Deborah Abela and I are ambassadors for the National Year of Reading 2012 and are keynotes at the School Library Association of NSW Conference.
Where is it?
Dixon Room at the NSW State Library Sydney
Welcome to the State Library by Megan Perry
Welcome by President of SLANSW by Bill Sommerville
Workshops
Panels
and sharing books, friendship and the National Year of Reading
www.love2read.org
Deborah Abela’s new book ‘Ghost Club’ is going to share her book – the first of a warm and wonderful series that kids are going to love as they catch ghosts – ooooohhhhhh!
I’m going to share ‘Ships in the Field’
It’s not to late to attend – Ph: 02 9564 2342
The Northern branch of the Children’s Book Council is so joyous with lots of authors, librarians, readers at the Christmas.
The brilliant illustrator Kim Gamble created a Tashi artwork while Anna Feinberg read out their newest Tashi to be published next year.
Sarah Davis’ ’Sounds Spooky’ is zooming ahead with major sales. Karen Robertson has won the top position for her apps – Treasure Kai. Oliver Phommavanh has two new books coming out with Penguin in 2012. Wendy Blaxland’s Cooking series with MacMillan is cooking up a storm – sorry for my pathetic joke.
Jan Latta is back from yet another adventure crossing the globe taking wildlife photos for her Real life series of books – she’s off to China in February of course.
Jill Bruce was interviewed by Laurine Croasdale about her role as NSW judge of the CBC awards.
Jenny hale, Kate Forsyth, Lindy Batchelor, Jill Bruce, Serena Geddes, Aleesah Darlinson … and lots of other authors and illustrators there.
So many success stories.
Wendy Fitzgerald is the new President of the CBCA Northern Branch Sydney
Margaret Wild is a leading Australian children’s author. She has more than 70 picture books with so many awards that I’ve lost count.
The adaptation of her brilliant multi award winning picture book FOX illustrated by Ron Brooks and adapated into an opera by Monkey Baa Theatre www.monkeybaa.com.au was one of the great experiences of theatre.
The Lady Cutler Award gift of an illustration by the beautiful illustrator Julie Vivas will be deeply loved.
Edward Coffey who established the Lady Cutler Award which was sponsored by Hodder Publishers spoke about the importance of recognising those who contribute to children’s literature.
In 2011 Edward Coffey Chairman of Peribo www.peribo.com.au has become the new sponsor.
Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell award winning fantasy authors spoke about their great-great-great-great mother who wrote the first Australian book ‘A Mother’s Offering’
Can you guess what it is?
You don't have to charge it or insert batteries.
You can sit with it in a tree or under a tree is probably better.
It doesn't lose connection.
If the kids, cat, or dog jump on it, nobody screams, 'No!'
You can smell it and it actually has a smell.
It's not too precious to use.
You can dog ear it's pages.
You can even highlight the important bits.
It's a good size to tuck it in your handbag, balance on the couch, or sit on your bedside table.
It's easy on the eyes.
It's tactile and requires hand, fingers, and fingertip manipulation.
You can slip a bookmark between the pages.
You can build a coffee table, stable table, or pile them on top of each other.
It makes a noise when you close the back cover and say, 'The End.'
and lastly...
You can tell all of your friends and family to go and buy one to support the industry and the most wonderful thing ever created... A BOOK!!!!!
Heaps of kids and parents piled into Punchbowl Public School’s Library for the CBCA Book Event.
Authors Libby Hathorn, Oliver Phommavanh, Sue Walker and I spoke to enthusiastic kids about our books, hosted by the school librarian Trevor Neville who is an illustrator.
What a wonderful time it was last night attending the Children's Book Council of Australia (NSW Branch) annual NSW Judge's Dinner where we heard from our previous judge and our newest judge on some of the craziness that goes on with the judging of the annual awards. And it was an exceptional thrill to meet our patron Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, Governor of NSW. What a wonderful and inspiring speaker and her reflections on her early books she read made many in the audience go wow! I never dreamt that we would be chit chatting away like this:
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| Maurice Saxby, Me, the Governor. |
I snuck this photo in - Maurice (who really is the guru of aussie kids lit) was my professor at teachers college and he is the one who really hooked me onto children's literature - yes he is a big reason why I do what I do! So what a delight having this photo.
It was great to gather wth other NSW kids lit personages - Sue Whiting, Mary Small, JC Burke, Susanne Gervay, Margaret Roc, Jill Bruce, Margaret and Max Hamilton, the NSW committee folk and a host of wonderful teacher librarians.
