best-known for his madcap illustrations of Roald Dahl's wildly successful books. Anne Fine and Peter Dickinson were the other two in the running for the accolade, which many feel will put children's literature even more on the map than heretofore.
Publishers Mammoth go green with the launch of Green Mammoth next September in Dublin. All books on this list, which includes the Heinemann, Methuen and Hamlyn imprints, will be set in Ireland or written by authors with Irish backgrounds. Established talents like Mary Murphy, whose lovable penguin is taking the world by storm, Michael Morpungo, Carlo Gebler and Sam McBratney, will be joined by new talents Marilyn McLaughlin and Maddie Stewart, and plans are well advanced to bring other Irish writers on board.
The recent announcement of the shortlist for the Carnegie Children's Book Medal raised some hairy eyebrows with the omission from the list of J.K. Rowling's incredibly successful Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, profiled left by Angela Long. This book has sold 100,000 copies since publication last July; a whacking big number by any standards.
On the shortlist are Skellig by David Almond; Heroes by Robert Cormier; The Kin by Peter Dickinson - on his second prestigious shortlist of the year; Fly, Cherokee, Fly by Chris d'Lacey; and The Stekarm Handshake by Susan Price. The winner will be announced on July 14th.
THE hoary old question is, are children still reading books, or are they irreversibly addicted now to screens of one form of other, whether they be televisions or computers? Recent research indicates that while young people today would like to cod us all into believing they think books are some relation of the Brontosaurus family, in truth they are still turning the pages big time.
Details of the (UK) 1996-98 Books and Consumer Survey, which was based on a cohort of 8,000 children aged 10, 12, and 14, were recently released. Way back in the decade of Enid Blyton and Donny Osmond in 1971 sans multi-channel TV, children read on average 2.39 books a month. Last year, according to research carried out by the Books and Consumer Survey, they read 2.52 books a month.
So what are they reading? The top 10 books for both boys and girls in the 1990s each include (surprise, surprise) five titles by Roald Dahl. They also include one each by Sue Townsend from the much-copied Adrian Mole books, and from the Point Horror series.
Pink and blue genes go their predictable ways after that. Topping the girls' list are the Sweet Valley series, the Babysitters Club books, and Susan Coolidge's What Katy Did. Boys are reading the Asterix series, Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, and Tolkien's The Hobbit.
IN this era when we seem to have gone anniversary mad, commemorating and celebrating anything and everything at last a truly worthwhile birthday comes along: Just William's. August will see the 80th anniversary of the innocent scamp with his red and yellow school tie and school cap who's been called " the Huckleberry Finn of the Home Counties."
The first story to feature Richmal Crompton's loveable hero appeared in Home magazine in 1919. Today all 38 Just William books are still in print. One always worries about tampering with icons and Macmillan's plans to mark the anniversary by launching a new series to introduce Just William to younger readers is slighltly alarming.
The stories will be adapted by Martin Jarvis with new images of William by Tony Ross.