A book about difference wins award
Posted on Tuesday, June 11, 2019
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Arree Chung's Mixed - a book about colour, tolerance and embracing differences - has been chosen by children as the winner of the Children's Book Award 2019.
The Children's Book Award 2019 has been voted for entirely by children. Mixed, which Chung wrote and illustrated, won the Books for Younger Children category before going on to win the overall prize. Armistice Runner by author Tom Palmer won the Books for Older Readers category and The Dog Who Lost His Bark, written by Eoin Colfer and illustrated by PJ Lynch, was the Books for Younger Reader's category winner. Arree Chung's wildly colourful Mixed tells the story of Reds, Blues and Yellows, each special in their own way and living in harmony ... until one day, a Red says "Reds are the best!" and things kick off among the colours... When the colours decide to separate, is there anything that can be done to change their minds? A Yellow, a Blue and a never-before-seen colour just might have the answer, in this inspiring, lively and charming book with a simple and straightforward approach to confronting discrimination in an age-appropriate way. Mixed was a firm favourite with the children. Arree Chung said, "I am so honoured that Mixed has won the picture book category and the overall Children's Book Award! This award means so much to me because the voting is done entirely by children. It touches me to know that the message of diversity, acceptance and love has resonated with the hearts of the youth in the UK. The world indeed is a colourful blend of people and culture." The Children's Book Award, run by the Federation of Children's Book Groups, is the only national award for children's books that is voted for entirely by children. Past winners have included JK Rowling, Patrick Ness, Andy Stanton, Malorie Blackman, Anthony Horowitz and Michael Morpurgo, who has won a record four times. The full shortlist for the Children's Book Award 2019 is as follows: Books for Younger Children Mixed, written and illustrated by Arree Chung (Macmillan Children's Books) The Last Chip: The Story of a Very Hungry Pigeon, written and illustrated by Duncan Beedie (Templar) The Wondrous Dinosaurium, written by John Condon and illustrated by Steve Brown (Maverick) What Do You Do if Your house is a Zoo, written by John Kelly and illustrated by Steph Laberis(Little Tiger Press) Books for Younger Readers Funny Kid Stand Up, written and illustrated by Matt Stanton (HarperCollins Children's Books) Mr Penguin and The Fortress of Secrets, written and illustrated by Alex T Smith (Hodder Children's Books) The Dog Who Lost His Bark, written by Eoin Colfer and illustrated by PJ Lynch (Walker Books) Books for Older Readers Armistice Runner, written by Tom Palmer (Barrington Stoke) The Light Jar, written by Lisa Thompson (Scholastic) The Storm Keeper's Island, written by Catherine Doyle (Bloomsbury)
