Red Clover Book Award Vermont US

The Red Clover Book Award is presented to the book selected by children in kindergarten through fourth grade. Each year thousands of Vermont school children read the 10 nominated picture books and cast their votes for their favorite in the spring. The award has been presented annually since 1997.

I have a children's book-loving friend in Vermont. She sent me a message that one of our Australian authors was a winner of their local children's choice award the Red Clover Award. I immediately thought Anna McGregor (Spiro) had flown to the US but then another friend corrected and reminded me that this was more likely to be a Zoom event - and she was right!

Here is the judge's report

Author page blurb: Fergus lives down in the deepest, darkest depths of the sea and is scared of just one thing … the light! Who’s Afraid of the Light? is a fresh and funny new narrative nonfiction picture book from the award-winning creator Anna McGregor. Come on a trip to the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean. There are many fascinating creatures that call it home. There’s nothing to be afraid or … is there?

This fiction/non-fiction mash-up from McGregor contains a factual guide to some of the creatures of the deep ocean at the end, and some fantastic illustration of some fascinating and mysterious fish. There’s an enjoyable anarchic feel here which will appeal to lots of children, and a big surprise reveal too. Great fun. Book Trust

I am so curious about how this Australian book reached the US market. The publisher in Australian and the US is Scribe.

The US bookshop Barnes and Noble said:

This book is ideal for:

• Educators and librarians looking for humorous stories to use as a launching pad for further non-fiction investigation into the ocean environment;
• Parents and carers looking to combine narrative and non-fiction to entertain and educate their children simultaneously;
• Kids who just want funny books!

Awards for Who's Afraid of the Light?

🌟 Yellowhammer Book Awards Picture Book of the Year (Alabama, USA)

🌟 Red Clover Book Award (Vermont, USA)

🌟 dPictus 100 outstanding picture books (Globally) 2024 selection

🌟 WIA World Illustration Awards 2024 Children’s Book Shortlist

🌟 Winner ABDA Book of the Year

🌟 Winner ABDA Best Designed Children’s Book

🌟 Winner of Best Children’s Reader in the Whitley Book Awards

🌟 Shortlisted ABIA Best Children’s Book (Small Publisher)

🌟 Shortlisted Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2024 Children’s Literature 2024

🌟 The Guardian: The best Australian children’s books of 2023

Who's afraid of the Light was also a 2024 White Raven selection.

Other books by Anna McGregor

Here is the 2024-2025 nominee page:

I have previously talked about Ancestory

Take a look at the 2025-2026 nominees.

Other winners of the Red Clover Book Award:

I was interested to see the 2022-23 nominees included Watercress by Andrea Wang. This book won the Caldecott medal BUT it has never arrived here in Australia.

Maurice Gee 22 August 1931 – 12 June 2025

Maurice Gee was born in Whakatāne in 1931, educated at Auckland's Avondale College and at Auckland University where he earned a Masters degree in English. He worked as a teacher and librarian, before becoming a full-time writer. Gee wrote over 30 books for both children and adults. 

“In his writing Gee showed us, and by us, I am mostly speaking of Pākeha culture, who we were ... they were complex stories with an elegant, unfussy, but rich prose style.” Kate De Goldi

Here are some quotes from various newspapers after his death was announced:

• He wrote about ordinary people and ordinary lives, often with the narrator looking back at events that caused damage and unhappiness.
• Written in 1979, 'Under the Mountain' was probably his best-known children's work, and was later converted into a film and TV series.
• Gee wrote seriously for children: his worldbuilding is vibrant, startling, textured but it is also deeply enmeshed with the realities of oppressive and violent societies. Like the best children’s writers, Gee never underestimated his reader’s capacity to walk with him into these dangers and work out what was going on and what to learn from them.
• Like Margaret Mahy, Gee was one of the greatest writers New Zealand has ever had and he did not withhold that talent from young people. Gee’s body of literature is revelatory in that it expresses a pattern of invention and research across depths and genre, never subjugating one audience for the other, but oscillating between them, using them in different ways. This pattern revealed a great respect for children’s writing, and for children as serious readers, that is not always present in an industry that often sees writing for children as somehow a lesser pursuit.

