The Environment Award for Children's Literature is the initiative of the The Wilderness Society, and the only environment themed award in Australia. Delivering his keynote speech with humour and insight, Morris Gleitzman suggested, “The wilderness is a vast… unchartered… scary adventure and for most children, being a child is to be in the wilderness but …perhaps our imaginations are the greatest wilderness of all.”
Praising bookshops, like The Little Bookroom, he went on to say, “Shops like this are full of flora and fauna of the wilderness and of the imagination and ….they have much to share with us, if we let them do the talking. So when awards are handed out by a wilderness society in a beautiful flora and fauna filled corner of our wilderness, to some of my colleagues who are very worthy recipients of this recognition… I’m delighted to be a part of this.”
This year there were three award categories: ‘picture fiction,’ ‘nonfiction’ and ‘fiction’, recognising some of the highest quality children's books in the country.
Mr Schneiders, the National Director of the Wilderness Society said, “The shortlisted books were selected for their ability to capture children’s imagination and inspire them, whilst encouraging them to treasure and protect Australia’s unique natural environment.”
The books shortlisted for the Award not only reflected the immense talent of our Australian writers and illustrators, but I’m sure left authors Barry Jonsberg and Christina Booth with a mammoth task of selecting the winners for this year’s Award.
A huge congratulations to all the shortlistees and winners ...and without further to do…drum roll please…the winners for the 2015 Environment Award for Children’s Literature are:
Fiction
Rescue on Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr, illustrated by Geoff Kelly (Allen &Unwin)
Picture Fiction
Rivertime by Trace Balla (Allen &Unwin)
Non-Fiction
Emu by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Graham Byrne (Walker Books Australia)
Our Class Tiger by AleesahDarlison, illustrated by Antonia Stylianou (Oxford University Press)
Added to these awards was a new initiative - The Puggle Awards: Children’s Choice Awards, introduced by the Wilderness Society in 2015. The winner of the Puggle Award goes to:
The Puggle Award - Fiction
Rescue on Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr, illustrated by Geoff Kelly (Allen &Unwin)
The Puggle Award - Picture Fiction
Zobi and the Zoox by Ailsa Wild, Briony Barr, and Gregory Crocetti, illustrated by Aviva Reed ( Scale Free Network)
The Puggle Award - Non-Fiction
Our Class Tiger by Aleesah Darlison, illustrated by Antonia Stylianou (Oxford University Press)
For more information see The Environment Award for Children's Literature website.
