Carnegie / Greenaway News

Celebrating 2002 Carnegie/ Greenaway Award – a response to Start with the Child.

11th July was a most important date in the reading calendar this year – not just nationally with the announcement of the winners of the world’s most prestigious book awards for children and young people, the CILIP Carnegie/Greenaway and the Kate Greenaway, but also regionally with the first ever North East shadowing party.

It all began with an idle “Wouldn’t it be nice if…?” musing during a YLG committee meeting to discuss a response to the introduction of Start with the Child, but gradually the idea snowballed with the help of a strategic development grant from Re:source, administered through NEMLAC (North East Museums and Archives Council), a phone call to Peter’s Bookselling Services and the unfailing enthusiasm of librarians and teachers. And 10 all-too-short weeks later some 130+ children aged 7-15 formed an excited, if somewhat disorderly, queue at the Durham Light Infantry Museum – chosen for it’s obvious connections with the shortlisted novel “Shell House”.

Charismatic compere and independent children’s book consultant, Alec Williams, set the mood with an inspiring summary of top tips for book choosing before the Carnegie/Greenaway and Greenaway shadowers separated to watch the authors and illustrators themselves reveal the secrets behind their work, thanks to the shortlist video, split into discussion groups and cast their all important shadow votes.
After lunch and a chance to explore the museum artefacts, local illustrator Liz Million held Greenaway judges captive with an interactive and very noisy cartooning workshop. Meanwhile Theresa Breslin revealed to the Carnegie judges what it means to win, explained the research which went into Remembrance (coincidentally carried out at the museum) and proudly showed off her still-too-precious-to-hand-around Carnegie winner’s medal. By now the tension was mounting as quickly as the temperature, and the excitement was almost tangible as Alec gathered the groups together to open the golden envelopes containing the national winners and, arguably more importantly to those present, our own favourites – Across the Nightingale Floor, Shell House, Pants and That Pesky Rat. The best shadow judges from each authority received special prizes thanks to the generosity of Macmillan and Bloomsbury Children’s Books, but no-one went away empty-handed. Teachers, schools and public librarians received the shortlist video and the judges were given certificates, free books, postcards, pencils and slices of specially decorated Carnegie/Greenaway cake!

The grant from NEMLAC undoubtedly gave us the freedom to experiment, pay performers’ fees, purchase sets of shortlist titles and videos for each authority free from the constraints of rigid financial procedures. It also gave us the impetus to explore the potential of working with the museum sector. YLG reps were able to build new partnerships with and between schools in their own authority: schools as many and varied as the authorities themselves – inner city and rural, primary and secondary, special and dual use. Only two of the twelve had shadowed the awards before yet all worked with their children’s librarian to set up school reading groups, organise debates and presentations to senior management, mount displays of work in public libraries, test picture books in feeder schools, email and visit other school reading groups and contribute reviews to the shadowing website in the way best suited to their circumstances. Judging by the creativity and quality of work on display at the party and the obvious enthusiasm of the teachers and librarians, all the shadow judges had risen to the challenge despite the very short timescale.

The project exceeded all our expectations and showed how together everyone can achieve so much more. While the partnerships can continue to be built up, it is hoped that funding and staffing will be found within authorities to mainstream this and similar innovative projects to enrich the lives of readers in years to come. As an example of Start with the Child in action it was second to none!

Eileen Armstrong
North East YLG