I was reading our IBBY Australia newsletter and I discovered Maurice Gee died in June. His books had a huge impact on me and I regularly recommended several titles to my students over many decades. I was interested to discover these new covers - my library copies in the 1980s looked very different. 

The World Around the Corner 1980

When Caroline discovers an old pair of spectacles in her father's junk shop she has no idea how important they are. Even when she puts them on and sees things very differently, she doesn't guess that the safety of another world depends on them. In a race against time, Caroline has to tackle the ghastly Grimbles and keep her promise to return the spectacles to their rightful owner.

The Halfmen of O 1986

The first volume of Maurice Gee's acclaimed trilogy wherein Susan and Nick are transported to the terrifying land of O...

'Nick had seen the birthmark on Susan's wrist. It had two parts. Each was shaped like a tear drop, curved like a moon. One was bright red and the other golden brown.'

Susan had always been a bit odd and never really got on with her cousin Nick, but the mark on her wrist draws them together in a frightening adventure. They are summoned to the beautiful land of O in a last-ditch attempt to save the planet from cruel Otis Claw and his followers, the evil Halfmen, who have lost every trace of human goodness and kindness.

There is a scene in this book where the girl is fed by her captors - they cram a plastic-like substance down her throat - even now decades later I can still feel my horror when I read that scene.

The Priests of Ferris 1984 and Motherstone 1985

In the second volume of Maurice Gee’s acclaimed O Trilogy, Susan must stop terrible things being done in her name... Face the High Priest. Face him alone. That was why she was back on O. To end the religion grown up in her name. Susan Ferris and her cousin Nick return to the world of O, which they had saved from the evil Halfmen, only to discover that a hundred years have passed and O is now ruled by cruel and ruthless priests. Susan is inspired by the dreams and prophecies related to her to face the most dreadful dangers and free the inhabitants of O.

In the third novel of Maurice Gee’s acclaimed trilogy, Susan and Nick engage in a last desperate quest for O. 'King,' they said, trying out the word, 'Osro is King. 'Now, stand up,' Osro said. 'Take me to Susan's door. You are my hands and I am your head. Soon O will be ours.' For Susan and Nick the adventure at last seems at an end. They are leaving the magical land of O, the scene of The Halfmen of O and The Priests of Ferris. But even as they prepare to step back to Earth, strange and evil forces reach out to ensnare them. For Susan and for the Motherstone there is one final, frightening task.

The Fat Man 2008

I realise now this is really a YA novel. I did have it in my Primary school library but only recommended it to very mature readers. There are scenes with a bully in this book that haunt me all these years later. I talked about this in relation to another book back in 2010. 

Under the Mountain 1979

Beneath the extinct volcanoes surrounding the city, giant creatures are waking from a spellbound sleep that has lasted thousands of years. Their goal is the destruction of the world. Rachel and Theo Matheson are twins. Apart from having red hair, there is nothing remarkable about them - or so they think. They are horrified to discover that they have a strange and awesome destiny. Only the Matheson twins can save the world from the terror of what is under the mountain.

The twins are suspicious when the neighbours never open their blinds. They hear noises at night so they know someone lives there. The scene where they enter the house and climb down some stairs into the basement still gives me the shivers. 

