♦ Verðlaun: Bresku UKLA-barnabókaverðlaunin 2014 voru veitt 4. júlí síðastliðinn. Sagan af bláa hnettinum eftir Andra Snæ Magnason, í þýðingu Julian Meldon D’Arcy hlaut þessi virtu verðlaun í flokki bóka fyrir lesendur á aldrinum 7-11 ára. Bókin var í vor tilnefnd á fimm bóka úrtökulista, en verðlaunin eru veitt í þremur flokkum af The United Kingdom Literacy Association. Sagan af bláa hnettinum er fyrsta þýdda bókin sem hlýtur verðlaunin. Í umsögn dómnefndar segir m.a.: „Sagan af bláa hnettinum er frumlegt ævintýri sem mun höfða til aðdáenda Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss og Hans Christian Andersen.“  Í frétt á vef Forlagsins má lesa fleiri umsagnir.

Verðlaunin voru veitt á fimmtugasta þingi UKLA-samtakanna, í Háskólanum í Sussex í Brighton. Þangað mættum við Andri Snær ásamt þýðandanum Julian Meldon D’Arcy og fleiri tilnefndum texta- og myndhöfundum. Verðlaun í flokki bóka fyrir yngstu lesendurna hlaut kanadíski teiknarinn og rithöfundurinn Jon Klassen, fyrir margverðlaunaða bók sína This is not my hat. Verðlaun í flokki bóka fyrir lesendur á aldrinum 12-16+ hlaut Michael Williams, rithöfundur og óperustjóri Cape Town Opera, með meiru, fyrir bókina Now is the Time for Running.

♦ Book award:The Story of the Blue Planet by Andri Snær Magnason, translated by Julian Meldon D’Arcy, received UKLA Book Award 2014 at a reception in The University of Sussex in Brighton on the 4th of July. Earlier this year The Story of the Blue Planet was shortlisted for the age 7-11, the first book in translation to be nominated and to win the award. Alayne Öztürk, President of UKLA said “UKLA is committed to the importance of a diverse range of literature for children and young people. We know that literature broadens the reader’s experience of the world and sense of the possible and thus should have a central place in classrooms and educational contexts. The exceptional quality of the shortlists this year and the truly outstanding winners shows that there are many gems to be found amongst the smaller presses and we are proud to be celebrating international authors and illustrators at our 50th International Conference”. Read more about the all on Andri Snær Magnason’s homepage!

I put the list of the shortlisted books below – I for one am looking forward to read a stack of them!

Click on images to enlarge | Smellið á myndirnar til að stækka.

In front: Michael Williams, John Boyne, Áslaug Jónsdóttir, Andri Snær Magnason, Julian Meldon D’Arcy …

Jon Klassen giving a video speech

The Icelandic guests: Ambassador Benedikt Jónsson, Aðalheiður Óskarsdóttir, four Icelandic UKLA-conference participants, Áslaug Jónsdóttir, Juilian Meldon D’Arcy, Andri Snær Magnason, Margrét Sjöfn Torp

UKLA Book Award: authors and judges

Micheal Williams

Happy winners: Andri Snær Magnason and translator Julian Meldon D’Arcy

Looking for more information? See Forlagið publishing Children’s book catalog. And author Andri Snær Magnason’s homepage. Publishers homepage: Pushkin Press, London. UKLA Book Award shortlists 2014. More about The Story of the Blue Planet on www.aslaugjonsdottir.com

Tilnefndar bækur 7-11 | The shortlist 7 – 11:

• The Story of the Blue Planet by Andri Snӕr Magnason, illustrated by Áslaug Jónsdóttir; translation by Julian Meldon D’Arcy.
• The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers.
• The Naming of Tishkin Silk by Glenda Millard, illustrated by Caroline Magerl.
• Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell.
• Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead.
• The Last Wild by Piers Torday.