Media Releases

ILLUSTRATOR OF DOMESTIC MAGIC COLLECTS AWARD FROM DOMESTIC GODDESS!
LAUREN CHILD RECEIVES GREENAWAY MEDAL FOR ILLUSTRATION FROM NIGELLA LAWSON

Lauren Child, a double nominee, wins The Library Association Kate Greenaway Medal for her cunningly titled "I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato"

The book features naughty Lola, a picky eater par excellence, and her inventive older brother Charlie who persuades her to try new things. It has already won a following from grateful parents.

"Lauren Child has a real insight into how a child's mind works, and a gift for finding the magic in the everyday," says Sarah Wilkie, Chair of this year's Library Association Youth Libraries Group judges, "Her work is deceptively simple and speaks to today's visually literate children. She has taken a classic picture book theme and interpreted it in a completely fresh, modern, edgy style using a unique combination of paint, photographs, computer generated artwork and typography. A book with immediate impact!"

Instigated in 1956, The Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded annually by The Library Association for "outstanding illustration in a children's book". The Greenaway winner also receives the annual £5000 Colin Mears Award. Colin Mears, a Worthing based accountant and children's book collector, left a bequest to The Library Association providing every Greenaway winner from 2000 onwards with a cash award as well as the coveted Medal.

Lauren was nominated for both I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato and Beware of the Storybook Wolves and was Highly Commended last year for Clarice Bean, That's Me!

Lauren's father was an art teacher and she knew early in life that she wanted to write and illustrate children's books. Lauren says that "Libraries were a big deal" when she was growing up. She and her sisters went regularly to explore their local library and select their books. Her work is influenced by illustrators she discovered as a child as well as by television. "In particular TV's 'Bewitched'," says Lauren, "I love the idea of finding magic in the humdrum, making the hoover clean the house by itself, getting the dishes done with a twitch of the nose."

For Lauren working on a book is not just about her ideas; it's an integrated experience. She works closely with her editor and designer to create a total feel to each book. "I integrate the text and pictures and use different typefaces for each character to give them their identity." Her characters are easy for young children to identify and relate to. When you open any of her books the sensation is one of energy and humour.

She lives in North London with her partner Soren, an ITN cameraman.

Today, Lauren received her Award from Nigella Lawson at a ceremony held the British Library. Anthony Browne was Highly Commended for Willy's Pictures and Ted Dewan was Commended for Crispin The Pig Who Had it All.

13 July 2001

Further information

Louisa Myatt /The Library Association Marketing Department
Tel: 020 7255 0650 Textphone: 020 7255 0505 Fax: 020 7255 0501
E-mail: louisa.myatt@la-hq.org.uk

Note

The Youth Libraries Group, which selects the winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, is a Special Interest Group of The Library Association.

Book details

I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato, Lauren Child, age range 4+
Orchard Books, pb, £4.99 ISBN: 184121602X

Willy's Pictures, Anthony Browne, age range 7+
Walker Books, hb, £10.99, ISBN: 0744561655

Crispin: The Pig Who Had It All, Ted Dewan, age range 4+
Doubleday, hb, £9.99, ISBN 0385410743