The Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-loved Book has been awarded for 2011 to Tangaroa’s Gift/Te Koha a Tangaroa, a bilingual picture book written and illustrated by Mere Whaanga and first published by Ashton Scholastic in 1990.

The Gaelyn Gordon Award is given annually for a children’s or young adult book which did not win a New Zealand award at the time of publication but has been in print for more than five years and has proved itself a favourite with New Zealand children.

“At first publication, Tangaroa’s Gift: Te Koha a Tangaroa was a finalist for the AIM Children’s Book Awards, the Esther Glen Award for writing and, unusually, also for the Russell Clark Award for illustration,” says Storylines Trust chair Dr Libby Limbrick. “It is wonderful that this fine and enduring book by an accomplished writer and illustrator… should now be honoured with this award.”

Of Ngati Rongomaiwahine and Ngati Kahungunu descent, Mere Whaanga is a writer, illustrator, historian and an academic. Raised on an isolated sheep station on the East Coast of New Zealand, she was inspired by her father’s respect for the land and his love of Mâori history and mythology. She completed her M Phil Maori Studies at Massey University in 2000 and says of her writing “I write from a Maori perspective, always with the intention that the work has integrity while being accessible to those who may know little about our culture and people.”

On April 2nd, Storylines will celebrate Mere Whaanga and all the 2011 Storylines Award Winners with its annual Storylines Margaret Mahy Day. The event will take place from 9am – 1pm at King’s School (258 Remuera Road, Remuera, Auckland). All are invited to attend the celebrations which will include this year’s Margaret Mahy Medal Award winner, Kate De Goldi delivering her lecture. To register, click here.

Not every book finds it audience right away, and those that take some time rarely get recognized by annual best book awards. New Zealand’s Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-loved Book addresses such oversights. Given by the Storylines Trust annually in memory of the late children’s author Gaelyn Gordon (1939-1997), it acknowledges a picture book or novel that did not win an award at the time of publication but has since become a firm favorite with children and adults.

The 2008 winners are New Zealand author Dorothy Butler and illustrator Elizabeth Fuller for their classic picture book My Brown Bear Barney, published by Reed Methuen in 1988. It was followed by two sequels, My Brown Bear Barney at School (1994) and My Brown Bear Barney at the Party (2001). Dorothy Butler, a veteran author and children’s book advocate for over 40 years, wrote the internationally acclaimed Babies Need Books and Cushla and Her Books. Elizabeth Fuller, well-known illustrator of Joy Cowley’s international best-selling Mrs Wishy-Washy series, also illustrated many “school reader” titles.

The award will be presented March 29, 2008 in Auckland at the Storylines annual Margaret Mahy Day, along with the Mahy Award.

(Click on event name for more information)

Shanghai International Literacy Festival~ Mar 1 – 15, Shanghai, China

The Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival~ Mar 2 – 12, Hong Kong

Adelaide Festival Awards For Literature Winners Announced~ Mar 2, Adelaide, Australia

Growing Up Asian in America Art & Essay Contest for Youth~ entry deadline Mar 6, San Francisco, CA, USA

World Book Day~ Mar 6, United Kingdom and Ireland

The 12th Annual Charlotte S. Huck Children’s Literature Festival~ Mar 7 – 8, Redlands, CA, USA

Masak-Masak: A Potluck of Delectable Stories from Around the World~ Mar 8, Singapore

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Winner Announced~ Mar 12, Vimmerby, Sweden

World Storytelling Day~ Mar 20

World Poetry Day~ Mar 21

Harmony Day~ Mar 21, Australia

Bangkok International Book Fair~ Mar 26 – Apr 7, Bangkok, Thailand

The Toronto Festival of Storytelling~ Mar 28 – Apr 6, Toronto, ON, Canada

Storylines Margaret Mahy Award Lecture~ Mar 29, Pakuranga, New Zealand

Tom Fitzgibbon Award and Joy Cowley Award Winners Announced~ Mar 29, Pakuranga, New Zealand

Bologna Children’s Book Fair~ Mar 31 – Apr 3, Bologna, Italy

Hans Christian Anderson Awards Announced~ Mar 31, Bologna, Italy

From New Zealand’s lively children’s book community, today we feature two great resources. At Bookrapt, brainchild of the Bay of Plenty Children’s Literature Association, you’ll find a wealth of materials for writers and aspiring writers: competitions, publishers, advice, awards, literary organizations, industry news and more. If you’re feeling rejected (or just have those northern hemisphere winter blues), check out their list of prominent writers and the number of rejections each received before getting a book deal. It’s sure to bring a little sunshine into your life!

And Storylines, the Kiwi IBBY site, is such rich territory that the rest of this post is littered with links. The annual Storylines Festival in June connects children and families with writers and illustrators. Four literary-related prizes are awared annually. The national Mahy Award in March and the Gilderdale Award in October recognize outstanding contributions to children’s literature. The Gaelyn Gordon Award is for a much-loved book that hasn’t yet won a major award. Support for developing and unpublished writers come in the Tom Fitzgibbon Award for a chapter book and the Joy Cowley Award for a picture book.

Storylines also recommends lists of books (not all New Zealand-published) for children. Their annual Notable Books List this year is of books for and about children with disabilities.

University of Auckland education lecturer Wayne Mills, initiator of children’s literature quizzes in New Zealand and internationally, is the winner of the 2008 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award. The award recognises Mills’ achievement in establishing the popular Kids’ Lit Quiz held annually in New Zealand since 1991 and in expanding it to an international event in 2003.

“The quiz is about rewarding kids who love reading and who are good at it,” says Wayne Mills. “The competitive side to the quiz is a real draw and I believe it is specifically benefiting boys as a result.” The first event featured 14 teams; New Zealand now has 423 teams from 244 schools.

Teams of four 11-13-year-olds answer wide-ranging questions about children’s books; they ‘train’ by reading widely to build up knowledge. Regional winners compete in Auckland each June at the annual Storylines Festival. The winner represents New Zealand internationally, competing against teams from China, South Africa and Britain at the World Final, to be held this year in Oxford, U.K. The British Government, local bodies, publishers, private companies and top author Phillip Pullman have supported the event.

Mills is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education, University of Auckland School of Arts, Languages and Literacies, and a popular speaker around New Zealand. The Margaret Mahy Medal will be presented to him at the Storylines Children’s Literature Trust’s annual Margaret Mahy Day in Auckland on Saturday 29 March 2008.