Awards (select list)

• 1983: AIM Children's Book Awards Book of the Year for The Halfmen of O (1982)
• 1986: Esther Glen Award for Motherstone (1985)
• 1987: Honorary Doctorate of Literature from Victoria University of Wellington
• 1993: 1st Prize for Fiction at the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards for Going West (1993)
• 1995: Esther Glen Award for The Fat Man (1995)
• 1995: AIM Children's Book Awards Book of the Year for The Fat Man (1995)
• 1998: Deutz Medal for fiction at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards for Live Bodies (1998)
• 2002: Margaret Mahy Award for significant contributions to children's literature
• 2004: Gaelyn Gordon Award for Under the Mountain
• 2004: $60,000 Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement for fiction
• 2004: Honorary Doctorate of Literature from the University of Auckland
• 2006: Deutz Medal for Fiction at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards for Blindsight (2005)
• 2008: New Zealand Post Young Adult Fiction Award for Salt (2007)
• 2017: New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults Copyright Licensing NZ Award for Young Adult Fiction for The Severed Land (2017)

CBCA Book of the Year 2025 Awards

How did I go with my predictions?
Image source (you can see all the winners here)

Younger Readers - YES I did pick the winner BUT NO I did not pick the honour titles (see below)

Early Childhood Picture book - I picked ALL three but in the wrong order

Picture Book of the Year - I picked ONE of the three but not the winner

All up it as been quite controversial year for me. I did not like three of the Younger Readers shortlisted titles but the judges awarded honours to two of them!  I was absolutely certain Afloat would win the Picture book category - at least it did get an honour. But what happened to A Leaf Called Greaf - this is a book that should travel beyond our shores to other English speaking countries such as US, Canada, and UK. It can stand up with the very best books about life and grief and sadness and healing - a spectacular book. I do hope it reaches an international audience. 

For the first time I attended a 'live' event where the winners were announced along with a celebration of another initiative run by the CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) called shadow judging. I have mixed feelings about this program. These awards are designed to reward literary excellence. YES we do want our young readers to read and enjoy them and this might seem strange but this is not the main focus of the judging. The shadow judges (small teams of readers in a range of schools) read the six short listed books and then select their 'winner' based on criteria.

In contrast the 15 adult judges read hundreds of books and spend around 8 months reading, thinking, writing reports, and meeting to talk about the books. I worry that the hoopla over the shadow judging 'winners' detracts from the importance, and dare I say gravity, of the real awards. On the other hand I was impressed by the short reviews given by students at this event today - all of these students, who judged either Older Readers and Younger Readers, had very clearly thought deeply about the books and the themes and story structures. There were 12 Shadow Judges at the event today who each spoke for 3 minutes. There were 380 school teams - I am not sure if this is in NSW or across Australia. 

There was a loud cheer for Laughter is the best Ending and for The Truck Cat which I am sure every child there had enjoyed this year as the selected book for National Simultaneous Stort time. That means this book did have an extra special amount of exposure with our students in their schools and school libraries. I previously talked about Birdy, Spiro and South with the Seabirds.

Here are a few snippets of comments from the twelve students. I worked with some students from one of my local schools and I was thrilled to see the way her speech had incorporated ideas from every member of their Shadow Judging team.

Some comments by students:

• Narrative tension
• Another masterpiece
• Messy complicated relationships
• A book not just to be read - it is to be felt!
• Intriguing whirl-wind
• Relevant social commentary
• Evocative and realistic
• Cheeky humour
• Rich life lessons
• Real life situations
• Vivid portrayal of change
• Clever cover and word play in the title
• Resilience to cope with failure
• Easy to read and easy to follow the plot

Here are the 2025 honour titles:

One Dung Beetle

How to Move a Zoo

Afloat

These long-loved things

Some thoughts about the CBCA event today at the State Library of New South Wales:

• The lovely new auditorium holds 144 people. Unfortunately there were slightly too many people/students at the event and so adult visitors had to stand at the back. 
• Craig Silvey was one of the guest presenters but his contribution was via video. He did share the first chapter of his forthcoming sequel to Runt (CBCA Younger Readers winner in 2023). The new book is Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping.

• This does not matter at all but I did observe that of the twelve shadow judging student presenters most were from independent schools and only one was a boy. AND yippee it was the boy who bravely said his allocated book was not his favourite of the six Younger Readers short listed titles - his honesty was fabulous. (His choice was Laughter is the best Ending).

