International Award Winners Announced

On the same day we heard the news about the Hans Christian Andersen Award winners (one for writing and one for Illustration) and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner.

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international recognition given to an author and an illustrator of children's books. Given every other year by IBBY, the Hans Christian Andersen Awards recognize lifelong achievement and are presented to an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important, lasting contribution to children's literature. The Author's Award has been given since 1956 and the Illustrator's Award since 1966. The Award consists of a gold medal and a diploma, presented at a festive ceremony during the biennial IBBY Congress. 

And the winner for writing is .... Michael Rosen. Read my post from 2024. And here is his web page.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Michael Rosen's Reading Manifesto:

1. Reading books helps children make the most of what school and the world offer them.

2. Books give children language, thoughts, ideas and feelings.

3. Books show them places and times and cultures very near and dear to them.

4. Books show them places and times and cultures they may not have come across before.

5. Books help children walk in other people’s shoes, seeing things from someone else’s point of view.

6. Books help children see that they are not alone.

7. We have to do what we can to put books into children’s hands.

8. We have to do what we can to find space and time for children to talk about books.

9. We have to celebrate children’s books.

10. Children’s books are for everyone because we are all children at some time or another.

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is a global award given annually to a person or organisation for their outstanding contribution to children’s and young adult literature. With a prize of five million Swedish kronor, it is the largest award of its kind. Above all else, it highlights the importance of reading, today and for future generations.

And the winner is ... Canadian author/illustrator Jon Klassen. Read more here. 

Extra Yarn

Check out my previous posts about the ALMA for 2026 and the HCAA ten short listed authors and illustrators. The 2026 HCAA Illustrator winner is Chinese artist Cia Gao. I don't think any of her books have been translated into English but I expect that will now happen following on from this award.  You can read her dossier. There are links here on the IBBY page. 

Previous ALMA winners include our Australian Indigenous Literacy Foundation; Shaun Tan; Sonya Hartnett; Jacqueline Woodson; Christine Nostlinger (Conrad the story of a factory-made boy); Laurie Halse Andersen; and Maurice Sendak.

Previous HCAA winners for writing include Patrician Wrightson (Australia); Jacqueline Woodson; David Almond; Margaret Mahy; Martin Waddell; Aiden Chambers; Katherine Paterson; and Astrid Lindgren. Previous HCAA winners for illustration include Maurice Sendak; Mitsumasa Anno; Robert Ingpen (Australia); Lisbeth Zwerger; Anthony Browne; Max Velthuijs (Frog is frog); Roberto Innocenti; Roger Mello; Suzy Lee; and Sydney Smith. 

Hans Christian Andersen Award short list for 2026

To write for children is to speak of truth, tenderness, and enduring hope

Maria Jose Ferrada

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international distinction given to authors and illustrators of children's books. Given every other year by IBBY, the Hans Christian Andersen Awards recognize lifelong achievement and are given to an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important, lasting contribution to children's literature. The Winners of the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Awards will be announced at the IBBY Annual Press Conference on 13 April 2026 at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

I am thrilled to see Timothée de Fombelle from France; Pam Muñoz Ryan from United States; and Michael Rosen from United Kingdom because I know their work and also Beatrice Alemagna from Italy nominated for illustration. Now I will dig deeper into the work of the other short-listed nominees. Our Australian nominees were Bruce Whatley and Emily Rodda (they didn't make the short list). Here is a list of all the 2026 nominees from around the world. 

Timothee de Frombelle

(This is one of my favourite books for readers aged 11+)

I read this book many years ago. Parts of the plot still linger with me. This book is a mammoth one to read but the story is so beautifully crafted. A rich reading experience.

Read my profile of Michael Rosen

Here are a few brief facts about each of the short-listed candidates.:

Ahmad Akbarpour: One of Iran’s most celebrated authors for young readers, with over fifty books to his name. He was shortlisted for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2023 and 2025.

Timothée de Fombelle: In 2006, his debut novel Tobie Lolness: La vie suspendue (Toby Alone) — the story of a boy one and a half millimeters tall fighting to save his world, a giant oak tree — became an international sensation, translated into over 30 languages and hailed as a modern classic for its moral depth and visionary worldbuilding. Other books include Captain Rosalie and Celeste My Planet.

María José Ferrada: She has since published over sixty books across genres and age groups, translated into more than twenty languages. Her work is marked by quiet precision and emotional depth — celebrating small wonders (a cloud, a word, a gesture) while confronting heavy histories: dictatorship, exile, injustice.

Lee Geum-yi: Lee’s work consistently centers marginalized voices — women, migrants, disabled individuals, non-traditional families — and challenges adult stereotypes that harm young lives.

