Announced today, author and story-teller Julia Donaldson, creator of The Gruffalo and more than 120 other books, is to succeed Anthony Browne as the UK’s new Waterstone’s Childrens’ Laureate (2011-2013). As Julia tells us in her first post for the Children’s Laureate blog, she intends to promote storytelling through music and drama and to focus on stories for deaf children – she also promises to be “vociferous in the campaign to promote libraries and halt the cuts and closures which I see as so damaging to our children and their future.” And judging by the poem that concludes that first post, we are in for as much of a treat over the next two years as we have enjoyed over the last, well, twelve years, since the post began…

When I was about eight, I wrote a poem about Silly Billy, well more of a ditty really – but it has stayed with me. I therefore knew I had to read UK Children’s Laureate Anthony Browne’s picture book Silly Billy (Walker Books, 2006) as soon as I saw it… It is, as my children will tell you, so much better than my juvenile work; Little Brother and I have really enjoyed sharing it together.

Billy is a worrier – or, as it says at the beginning of the story, “Billy used to be a worrier.” The story takes us through some of the things Billy worried about, and his parents’ attempts to reassure him – but it is only when he goes to stay with his grandma that a solution is found. She presents him with a set of tiny Guatemalan worry dolls, who will “do all the worrying for you while you sleep.” And so all is well, until Billy starts to worry about the effect of all those worries (in extra large letters) on the poor dolls… but then he comes up with the perfect solution.

Anthony Browne’s story is narrated simply and eloquently, with words emphasised in larger font all the way through. This format calls out for the words to be shared and since this is one of those books that is likely to be in demand again and again, small people will love shouting out those larger words, which they will soon know by heart. Browne’s illustrations are as virtuoso as one would expect – from the (not too nightmarish) worries to the larger-than-life image of grandma’s hand holding out the brightly colored worry dolls. The reassuring past tense at the beginning means that young readers/listeners experience the story from a secure perspective – and any small worriers might be tempted to follow Billy’s idea for themselves too. There’s also a well-pitched description of worry dolls and their Guatemalan origins at the end of the book. Read what the judges of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal had to say about Silly Billy here.

Take a look at Sally’s recent Books at Bedtime post for other books by Anthony Browne, as well as Aline’s comment about her daughter’s love of The Shape Game on this post.

Anthony Browne is the UK’s Children’s Laureate for 2009-2011.    A friend recently brought his work to my attention through a Guardian article containing a gallery of Browne’s artwork.  As I was going to the library that day, I decided to take out some of Browne’s books.   Well, what a delight!  I took out a stack and on arriving home, devoured them all with my daughter that very afternoon after she got home from school.   She was already familiar with a few of the titles like Willy the Dreamer and Little Beauty because they were in her classroom, but a few other ones were new to her like the deliciously funny and parodic Piggybook.  In fact, I read the latter, snickering aloud in the library.  The story although funny enough isn’t the half of it,  — with Browne’s work, it is really also all about the pictures.  It was my daughter who pointed out to me how — as the Piggot family slowly turned into pigs — everything else in the house began to resemble pigs as well, right down to the wallpaper and the paintings on the wall, and gulp, even the moon!   Clearly, my daughter was already better-versed  on how to ‘read’ this man’s books!   She was especially fond of Willy the Dreamer in which William (a gorilla) dreams of what he might become.  The pleasure in the reading of this book for her was finding all the bananas in each picture — all very cleverly disguised.  Two books of Browne’s that I was particularly taken by were The Tunnel and Through the Magic Mirror.   Using two very symbolic items, Browne explores’ a siblings relationship in The Tunnel, while Through the Magic Mirror is about a boy who discovers through the mirror, an alternate and absurd world on a day when he is particularly fed up with everyone (including himself, my daughter added.)   Browne’s books are a true visual delight and anyone familiar with painting will get a kick at all his pointed references to famous artists like Dali and Magritte in some of his books.   You’d do well to seek out Browne’s books like I did and enjoy an evening or afternoon’s reading pleasure with your child.

Press Release:
New Children’s Laureate announced!

Anthony Browne was announced as the sixth Children’s Laureate at a ceremony at Centre Point, London, on 9 June 2009

Andrew Motion, chair of the selection panel, awarded Anthony Browne with his medal in front of 180 guests at Paramount, Centre Point.

Andrew Motion said:

‘Anthony Browne is an absolutely distinctive and extraordinarily skilful artist – someone whose work entrances children, and has influenced an entire generation of illustrators. His pictures and stories give deep and immediate pleasures, while also insisting that we – children and adults – return to them – and when we return, we have a gradually-expanding sense of discovery. It is a great pleasure to be able to recognise the achievement of Anthony’s work by celebrating his appointment as Children’s Laureate.’

Anthony Browne responded:

‘I hope to encourage more children to discover and love reading, but I want to focus particularly on the appreciation of picture books, and the reading of both pictures and words. Picture books are for everybody at any age, not books to be left behind as we grow older. The best ones leave a tantalising gap between the pictures and the words, a gap that is filled by the reader’s imagination, adding so much to the excitement of reading a book.’

To watch a video of Anthony Browne at the announcement click here.