Of course we chatted lots and ate way too much - and why ... to celebrate Australian Children's Books!
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| the waiting throng |
 |
| feasting of course! |
Wandering through the Reading Room exhibiting children’s illustrations by wonderful artists such as Cathy Wilcox, Sarah Davis, Shaun Tan, Donna Rawlings, Nina Rycroft, the Children’s Book Council gathered in the warm candle-lit sun lounge of The Hughenden.
Everyone was waiting for Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, Governor of NSW and patron of the Children’s Book Council.
Carol Keeble Pesident of the CBCA (NSW), Maurice Saxby a father of Australian children’s literature and Margaret Hamilton former President of the Children’s Book Council, the CBCA Foundation and a leading literary figure in Australia welcomed the Governor.
It was a wonderful evening of fine food, the company of authors and the children’s literary community.
Some of the authors included J.C. Burke, Christopher Cheng, Sue Whiting, Mary Small, Jill Bruce, Margaret Roc joining the President of the CBCA NSW and supporters to discuss books, listen to an address by Jill Bruce the new judge of the CBCA Awards and Wendy Smith the outgoing judge.
Fabulous night with everyone lingering on to share good company, food and celebrate children’s books.
An easy way to support the victims of the Queensland floods is by buying a $10 pack of 10 gift cards from the Children’s Book Council Australia Queensland.
http://qld.cbca.org.au/qldfundraiser.htm
SCBWI Australia supports the CBCA Queensland cards.
Other illustrators in the collection are Peter Taylor, Lachlan Creogh, Suzy Boyer, Matt Ottley, Jacqui Grantford
Thankyou Jane Taylor from the Children’s Book Council Australia who organised in partnership with the Australian National Maritome Museum, a fantastic creative writing experience.
Authors Anthony Eaton and Jaclyn Moriaty, RandomHouse publisher Linsay Knight and I had the best day at Darling Harbour. The master class was packed with a waiting list, as teens from all over Sydney came to share creativity.
Highlight was climbing on board Captain Cook’s ship – the Endeavour – and seeing the cabins of Botanist Joseph Banks, artists (who died on the journey), surgeon …. Captain Cook. The cramped conditions, but the huge sails on the desks. Loved it.
Loved it all.
 Women didn’t wear underpants |
until Queen Victoria came along.
How can you live without underpants?
Rude, Rude, Rude!!!!!!!!!!
At Jackie French & Bruce Whately’s launch of ‘Queen Victoria’s Underpants’
at the CBCA Conference, the Queen herself announced that she’s now wearing
UNDERPANTS ……………… .
& so does everyone else now. Phew.
It was a fabulous launch with lots of authors, illustrators,
librarians and everyone and even me there.
Jackie spoke beautifully about the research that
Bruce encompassed in his fabulous illustrations
of the book.
Jackie and Bruce were appropriately knighted.
 Here it is ... the cover of the e:lit guide to the shortlisted books for 2010 that I have been working on with Sophie for a few weeks now.
The 2010 CBCA guide will be mailed all to e:lit members in July. The activities in the guide are designed for teachers to use in the classroom in order to support students in a guided, deep and inspirational exploration of these fantastic texts. For each title there are publishing details, activities, and synopsis and themes, so whatever theme is being studied there is probably an opportunity to enhance it with a literature component. This is increasingly relevant now that literature has become one of the three interrelated strands in the new national English curriculum. For more details jump to the Advance Title Information page on the elit site for the book.
Well Wendy made a list. Yesterday, I was very happy to find out that Wendy had made the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Notable Books list in the picture book category. This is a list of thirty odd picture books that were released in 2009. I had one eye slightly open (I hate these sort of things) when the list was announced, not really expecting much so it was a nice surprise. There are a ton of good books on the list so it felt good to be included. Mind you, now that the buggers had me reeled in (in an emotional hostage kind of way - it's bloody cruel), I found it nigh on impossible to get much work done in the interim until the short list (down to six books) was announced a few hours later at noon. Alas, Wendy didn't make the cut. Still, I'm just happy she was on a list. Thanks again for all the nice emails kind people.