Here are the full details of the winners in the six categories (Source CBCA):

CBCA 2025 Winner predictions

Today at noon the winners and honour books for 2025 for our CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Book of the Year will be announced. I was privileged to be a judge 2021-23 so I do appreciate this is a complex process but also an exciting one.

There were 730 entries this year and 15 judges (six categories). The notables were announced in February with 122 books, representing 31 publishers, 114 writers and 79 illustrators. And then in March we heard the titles of the six short listed books in each category.

This category is beyond the scope of my blog but I did talk about Birdy

I'm predicting Laughter is the Best Ending to win

and only Tigg and the Bandicoot Bushranger as an honour title

This category disappointed me this year and I think there should only be one honour title

I'm predicting One little Dung Beetle to win

and The Wobbly Bike and How to Move a Zoo as Honour titles

(But I do also love Spiro)

You need to consider this category is for readers aged 0-6

I'm predicting Afloat to win

and A leaf called Greaf and The Garden of Broken Things as Honour titles

This was a very strong field with an excellent set of titles

I cannot predict this category but I did enjoy South with the Seabirds by Jess McGeachin

I also cannot predict this category but I have talked about 

Digger digs down and I do like When I was a little Girl and The Land Recalls You.

I know how to draw an owl by Hilary Horder Hippely illustrated by Matt James

Charlotte Zolotow Award for outstanding writing in a picture book 2025

Winner of 2025 Boston Globe Horn Book Award

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Winner of the Frostburg State University CLC Book Award

Nominated for the Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award

I don't normally share books that I have not physically seen but this book has just won two very major awards so I wanted to mention it here. My friend and I hope this book will shortly become readily available in Australia. Sadly, picture books, even award winners like this, do not always make it into our bookstores or library - an example of this is a book I keep looking out for - Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin a Caldecott winner!

Here is the blurb for I know how to draw an owl: Belle and her mother used to have a house, a table, and chairs, a home like any of Belle’s classmates’. But things changed. Now, they curl up each night in a blanket nest in their old blue car, with their things packed in around them.  The first night was hard, but they’ve never been alone: their friend the owl has always been nearby, hooting in its tree, looking out for them. Belle longs to catch sight of it, and one night, she finally does. That’s how she learned to draw an owl. No one knows that story. But when a new boy comes to school, a boy whose car looks like Belle’s, a boy who looks lost and scared, it’s Belle’s turn to watch over someone. 

Watch this video about The Boston Globe Horn Book Award which started in 1967.

Here is the Horn Book review in full:

In this quietly affecting and beautifully illustrated book, young Belle's drawing of an owl draws praise from her teacher, but the child doesn't want to reveal why it's so good. Belle once had a home but now lives with her mother in their car. Every night in the wooded park where they sleep, Belle hears the hooting of an owl, but it stays out of sight. Then one night it appears; comforted, Belle thinks the owl is saying, "I like sharing my home with you." And just as the owl helped her, when a new boy arrives at school whose circumstances are similar to hers, Belle offers him friendship and reassurance. Atmospheric paintings, with their almost palpable thick brushstrokes and deep, cool colors, memorably depict the ethereal nighttime woods and the majestic owl.

Hippely’s lyrical, empathetic text complements James’ mesmerizing, at times haunting acrylic illustrations depicting vast landscapes dotted with houses and secluded natural scenes rendered with thick brush strokes in comforting dark blues and greens. Wordless double-page spreads throughout allow readers to assume Belle’s perspective and take in the child’s day-to-day feelings of uncertainty, fostering empathy along the way. Kirkus Star review

The challenges of being unhoused are gently revealed in this empathetic picture book, exquisitely enhanced by superb illustrations. Shelf Awareness

Today over lunch my friend and I search for more information about Hilary Horder Hippely (I do love her name).  Nearly all of her books are now out of print and I do not imagine any will be held in libraries here in Australia but here are two of her titles.

