27/3/02
Western Australian Education Minister Alan Carpenter has underlined the importance of high quality children's literature, in announcing the short-list for this year's Australian Children's Book Of The Year.
The Children's Book Council Award is the premier Australian book award for the writers of children's books.
"It is important to stress the importance that reading good literature has for all children," Mr Carpenter said.
"All parents and caregivers should read regularly to their own children.
"Reading is a key component of literacy. Research shows that children who read well tend to succeed in school and later life.
"The Government has a strong commitment to supporting the literacy development of students and will provide significant funding and 200 extra teachers over the next four years to support literacy and numeracy development of students in the early years in Government schools."
Mr Carpenter said it was significant that Western Australia was hosting the national announcement of the short-list in Perth.
"There is a vigorous, lively and creative literacy scene in WA as the number of WA entries for this year's awards shows. Recent WA award winners include writers such as Tim Winton, Elaine Forrestal, Brigid Lowry and writer/illustrator Shaun Tan," he said.
"The books of these writers and many others who may not necessarily win awards are read and enjoyed enormously by students in our schools. Awards such as this do much to highlight the excellence of writers in this State."
The finalists are:
Book of the Year: Older Readers
(Some of these books may be for mature readers.)
Book of the Year: Younger Readers Book of the Year: Early Childhood Picture Book of the Year(Some of these picture books may be for mature readers.)
Arranged by illustrator.
Eve Pownall Award for Information Books The short-listed books in each category will now be eligible for the Australian Children's Book of the Year Awards to be announced in Perth in August, coinciding with the launch of Children's Book Week 2002.
Among the finalists, two books in each category will also be selected as Honour Books, and a selection of up to 115 will ultimately make it to the CBCA's Notable Australian Children's Book list, regarded among booksellers and children's librarians as the bible of Australian children's literature.
The short listed books were decided by two panels of judges appointed by the Children's Book Council of Australia, eight intrastate judges adjudicating across four fictional categories, and a Western Australian-based panel selecting the short listed entries in the fifth, non-fiction category.
Minister's Office - 9213 6800