Pam Muñoz Ryan: Ryan’s award-winning works — including The Dreamer (2010) and Echo (2015) — explore identity, social justice, and the transformative power of music and storytelling, all rendered in lyrical prose with deeply authentic characters. Her stories celebrate cultural diversity, resilience, and the human spirit — inviting empathy across borders and generations.  Here is her web page.

Michael Rosen: He has written over 200 books — for children and adults — often collaborating with illustrators like Quentin Blake, Tony Ross, and Helen Oxenbury. As Children’s Laureate (2007–2009), he championed poetry in classrooms.

Beatrice Alemagna: “Writing and drawing children’s books is a terribly political act for me,” she says — about building worlds of respect, justice, and freedom. Her art invites readers — children and adults alike — to linger, imagine, and complete the story themselves. Her books, like On a Magical Do-Nothing Day (2017), celebrate quiet wonder and emotional honesty — winning the Landerneau Prize, Grand prix de l’illustration, English Association Book Award, and a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators (USA). She was shortlisted for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award four times (2014–2017).

Read about this book here

Linda Bondestam: she is one of the Nordic region’s most distinctive and celebrated illustrators — known for her bold, evolving “Bondestamian” style: rich, dark palettes that make jewel-toned highlights pop, layered textures, and whimsical, miniature creatures that scurry through her pages. Her work thrives on contrast — visual, emotional, and narrative — blending humor, mystery, and quiet wonder. Characters are richly detailed, each hinting at hidden stories the reader is invited to imagine. Her books — over forty illustrated, several authored — are published across Finland and Sweden, and translated into more than a dozen languages, including Arabic, German, Russian, and Turkish. 

Cai Gao: Her style is richly versatile: blending Western textures, Chinese folk art’s vigor, and classical painting’s elegance.

Gundega Muzikante: Over more than thirty years, she has illustrated over seventy children’s books, her distinctive visual language also appearing in animated features such as Cuckoo and Her 12 Husbands and on commemorative Latvian collector coins. Her illustrations are celebrated for their warmth, humor, and meticulous detail — inviting readers to return again and again, discovering new layers with each look. She was twice nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (2020, 2025), and is a nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2018 and 2026.

Walid Taher: His books encourage empathy, self-awareness, and imagination — values he sees as essential to raising thoughtful readers. Taher has illustrated over ninety children’s books, more than thirty of which he authored himself. His work has been translated into multiple languages and recognized with honors including the Kaheel Lifetime Achievement Award. 

María Wernicke: Since 1981, she has worked independently as a graphic designer, and in 1994, she published her first illustrated book. Over the following decades, she has illustrated dozens of titles published across Argentina, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, and the United States. in 2006, her debut as author-illustrator, One and Another, won the Outstanding Book Award for Best Picture Book from Argentina’s ALIJA and represented the country at the 2007 Biennial of Illustration Bratislava. In 2012, it was named one of Argentina’s ten best picture books and included in IFLA’s global project “The World through Picture Books.”

Bilal's Brilliant Bee by Michael Rosen

If I still worked in my school library I would most definitely add this book to my collection because firstly, and this might seem strange, but I love Bilal's name. We had very few children in my previous school with multicultural heritage. Equally this book could be terrific in a school where there are kids with the name Bilal which is an Arabic or Turkish name. Secondly, I do like the moral dilemma layer of this story. Did Bilal cheat and so should he confess? These books (see below) are short with only 90 illustrated pages and short chapters that are sure to keep readers turning the pages guessing how the story could possibly have a happy ending.

Bilal finds schoolwork difficult. He never seems to be able to find the 'right' answer to the questions asked by his teachers but one day a bee arrives in his classroom and, very surprisingly, Bumble the Bee is able to give Bilal answers to those pesky questions. 

After school Bilal watches a television a quiz show What's what? Win the Lot! with his grandmother. Now that he has the help of Bumble he is able to answer any question on the quiz which consists of 101 questions. The winner takes home every prize in the studio. The early questions are easy but of course they get harder and harder. So far no one has ever won this quiz. I am sure you have guessed that Bilal goes on the quiz show and he answers nearly every question with the help of Bumble. 

Then comes questions 101 - What is the barcode on the label on the bottle of water in my pocket? An impossible question and certainly one Bumble the Bee cannot answer but I am certain Bilal will surprise you.

Typical of former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen, this book is funny, sly and gloriously accompanied by Tony Ross' instantly recognisable bold illustrations. Book Trust

This book is one title from a set of eight books by Michael Rosen illustrated by Tony Ross. Strangely one online book seller lists books from this series as over AUS$23 while another lists them at just over AUS$14. It pays to shop around. Bilal's Brilliant Bee was published in 2016 but it is still available. 

I have previously talked about Choosing Crumble.

