More End-of-Year Lists

The Times has published Nicolette Jones and Amanda Craig's favorites for 2005. Great lists both of them. As Nicolette Jones puts it, "It has been a year of imaginative non-fiction, stunning illustration, impressive newcomers, and established authors on form." That's for darn sure.

Many favorites are on this list--Cornelia Funke, Jill Murphy, Robert Sabuda (he made both lists), Helen Oxenbury, Louise Arnold, Michelle Paver, and Kenneth Oppel. Craig and Jones' lists demonstrate what an amazing year 2005 has been for Anglo-American children's literature.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Buried in the Times book pages is a notice about the winner of the Waterstones new children's writer contest. The Waterstones contest invited writers for children to submit manuscripts to their stores over the summer. I wondered what had happened and apparently Sarah Wray, 36, a Belfast mother and voluntary worker has won the prize.