News & Review

AFCC Asian Children’s Book Award to debut in 2017

The shortlist for the 2017 AFCC Asian Children’s Book Award by Genting Singapore (ACBA) was recently announced by the National Book Development Council of Singapore (the Book Council) at the Makan & Mingle event. ACBA is a joint initiative between the Book Council and Genting Singapore, a Singapore-based regional leisure, hospitality and integrated resorts development specialist.

This is a new award presented to an outstanding published picture book with distinct Asian themes by a writer, illustrator, and translator team of Asian descent living in Asia. The writer, illustrator, and translator of the winning book will each receive a $10,000 cash prize. In the case of the winning title not being officially translated, the $10,000 translator prize will instead be used as grant for the publisher of the winning work to commission and publish a translation of the book.

Claire Chiang, chairperson of the NBDCS Executive Committee, says, “Translation is very important to the Book Council. Asia is such a wide and diverse place with varied people and myriad languages, and reading each other’s stories is the first step in understanding each other. We are happy to have Genting Singapore as our partner for this award, and are delighted that recognizing great Asian picture books is important to them as well.”

There were a total of 245 entries from all over Asia, the most for any Book Council award in its awards programme history, including Bangladesh, Singapore, the Philippines, Lebanon, China, Thailand, Russia, India, Syria, and Malaysia. The judges have selected six titles for the shortlist.

Besides, the Makan & Mingle was another first at AFCC; this unique occasion showcased more than 100 children’s and young adult titles created by Singaporean authors and illustrators, and published in the last two years. Titles ranged from popular books penned by award-winning authors like Emily Lim, Hidayah Amin, Don Bosco and Neil Humphreys, to works by comic artists like David Liew and Evangeline Neo. Translated titles, as well as several titles written in other Mother Tongue languages, will also be featured. Participating publishers include Epigram Books, Ethos Books, Math Paper Press, Armour Publishing, Bubbly Books, Crimson Earth, Pepperdog Press, World Scientific, Balestier Press, and others.

Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2017: an update

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair was successfully held from April 3-6, 2017 at the Bologna Fair Centre in Bologna, Italy. Attendance at this year’s show was up by 2% over last year, to 26,743. What’s more? There was 15% increase in overseas and foreign attendees, hitting 11,752, who accounted for 44% of total attendance.

Bologna Children’s Book Fair launched a new initiative in New York, dedicated to the commercialization and trade in publishing rights on an international level. From May 30- June 1, 2018 BolognaFiere will be in New York with an appointment that will offer an opportunity for publishers and American agents to meet with their colleagues from all over the world alongside booksellers and librarians.

The 2018 Bologna International Children’s Book Fair is scheduled for March 26–29, with China as the Guest of Honor.

Indian book features in Scholastic Picture Book Award shortlist

The shortlist for the 2017 Scholastic Picture Book Award (SPBA) was recently announced by the National Book Development Council of Singapore (the Book Council) at the Makan & Mingle event. SPBA is a joint initiative between the Book Council and Scholastic Asia, the world’s largest children’s books publishing and distribution company.

The award is presented biennially to an outstanding unpublished picture book with distinct Asian themes by a writer and illustrator team of Asian descent living in Asia. As well as a $10,000 cash prize, the winning book will also be published by Scholastic Asia.

There were a total of 137 entries from all over Asia, including Bhutan, Singapore, the Philippines, Iran, China, Vietnam, Japan, India, Turkey, and Indonesia. The judges have selected six titles for the shortlist, each from a different country. These include: Aytul Akal, Mavisel Yener, Kubra Nur Ozkececi, and Yasemin Yener (The Flying Grandpa, Turkey); Emila Yusof (How Rooster Became the Zodiac Animal, Malaysia); Ho Jia En, Sabrine Ong, Shona Menon, Wong Shu Jing, and Melodie James (The Little Durian Tree, Singapore); Anuradha Ananth Huggler and Shailja Jain Chougule (Poorni and Her Peepal Leaf, India); Maria Karina Putri (The Treasure of Kancil, Indonesia) and Le Thi Bich Khoa (The Whale Whisperer, Vietnam).7

Three children’s authors feature in Sunday Times Rich List

Three children’s authors have been featured on the annual Sunday Times Rich List for the first time. These include Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Julia Donaldson and Adam Hargreaves and family (inheritors of the estate of Rogers Hargreaves, the creator of the Mr Men books) for the year 2016. Wilson is at 13th position on the Authors’ List with £40m, while Hargreaves and family are at number 16 with £32m. Donaldson is 17th on the Authors’ List (£30m).

Other authors on the list include J K Rowling, Chef Jamie Oliver, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Lord Archer, Lonely Planet founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler, Wilbur Smith, E L James, Ken Follett, Jack Higgins, etc.

The annual list features the 1,000 wealthiest individuals and families in the UK based on public information, showing the wealth of people based on the previous year.

From the house of Clinton’s

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, is all set to launch her first picture book – She Persisted. The book will feature 13 different historic women, including: Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Clara Lemlich, Nellie Bly, Maria Tallchief, Claudette Colvin, Ruby Bridges, Margaret Chase Smith, Katherine Johnson, Sally Ride, Florence Griffith Joyner, Oprah Winfrey, Sonia Sotomayor, and one cameo.

Zooming into our lives again!

The new set of books for Disney Pixar Cars 3 are on the anvil. Disney Pixar Cars 3: We Are Racers (Pp 32, ISBN: 9781474872096, Rs 295) is a beautifully illustrated 32-page picture storybook that lets you relive the film Disney Pixar Cars 3. Lightning McQueen is known as a racing champion across the world. But when a new generation of blazing fast racers arrive, he is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. With the help of old friends and new, can Lightning make the comeback of his life? Children will fall in love with the Cars again.

While, Disney Pixar Cars 3 (ISBN: 9781474871969, Rs 395) is a 72 pages hard bound book with die-cut PLC. The story revolves around Lightning McQueen. Blinded by a new generation of blazing racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. To get back in the game, he will need the help of old friends and new. The next Piston Cup will challenge the heart of a champion on racing’s biggest stage in this Disney Pixar Cars 3 storybook.

Both the books are published by Parragon Books.