Congratulations to Pamela Allen

 

Pamela Allen Order of Australia Medal

Australia Day Honour list: Mrs Pamela Kay ALLEN for significant service to literature as an author. 

Pamela Allen was born in New Zealand (1943) but lived in Australia for over thirty years before moving back to her original home. She has received numerous awards in New Zealand. 

Pamela Allen is a phenomenon in the world of children's literature. Since her first publication in 1980, her picture books have enchanted generations of children around the world, and have garnered a glittering array of awards and commendations including six Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards, two New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards, an International Board on Books for Young People Diploma for Illustration, the Margaret Mahy Medal, New Zealand’s most prestigious award for children’s literature, and most recently The Gaylene Gordon Award for a Much Loved Book from the Children's Literature Foundation of New Zealand. Penguin Australia

Her first book was Mr Archimedes Bath written in 1980.

Two Melbourne radio hosts were talking about Pamela Allen's books today and of course they talked about an debated this favourite (by the way I still blame the little mouse). Who sank the Boat? was the 1989 CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) picture book of the year winner:

Here is an ABC Radio interview with Pamela Allen. 

Pamela Allen was selected in 1984 as the IBBY Australia honour book winner with her book Who Sank the Boat?  

For this biennial Honour List, published in connection with the IBBY Congress, National Sections of IBBY are invited to nominate outstanding recent books that are characteristic of their country and recommended for publication in different languages. One book can be nominated for each of the three categories: writing, illustration and translation.

I recently talked about Shhh! Little Mouse. 

CBCA Awards

• 1981 Mr Archimedes Bath Picture Book of the Year Commended
• 1983 Who sank the boat? Picture Book of the Year Winner
• 1984 Bertie and the Bear Picture Book of the Year Winner
• 1993 Belinda Picture Book of the Year Honour Book
• 2001 The Potato People Early Childhood Honor Book
• 2004 Grandpa and Thomas Early Childhood winner
• 2007 Doodledum Dancing Early Childhood Honor Book

I was working as a volunteer in a school library yesterday and one of the Preschool teachers requested books about colours - I found this one by Pamela Allen - once it is returned, I need to read it. I missed it back in 2011.

‘From Pamela Allen's first publication in 1980 it was clear that here was a creator of picture books with all the glow, gesture, din and dance to capture the attention, engage the imagination, teach, show, tickle and excite small children.’ Meg Sorensen, Australian Book Review