And here are some books illustrated by Canadian Matt James (you are more likely to find a few of his books here in Australia):

Past winners of the Boston Globe Horn Book Award:

The Mona Lisa Vanishes; Fungi Grow

Krout & Elmore Children’s Book Award for Best Portrayal of Aging

2009 Elementary Award winner

2025 Winner of the Krout and Elmore Award

Krout & Elmore Children’s Book Award for Best Portrayal of Aging

The Krout & Elmore Children’s Book Award for Best Portrayal of Aging from the Gerontological Society of America is awarded each year to recognize realistic portrayals of older adults in picture books for children.

We use the Caldecott Medal definition: “A ‘picture book for children,’'as distinguished from other books with illustrations, is one that essentially provides the child with a visual experience. A picture book has a collective unity of storyline, theme, or concept developed through the series of pictures of which the book is comprised. A ‘picture book for children’ is one for which children are an intended potential audience. The book displays respect for children’s understanding, abilities, and appreciation. Children are defined as persons of ages up to and including fourteen, and picture books for this entire age range are to be considered.” Read more here.

2024

• Primary Reader: Grandad's Pride by Harry Woodgate; Published 2023, Little Bee Books
• Honorable Mention: Dancing in Thatha’s Footsteps by Srividhya Venkat and illustrated by Kavita Ramchandran; Published 2021, Yali Books
• Elementary Reader: Abuelita and Me by Leonarda Carranza and illustrated by Rafail Mayani; Published 2022, Annick Press
• Honorable Mention: Just Like Grandma by Kim Rogers and illustrated by Julie Flett; Published 2023, Heartdrum

2022

• Recipient: On the Trapline by David A. Robertson and illustrated by Julie Flett; Published 2021, Tundra Books
• Honorable Mention: Coffee, Rabbit, Snowdrop, Lost by Betina Birkjaer and illustrated by Anna Margrethe Kjærgaard; Published 2021, Enchanted Lion

2020

• Older Readers: Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina; Published 2018, Candlewick
• Younger Readers: A Gift from Abuela by Cecelia Ruiz; Published 2018, Candlewick  

2018

• Primary Reader: It’s Just Aging by Eliah Takushi, Carly Tan, and Colby Takeda; Published 2015, Mutual Pub Co
• Elementary Reader: Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar; Published 2016, Walker Books 

2016

• Primary Reader: Papa Chagall, Tell Us a Story by Laurence Anholt; Published 2015, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
• Elementary Reader: The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye; Published 2016, Greenwillow Books 
• Honorable Mention: Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo; Published 2014, Clarion Books 

2014

• Primary Reader: Shoebox Sam by Mary Brigid Barrett and illustrated by Frank Morrison; Published 2011, Zonderkidz
• Elementary Reader: Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women's Suffrage by Claire Rudolph Murphy and illustrated by Stacey Schuett; Published 2011, Peachtree

2011

• Primary Reader: Sometimes It's Grandmas and Grandpas: Not Mommies and Daddies by Gayle Byrne and illustrated by Mary Haverfield; Published 2009, Abbeville Kids

2010

• Primary Reader: Niwechihaw/I Help by Caitlin Dale Nicholson; Published 2008, Groundwood Books
• Elementary Reader: Ain't Nobody A Stranger to Me by Ann Grifalconi and illustrated by Jerry Pickney; Published 2007, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

2009

• Primary Reader: Rock, Brock and the Savings Shock by Sheila Bair and illustrated by Barry Gott; Published 2006, Albert Whitman & Company
• Elementary Reader: The Golden Rule by Ilene Cooper and illustrated by Gabi Swiatowska; Published 2007, Abrams Books for Young Readers 

2025 winner and shortlisted titles

The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicolas Day illustrated by Brett Helquist

Who stole the Mona Lisa?  This book is a fantastic mystery/detective story. By the end you might discover the answer to this age old question. 

