This week has seen three special celebrations, all of them involving the world of children’s books but each of them highlighting a different aspect. I was lucky to be able to attend one of these happy occasions and would like to share below details of that and the other two ceremonies too as I think they illustrate both the importance and the impact of children’s literature and those who create and promote it.

The 2023 winners of the Branford Boase Award were announced by Maisie Chan, last year’s winner, on Thursday 13 July at a ceremony at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education. The happy buzz of book chat greeted me at the door and I defy any children’s book lover to walk through their wonderful library without stopping for a look at the inviting shelves and displays. The perfect venue to celebrate new talent and to look forward with optimism. From an impressive and varied shortlist Christine Pillainayagam is the winner of this year’s award for the year’s outstanding debut novel for young people for her funny, song-filled, second-generation coming of age story Ellie Pillai is Brown. The Branford Boase Award is unique in honouring editor as well as author and Christine shares the win with her editor, Leah Thaxton, of Faber & Faber.

Christine Pillainayagam describes her book as “a classic coming of age story with the added layer of colour” and says the idea came from some of her own experiences growing up as a second-generation immigrant in a majority white community. In her moving acceptance speech Christine stressed the importance of all children seeing themselves in fiction and wanted her readers to know that “they belong where they believe they belong.”

Running alongside the Branford Boase Award, the Henrietta Branford Writing Competition encourages writing talent in under 18s. Prue Goodwin, competition judge, spoke eloquently about the need for children to find their own voice and this competition encourages just that and, we hope, nurtures authors of the future. You can read this year’s winning entries here.

Monday saw the winner of the CLiPPA, (CLPE Children’s Poetry Award), the UK’s only national award for published poetry for children announced at the National Theatre’s Lyttleton Theatre. Chair of the judges former Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell announced that the CLiPPA 2023 was awarded to Ted Kooser and Connie Wanek for their collection of poems inspired by nature, Marshmallow Clouds illustrated by Richard Jones. In a year of outstanding poetry publishing for children, Nicola Davies was Highly Commended for her moving sequence of poems about the refugee experience, Choose Love illustrated by Petr Horáček.

Charlotte Hacking, Learning Programme Director at CLPE and member of the CLiPPA judging panel says, “The strength of this year’s shortlist made this a really difficult decision. Every one of these books is exceptional.” Children in schools across the UK have explored all five collections on the shortlist through the CLiPPA Shadowing Scheme, which each year prompts poetry performances by thousands of children in hundreds of classrooms. The young creators of the best poem performances took part in the ceremony, performing poems from each of the shortlisted collections live onstage alongside the poets. It is heartening to witness children’s involvement in this award, in a similar way to the Branford Boase, and this focus on the readers themselves is an important element.

I was sad not to be able to attend the ceremony which sounds to have been full of enthusiasm and positivity. If you too would like to catch up with the event there is a video of the proceedings available to watch here.

Another celebration this week thanked those people who ensure that the books listed for and winning awards such as those mentioned above reach as many children and young people as possible. School Librarians! The School Library Association announced the winners of the Primary and Secondary School Librarian of the Year, Community Award and Enterprise of the Year at its annual award ceremony in Swindon on Tuesday 11th July. I was personally delighted to see Sally Hamerton win the Primary School Librarian of the Year Award as I know how dedicated, enthusiastic and committed Sally has always been. Tom Stack, deputy head of Two Mile Hill Primary said, “Two Mile Hill Primary is a better school because of Sally; she has enabled children to develop reading as a habit, a hobby, and a life-long passion.”

The 2023 Secondary School Librarian of the Year was awarded to Bridget Hamlet from Rushey MeadAcademy, Leicester. Bridget has not only had a huge impact on the library at Rushey Mead, transforming it into a welcoming, vibrant space, but has also set up libraries in other schools in the Academy Trust. Steve Reyes, from the award’s sponsor OverDrive said, “It is so important we give librarians like Bridget the recognition they deserve for making school libraries a safe space to learn, be creative and develop a love of reading.”

You can find out more about these super librarians and the winners of the Community Award and the Enterprise of the Year Award on the School Library Association website.

It has been an inspiring week witnessing these events and we have more to look forward to in the coming days with the announcement of the Little Rebels Children’s Book Award due later this month. There is much to celebrate in the world of children’s books and if you are like me I’m sure these events have added some new titles to your buy/borrow list!