Meet Michael Rosen

Michael Rosen Day poster

You can access the full poster as a pdf here

I titled this post Meet Michael Rosen because, well I didn't speak to him, but I did see him in person twice last month so I guess I did meet Michael Rosen. The first time was at the 2024 IBBY Congress in Trieste and then again at the Festival of Words in Jersey (UK). At the Festival of Words Michael spoke to an adult audience about his newest book - Getting Better: Life lessons on going under, getting over it, and getting through it. This morning he popped up on my Facebook page announcing Michael Rosen Day. Read more and sign up here. 

The day celebrates the 50th anniversary of Michael’s first ever book, and the 35th anniversary of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. I did a little digging, and his first book was the poetry book Mind your own Business (1974).

We're going on a Bear Hunt

As you can see from the cover, Mind your own Business was illustrated by Quentin Blake. So I did a little hunting because I was interested to find a list other books Quentin Blake illustrated for Michael Rosen:

• Mind Your Own Business
• Wouldn't You Like to Know
• The Bakerloo Flea
• You Can't Catch Me 
• Quick, Let's Get out of Here!
• Don't Put Mustard in the Custard
• Smelly Jelly Smelly Fish
• Under the Bed
• Hard-boiled Legs
• Spollyollydiddlytiddlyitis
• Tea in the sugar bowl
• Michael Rosen’s Sad Book
• You're Thinking About Tomatoes
• Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy
• Bananas in my Ears
• On the Move: Poems about Migration

Michael Rosen has a very rich website. I suggest you set aside some time to explore all his resources including videos, his book list and events (mainly in the UK).  And my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything alerted me to this video where Micheal Rosen talks passionately about reading and schools and most importantly libraries. 

If you are reading this post and you work in a school, head to your library NOW I am certain they will have many books by Michael Rosen. You could create a fabulous day with your students exploring his poems, picture books, and junior novels. And try to find this joke book:

At the IBBY Congress Michael Rosen based his keynote address "I, Too" by Langston Hughes.

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

Tomorrow,

I’ll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody’ll dare

Say to me,

“Eat in the kitchen,”

Then.

Besides,

They’ll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

His presentation was a brilliant lesson on how to elicit meaningful discussions with a group of students and how students need time to think about a poem like this. He worries about the UK teaching focus on retrieval of facts and not interpretation. His presentation will appear in full in the IBBY Journal Bookbird. 

And then he had the whole audience of 700 delegates reciting this poem from Michael Rosen's Big Book of Bad Things. In this video you can see Michael talking about and performing his poem:

Hand on the bridge

feel the rhythm of the train.

Hand on the window

feel the rhythm of the rain.

Hand on your throat

feel the rhythm of your talk.

Hand on your leg

feel the rhythm of your walk.

Hand in the sea

feel the rhythm of the tide.

Hand on your heart

feel the rhythm inside.

Hand on the rhythm

feel the rhythm of the rhyme.

Hand on your life

feel the rhythm of time.

hand on your life

feel the rhythm of time

hand on your life

feel the rhythm of time.

Here is one is his newer books:

This is a perfect book to share with a group of older students

Michael’s reading manifesto:

1. Reading books helps children make the most of what school and the world offer them.

2. Books give children language, thoughts, ideas and feelings.

3. Books show them places and times and cultures very near and dear to them.

4. Books show them places and times and cultures they may not have come across before.

5. Books help children walk in other people’s shoes, seeing things from someone else’s point of view.

6. Books help children see that they are not alone.

7. We have to do what we can to put books into children’s hands.

8. We have to do what we can to find space and time for children to talk about books.

9. We have to celebrate children’s books.

10. Children’s books are for everyone because we are all children at some time or another.

On this blog I have previously talked about these books. Pop the name Michael Rosen into my search bar or search for a specific title:

Here is an abridged list of awards given to Michael Rosen:

• Oxfordshire Book Award 2009 for ‘Dear Mother Goose’
• Children’s Laureate 2007-2009
• English Association ‘Exceptional’ Award for Sad Book
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor ‘Commended’ Award for Sad Book
• National Literacy WOW Award 2005 Alphabet Poem
• An International Reading Association Teachers’ Choices Winner
1999 (USA) Classic Poetry
• Eleanor Farjeon Award for distinguished services to children’s literature
1997
• National Association of Parenting Pub Best Book Award 1993 (USA) Poetry For The Very Young
• Japanese Outstanding Picture Book from Abroad
1991 We’re Going On A Bear Hunt
• School Library Journal Best Book of the Year 1990 (USA) We’re Going On A Bear Hunt
• Smarties Best Children’s Book of the Year Award 1990 We’re Going On A Bear Hunt
• Signal Poetry Award 1982 You Can’t Catch Me

My own favourite Michael Rosen book that I previously shared with hundreds of children in my school library is Hairy Tales and Nursery Crimes. You can hear Michael reading one of the stories from this book here. And Little Bo Peep;  Jack and the Tin Stalk, Old Mother Hubbard, Hush a bye Gravy, Little Bo Peep.