By: Susanne Gervay,
on 2/13/2010
Blog: Susanne Gervay's Blog
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Chris Cheng, CBCA, James Roy, Jeni Mawter, Kate Forsyth, Felicity Pulman, Belinda Murrell, Wendy Blaxland, Deborah Abela, CBCA Conference June 2010, Jacqueline Harvey, Kim Gamble, Add a tag
 Carol Keeble President of the CBC put on a delicious lunch – love her vegetarian lasagna – to invite authors to share ideas with the CBC. Topics on the agenda included -’ Book Week, authors and illustrators joining the CBCA, festivals and the regional CBC branches. There was enhtusiasm from the Sutherland Shire Branch and the Northern Beaches Branch of the CBC.
There were huge congratulations to Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell for their Book Week initiative in 2009, where the author-illustrator afternoon teas at four schools were a huge success. Hundreds of kids and teachers came to hear authors including Wendy Blaxland, Jeni Mawter, Kim Gamble, John Flanagan, Felicity Pulman and others.
 Authors at the meeting included Chris Cheng, Deb Abela, Wendy Blaxland, Belinda Murrell, Kate Forsyth, Susanne Gervay, Jacqueline Harvey, James Roy.  The CBCA Conference is to be held 18-19th June 2010.
Kung Hei Fat Choi
welcome to the Year of the Tiger. *********** A week of more busy-ness and a little bit of writing has just blown by. I finally got down to start writing again after the long school holidays. The animation has been consuming much of the writing time which involved taking over the dining room table and drawing mind maps and plotting. I try and confine myself to the office but sometimes extra space is needed. Also a picture book manuscript that is years and years old needed work and was dug out of the bottom drawer and attacked. That one now works - and I even quite like it! Once again there was also time for sorting out all those things to do with the business of writing ... and a few meetings too. - SCBWI (The Society of Children's book Writers and Illustrators) took a little time this week answering a heap of accumulated emails, sorting out files, emailing members (okay that was a quick one), compiling information pages for the international website,
- and I absolutely know that the schoool year has begun -- a bunch (what is the collective noun ... folder, letterbox, file?) of emails arrived asking me questions about being a children's writer ... one from a year 12 student was about book design and my input into the cover. Love getting the questions!
- meetings ... for our upcoming Australia and New Zealand SCBWI conference to be held in Sydney in September; another working meeting with e:lit, and then yesterday with a rollcall of Sydney authors:- Deb Abela, Susanne Gervay, James Roy, Jacqueline Harvey, Kate Forsyth, Belinda Murrell, Wendy Blaxland. With other folk this collective were discussing programmes and initiatives for Book Week 2010 for the NSW Children's Book Council - hopefully the end result of the gathing of the brains will be some really terrific positive acitivites for the kids of NSW to do during Book Week (and surrounding weeks) this year.
- and school bookings for 2010 have well and truly begun to be organised with enquiries hitting the inbox.
Another week gone!
By: Susanne Gervay,
on 11/19/2009
Blog: Susanne Gervay's Blog
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 Author Libby Gleeson and illustrator Julie Vivas
The Lady Cutler Award dinner was filled with authors, illustrators, publishers, librarians and readers. Lady Cutler’s son presented the award this year to Chris Cheng who spoke to us from Hong Kong.
 Authors Oliver and Susanne Gervay, Val Noake from e-lit I gave the citation speech which was innovative over cyberspace.
 Chris Cheng accepting the Lady Cutler Award via skype
There were lots of authors and illustrators there including Julie Vivas, Libby Gleeson, Sue Whiting, Di Bates,
 Kris from Lateral Learning Speakers Agency and author Ursula Dubosarsky Bill Condon, Jan Latta, Ursula Dubosarsky, Wendy Blaxland ……. who were celebrating Chris’ achievements and the Children’s Book Council.
By: Susanne Gervay,
on 9/10/2009
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Frane Lessac, awarding winning illustrator, sent her love to the kids of the bush fires for the SCBWI HOPE card, with her painting filled with colour and children participating in life.
Frane Lessac and her husband Mark Greenwood collaborated on their last picture book - Simpson & His Donkey (Walker Books Australia) -to receive numerous awards including the prestigious Honour book award for the Children’s Book Council Australia Award (CBCA).
 Logo Frane Lessac created for SCBWI Australia  Frane Lessac Hope Card from Western Australia Some llustrations by Frane are on display in the Australian children’s book illustrations exhibition at The Hughenden Sydney
www.franelessac.com; www.thehughenden.com.au
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Great event and wonderful to see so many in the writing community celebrating Maurice