Publisher blurb: On a hot August day in Paris, just over a century ago, a desperate guard burst into the office of the director of the Louvre and shouted, La Joconde, c’est partie! The Mona Lisa, she’s gone! No one knew who was behind the heist. Was it an international gang of thieves? Was it an art-hungry American millionaire? Was it the young Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who was about to remake the very art of painting? Travel back to an extraordinary period of revolutionary change: turn-of-the-century Paris. Walk its backstreets. Meet the infamous thieves—and detectives—of the era. And then slip back further in time and follow Leonardo da Vinci, painter of the Mona Lisa, through his dazzling, wondrously weird life. Discover the secret at the heart of the Mona Lisa—the most famous painting in the world should never have existed at all. Here is a middle-grade nonfiction, with black-and-white illustrations by Brett Helquist throughout, written at the pace of a thriller, shot through with stories of crime and celebrity, genius and beauty.

Here is a detailed summary of the plot.

Here are some text quotes to give you a flavour of the writing in this book - it is funny at times, and shocking and interesting and even matter of fact. 

None of them saw the man leave the closet. But if any had, they might not have noticed. He was wearing a white smock, the uniform of the Louvre maintenance workers. It was a suit of invisibility. He was too normal to be noticed.

The Mona Lisa was gone for over twenty-four hours before anyone realized it was gone. If not for the persistence of Louis Béroud, it might have been days. It might have been a week. The theft of the Mona Lisa—the art heist of the century—was discovered because Louis Béroud got bored. The Louvre was lucky.

Everyone in Paris could tell you it was obvious what had happened. It was just that everyone told you something different was obvious. It was blackmail, obviously. It was sabotage, obviously. It was the work of a madman, obviously. It was the work of an extremely wealthy man, obviously.

I especially love the way the narrative flipped between scenes and characters and also back to the time of Leonardo himself. 

Back in Florence, he hears from a silk merchant who wants a portrait of his wife. And in 1503, Leonardo, after turning down far more prestigious commissions, after expressing little interest in painting at all, says yes to Francesco del Giocondo. No one knows why. If Leonardo met Lisa before he took the commission—we don’t know whether he did—maybe he saw something in her. Something that took him beyond financial calculations. Or maybe not. Why this woman? It ranks among the greatest mysteries in the history of art.

I read The Mona Lisa Vanishes last year (on my Kindle) while traveling. Over the coming days and weeks I am catching up on all the books I still need to share. I highly recommend The Mona Lisa Vanishes for readers aged 11+ and then you should plan a trip to an art gallery or even better time in Paris to see the actual painting and all the other treasures in the Louvre. The narrative style combined with all the actual facts of the case plus lots of background information about Leonardo make this book an engrossing one to read.  

Awards: The Mona Lisa Vanishes won the Robert F. Sibert Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for nonfiction. And A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year • A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year • A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year • A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Best Book of the Year • Booklist “Top of the list—Youth Nonfiction” 2023 • NPR "Books We Love" 2023 • New York Public Library Best Book of 2023 • Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2023 • The Week Junior “The Fifty Books Kids Love Most”.

A multistranded yarn skillfully laid out in broad, light brush strokes ... Kirkus Star review

Colby Sharp talks about this book - I agree with so many of his thoughts - so many things you will learn about this painting and its rise to fame and the myriad of characters involved in the theft. 

I am quoting the entire School Library Journal review:

Most readers will not know that the Mona Lisa painting was once stolen from its home at the Louvre. This nonfiction middle grade book contextualizes this historic moment with world events. The publicity that surrounded the theft only added to the painting’s fame. Readers will learn of the heist, discover new connections to other artists, and find out fascinating details and facts of the long-ago crime. Moving back and forth between the caper and the life of Leonardo da Vinci, the text takes readers around the world figuratively and literally. Day writes in a pleasant conversational style, addressing readers directly. The story moves along at a reasonable pace and includes many historical figures; the abundance of cultural references makes the story challenging, but interesting.

Take a look at my previous post about Leonardo's Horse. You might like to explore these books too: