A gold star for Zog
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler win Galaxy National Book Awards 2010 WH Smith Children’s Book of the Year
Scholastic Children’s Books is delighted to announce that Zog by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler (Alison Green Books) has won the Galaxy National Book Awards 2010 WH Smith Children’s Book of the Year.
The winners of the Galaxy National Book Awards 2010 were revealed at a star-studded awards ceremony at London’s prestigious BBC Television Centre last night. The ceremony will be broadcast on More4 from 7.30pm on Saturday 13th November. The awards are a showcase for the best of British publishing and a celebration of the titles that boast both wide popular appeal and critical acclaim.
Zog is the keenest dragon in school. He’s also the most accident-prone, getting into one scrape after another as he learns to roar and breathe fire. But who is the mysterious little girl that keeps coming to his aid? And can she really help with his toughest test: capturing a princess? With his bumps, bruises and determination, Zog is an unlikely and endearing hero, in this wonderfully funny story from the creators of The Gruffalo and Stick Man.
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler have worked together on creating picture books since 1993, when A Squash and a Squeeze was published. Classic picture books they have created together include: The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale, Tiddler, Stick Man and Tabby McTat. Their books have sold millions of copies and have been translated into 40 languages worldwide. The Gruffalo animated film was watched by nearly 10 million people on Christmas Day 2009.
‘Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler are a combination made in heaven’ Independent on Sunday
On receiving the award for WH Smith Children’s Book of the Year, Julia and Axel said:
“We are delighted that Zog has won the Children’s Book of the Year award for this year’s Galaxy National Book Awards. We have worked together on creating picture books since A Squash and a Squeeze in 1993 and are continually pleased to see children and families loving our books. It is wonderful to know that Zog has captured everyone’s imagination and is a new favourite.”
They were both surprised and delighted to have won.
Julia Donaldson: “I am thrilled that Zog is the Galaxy National Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year. It is very special to know that my new book has been enjoyed by so many people, and that Zog is delighting young readers as The Gruffalo has done for so many years.”
Axel Scheffler: “I am very pleased that Zog has been voted Children’s Book of the Year. It means a great deal to me to know that our picture books continue to be loved by children and that Zog the dragon has won another golden star!”
Julia Donaldson is the author of many of the best-loved picture books ever written, and no storytime is complete without one of her fabulous rhymes. Julia lives in Glasgow with her husband, Malcolm (who is a doctor, like Princess Pearl). Visit www.gruffalo.com or http://www.juliadonaldson.co.uk
Axel Scheffler is renowned throughout the world for his witty, humorous illustrations. He has received many awards for his work. Axel lives in London with his family.
For further information about Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, or to request a review copy of Zog, please contact Alexandra Richardson, PR Manager, 0207 756 7779 arichardson@scholastic.co.uk.
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
About Scholastic:
Scholastic UK (www.scholastic.co.uk) is part of Scholastic Inc, the largest publisher and distributor of children’s books in the world and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic UK has four divisions: Scholastic Children’s Books, Scholastic Education, Scholastic Book Clubs and Scholastic Book Fairs.
Scholastic Children’s Books publishes a wide range of books for all ages, including best-sellers and award winners such as the Horrible Histories series and Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, the Baby Einstein books and Klutz’s innovative book and craft packs. Scholastic Education is the UK’s market-leading publisher of print and electronic resources for teachers. It offers professional and classroom support that meets teachers’ needs and provides them with inspiration for their lessons through its website; through its range of popular teacher magazines and through its teachers’ resource books including such best-selling titles as the 100s series.
As a distributor of children’s books through Scholastic Book Clubs and Fairs, Scholastic is the biggest children’s specialist bookseller in the UK and Ireland. It has unparalleled reach to children through schools, increasing opportunities for reading and book ownership for children in the UK and Ireland and donating two million books to schools last year.
About the Galaxy National Book Awards:
The Galaxy National Book Awards are the Oscars of the British publishing industry, celebrating the best of Britain’s fiction and non-fiction books published in the year up to 31st October 2010. They are the only awards dedicated to British authors, with one special category set aside for International Author of the Year.
The awards have evolved from the Galaxy British Book Awards and dozens of the country’s most popular, accessible writers and authors have been recognised over the years by these annual awards. The awards ceremony on Wednesday 10th November will be televised on More4 on Saturday 13th November, followed by a 5-part TV series broadcast on Sundays throughout November and December.
The Galaxy National Book Awards are project managed by Agile Marketing (an independent marketing agency) on behalf of the publishing and bookselling industries. The shortlists and category winners are decided by the votes of the industry Academy of the National Book Awards, a body that represents over 600 individuals from the world of books in the UK. In addition, the Galaxy Book of the Year reflects the tastes of the book-buying public as they are based on consumer votes. The Awards were created by Amanda Ross Managing Director of Cactus TV.