Meet the illustrator Chris Riddell

Images from The Letterpress Project

I was lucky to visit Jersey (UK) last month and by chance my visit coincided with the Jersey Festival of Words. Children's writers speaking at the event included Michael Rosen, Joseph Elliott and Chris Riddell. Chris presented several sessions including one that I attended in the Jersey Public Library. His focus was his book Once Upon a Wild Wood.

As the audience of young children and parents gathered Chris did some drawing which we could watch on a small screen. He drew a selection of familiar fairy tale characters such as Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Beauty and the Beast and the three little pigs. He then asked the children in the audience to identify the fairy tales. I loved the way he involved the children but also included observations and commentary that gave his adult audience quite a few laughs.  His own favourite fairy tale is The Twelve Dancing Princesses - he wonders what happened to all the shoes! 

You can see Chris drawing on this video. 

Then we were treated to a reading of Once Upon a Wild Wood. 

Bookseller blurb: Little Green Raincape is on her way to Rapunzel's party, deep in the wild woods. The way is long and dark, but Green is a smart girl. Smart enough to turn down apples offered by kindly old ladies, smart enough to turn down travel advice from helpful wolves, and above all, smart enough to solve a wealth of classic fairy tale problems - not least mend a lovelorn beast's broken heart. Once Upon a Wild Wood is a richly imagined story packed full of familiar fairy tale characters as you've never seen them before. Including Red Riding Hood, Thumbelina, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, the three bears, the seven dwarfs and many more!

His final words were music to my ears when he warmly recounted his time working in his own local library as an adolescent and his love of the way library shelves, unlike bookshops, can continue to hold every book treasure even when titles go out of print.

Something to watch out for in books by Chris Riddell - he always includes a hug!

One of his earliest books was published by Faber and Faber - it was a TS Elliott poem and the other two illustrators were Axel Sheffler (who went on to illustrate books by Julia Donaldson) and Errol le Cain. 

Chris Riddell was the Waterstones Children's Laureate from 2015 to 2017. He won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal three times: in 2002 for Pirate Diary, in 2004 for Jonathan Swift's Gulliver, and for The Sleeper and the Spindle in 2016. Here is an interview with The London Magazine.

Chris Riddell and his wife live in Brighton. His daughter Katy Riddell is also a children's book illustrator, including of Pongwiffy by Kaye Umansky.

Here is a selection of books illustrated by Chris Riddell:

Oh, and I do need to mention that at the end of this session in the Jersey library, Michael Rosen arrived and he sat down and read his famous book We're going on a Bear Hunt in Jèrriais which is a language previously spoken on the island of Jersey. Read more here. 

Red Ted and the Lost Things by Michael Rosen illustrated by Joel Stewart

Red Ted is left behind on the train and so inevitably he ends up in the lost property office which is has shelves filled to the ceiling with hundreds of lost toys. Red Ted is placed on a shelf beside a green crocodile. The green crocodile toy has been lost for so long he has forgotten the name of the child who used to own him. But Red Ted remembers Stevie and he is certain she will be desperate without him, so he hatches a plan to escape. Naturally, Green Crocodile decides to join him in the search.

The pair have one important clue which might help them find Stevie. She loves cheese and Red Ted smells like cheese. The pair of intrepid adventurers meet a huge cat and by coincidence she also loves cheese. She can smell these flavours on Red Ted and she is sure she knows exactly where to find this delicious cheese. And yes, the cat does find Stevie's house but she is not home! This is a wonderful wordless page which is sure to make your young reading companions gasp. Luckily this book is by the wonderful Michael Rosen and so you are in safe hands - a happy ending is just around the corner (or just over the page). 

This book will be a terrific way to introduce your young reading companion to the way graphic novels are presented. With an older group you could also introduce the idea of a story map or graph as a way to depict the highs and lows of this narrative. Here are some discussion questions from the Philosophy Foundation. This book is from 2009 so it is sadly out of print but I found a copy in a public library here in Sydney so you might be lucky and find it in your own school or community library. 

Stewart’s dense environments, filled with texture and intricate details, create a rich world for Rosen’s heroes, and his use of graphic novel–type panels offers a good introduction to sequential-image storytelling. A satisfying tale for all involved, from the adopted crocodile, satiated cat and found teddy bear to the readers who will delight in this sweet adventure. Kirkus

Companion read:

The Lost Property Office

Eight

Finding Monkey Moon