Storylines Margaret Mahy Awards Day

Highly-regarded children’s author, screenwriter, mentor, audio producer, editor and teacher, Janice Marriott, received the 2018 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal for lifetime achievement from Prime Minister and Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage, Jacinda Ardern, at the Storylines Margaret Mahy Awards Day in early April. Storylines chair Dr Libby Limbrick presented the Prime Minister with a package of classic New Zealand books for her baby due in June. These included books by Joy Cowley, Margaret Mahy, Leonie Agnew, Robyn Kahukiwa, Lynley Dodd, Janice Marriott, Tessa Duder, Betty Gilderdale, Gavin Bishop and the 2018 Gavin Bishop award winner Lael Chisholm, illustrating a story written by Heather Haylock. Read a full report of the day, the text of Janice’s speech, or watch a video of the Prime Minister’s address, or Janice Marriott’s lecture.


Other awards presented during the day included:
the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-Loved Book	the Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award for a junior fiction manuscript by a previously unpublished writer
the Storylines Joy Cowley Award for a picture book text by a previously unpublished writer	the Tessa Duder Award for a young adult manuscript.

The 2018 Storylines Notable Book lists have been announced. Read the list here.

Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, presented Janice Marriott with the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal on 8 April. Read more here.

Recent News

Book launches

At the 2018 Storylines Margaret Mahy Awards Day in April, two books by 2017 award winners were launched:

Chrissi Walker's The Short but Brilliant Career of Lucas Weed, published by Scholastic.

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Granny McFlitter The Champion Knitter, written by Heather Haylock and illustrated by 2017 Storylines Gavin Bishop Award winner Lael Chisholm, published by Penguin Random House.

Notable Books 2018

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The annual list of Storylines Notable Books has been announced. The list is a great guide to the best new Zealand children's and YA books published in the last year.

Info worth reading

Member-only videos and tip sheets launched

Storylines members can now receive access to a series of 16 videos, filmed at the 2017 Storylines Writers and Illustrators Hui. The videos provide insights into the creative and writing processes of 16 of our top writers and illustrators.Check out a sample here. Members can access the first videos here. Others will be uploaded during may and June.
The series of "Top Ten Tips" sheets offer pithy and useful advice to aspiring writers and illustrators, andfor teachers, parents and librarians. They're written by leading practitioners such as Bruce Potter and Leonie Agnew among others. Coming: more from writers and Illustrators, plus from educators on getting your child reading and an agent on how to get published.

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New Zealand children's books fit for a prince

Storylines is delighted to know that the country’s official gift to the new royal baby Prince Louis included a selection of New Zealand children’s books. Chosen by Kate De Goldi to feature a range of experiences, these were:

My New Zealand ABC Book; learn the alphabet with art and objects from Te Papa, text by James Brown
My New Zealand 123 Book; learn counting with the art and objects from Te Papa, text by James Brown
My New Zealand Colours Book; learning colours with the art and objects from Te Papa, text by James Brown
Nga Ahua - Shapes by Kitty Brown & Kirsten Parkinson
The Word Witch by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by David Elliott, edited by Tessa Duder
The Fish of Maui by Peter Gossage
Slinky Malinki by Lynley Dodd
Bad Dog, Flash! by Ruth Paul
The Longest Breakfast by Jenny Bornholdt, illustrated by Sarah Wilkins
The House that Jack Built by Gavin Bishop
The Duck in the Gun by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Robyn Belton
Kiss, Kiss, Yuck, Yuck by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Ali Teo & John O’Reilly
The Kuia and the Spider by Patricia Grace, illustrated by Robyn Kahukiwa
Talia by Catherine Hannken, illustrated by Trish Bowles
So Many Wonderfuls by Tina Matthews.

The Word Witch was among a number of New Zealand children's books selected as part of the gift for Prince Louis by Kate de Goldi.

Publication of book from 35^th IBBY Congress

Understanding Ourselves and Others through Children's Literature in a Multiliterate World.

Trentham Books has agreed to publish abook of 12 chapters with a foreword by the IBBY President Wally De Doncker and an introduction by the joint editors, Nicola Daly, Pam Dix (chair of UK IBBY and an editor) and Storylines' chair Dr. Libby Limbrick.

The publication timeline allows the book to be available for sale at the 36^th IBBY Congress in Athens, in late August this year. Trentham’s publishing editor Gillian Klein has asked that we obtain pre-orders (at a discounted price) to help meet the costs. For more information, contact Libby Limbrick.

IBBY NZ project provides books for refugee children

A USD 5000 (NZ$6,633.23) grant from the Yamada Foundation was recently received by IBBY NZ to fund providing books in their own languages to refugee children arriving in new Zealand. Books are shortly arriving from Iran, Singapore, Myanmar, and Palestine in the following languages to meet the needs of refugee children arriving this year: Farsi, Arabic, Tamil, Punjabi, Burmese, Karen, Chin, and hopefully Rohingyan. Books will be delivered directly to the AUT Refugee Education Centre at Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre.
The goodwill engendered by the Auckland Congress is evident by the widespread interest and support from National Sections in the Yamada project with several offers of donations of books.

Our Supporters

Storylines would like to thank our major funders and supporters:

Creative New Zealand

Storylines is supported by the Creative New Zealand Toi Uru Kahikatea (Arts Development) Investments Programme, with funding to assist us in our mission of supporting New Zealand children's and young adult writers and illustrators, and in engaging young New Zealanders with books and reading.

Foundation North

Lottery Grants Board, Community Matters

We also receive generous funding from:

Auckland Council	Lion Foundation	New Zealand Book Council

Other organisations

Other organisations who share our objective of promoting books and reading in New Zealand include:

Storylines Margaret Mahy Awards Day

Recent News

Book launches