My Name is Not Refugee wins illustration award

The winner of the 2018 Klaus Flugge Prize for the most promising and exciting newcomer to children's book illustration is Kate Milner for her picture book, My Name is not Refugee (Barrington Stoke). Victoria Semykina is awarded Highly Commended for her illustrations for The Real Boat (Templar).

Kate originally studied illustration at St Martin's College as a young woman and illustrated magazines on commercial and housing law before becoming a librarian where her passion for children's books developed. After she lost her job due to cuts to the library service, she applied to do an MA in children's book illustration at Anglia Ruskin University. She created the story that was to become My Name is Not Refugee as part of her degree show. The book follows a young boy as he discusses the journey he is about to make with his mother. Kate says: "I have always made images and thought up stories, but it was working at the local library that changed everything for me: I fell in love with children's books. Part of my job was to read to groups of pre-school children at Rhyme Time, which was an excellent way of discovering which books kept their attention, indeed which books kept my attention. "I also helped with Chatterbooks and the Summer Reading Challenge, both of which involved talking to children about books. It was an education. We wondered why picture books contain lots of farm yard animals but no mobile phones, yet most children know all about mobile phones and have never met a lamb. We discussed whether Moody Margaret would beat My Naughty Little Sister in a fight, and we decided she definitely would." She is delighted to have won and says: "I intend to make the most of this second go at a career and write and illustrate as many books for children as I possibly can." This year's winner, My Name is Not Refugee, has a similar theme to the 2017 Klaus Flugge Prize winner, Francesca Sanna for her book, The Journey (Flying Eye Books). The Journey tells the story of a mother and her two children fleeing war at home to find a new life in another country. Sanna was inspired to create the book after meeting two young girls in a refugee centre in Italy. She interviewed many more refugees after that, incorporating their stories into her book.