Who chooses the books? Who chooses the judges? Who enters the books? What do the judges do? What are the criteria for the awards? Which section is suitable for my child? Why are some of the books unsuitable for young children? Do children's opinions count? How can I find out about the books before buying them? What is The Notables publication? When are the Notables, the Short List and the winners announced? I think some of the books are too dark and depressing. I still worry about some of the themes.
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Who chooses the books? There are 2 panels of judges. The Interstate Panel has 8 judges (one from each state and territory) and they judge the Older Reader (OR), Younger Readers (YR), Early Childhood (EC) and Picture Book (PB) categories; a panel of 4 judges decides the Eve Pownall Award for Information Books (EP). All judges serve for 2 years.
Who chooses the judges?
Each Branch of the CBCA chooses a judge for the Interstate Panel, and the National Executive appoints the EP panel. All judges must fulfil the criteria, including having no financial interest in the Awards, a wide knowledge of children’s literature and years of experience with children and books. Judges are not paid. The EP judges can read anywhere between 60 to 70 books in a year, while the interstate judges are required to read between 350 and 400.
Who enters the books? The publishers enter the books – there is a fee to cover administration costs. Books published in 2008 are eligible for the 2009 Awards. Authors and illustrators must qualify as Australian.
What do the judges do? Judges receive a copy of every book entered, then read them and submit written reports. The judges receive each other’s reports, and finally meet for their Judges’ Conference where they decide the Short List, Notable Books and the Winners and Honour Books. The EP conference lasts 2 days, the Interstate Judges meet for 4 days, and the whole ‘judging cycle’ lasts about 10 months! After the Short List is announced the judges give talks to groups of adults and children – many of these are open to the public.
On the CBCA web site go to the publishers’ section and access the Awards Handbook to read the full criteria for each category. In all categories the Awards primarily consider literary merit, with the quality of illustrations also important in the EC category in particular. PB is different: the text and the illustrations must achieve artistic and literary unity. For EP books, there are additional criteria relating to the accuracy and accessibility of the information.
Which section is suitable for my child?
Why are some of the books unsuitable for young children?
In the Awards Handbook, you will see that the PB and EP books may be for any age up to 18. For this reason the CBCA indicates on its official lists that ‘some of these books may be for mature readers’. Each of these categories will contain a range of books, suitable for different audiences, and so will need to be assessed for purchase on an individual basis.
Do children's opinions count?
Yes, but these are Awards primarily for literary quality, and children do not take part in the formal judging process. Judges get as many opinions as possible about the books – from colleagues and other professionals as well as from children. Children do vote directly in the Children’s Choice Awards run in most states and territories. For the last two years, the CBCA have been offering teachers and students a way to understand the judging process and an opportunity to vote for themselves. It is the Junior Judges Project and it has been a very successful and useful way to highlight the awards.
How can I find out about the books before buying them?
Firstly, read reviews, especially in Reading Time, Magpies and Viewpoint – the specialist Australian magazines that review children’s books. Many newspapers also review children’s books. Then there are publishers’ web sites – these provide helpful information. Read Notable Books (see next question) for insightful annotations written by the CBCA judges. If possible build up a relationship with your book supplier, who should then advise you if a title doesn’t seem suitable for your needs.
What is The Notables publication?
This is an inexpensive annual publication, ordered through the CBCA, in which the judges write an annotation on all the year’s books that they consider ‘notable’. In 2008 they selected about one quarter of the books entered to be worthy of this honour.
When are the Notables, the Short List and the winners announced?
I think some of the books are too dark and depressing.
Of course it is impossible to please everyone, but the judges take their responsibilities very seriously, and discuss the books at length – having read them all at least once. They must stick to the criteria, so that, for example, ‘suitable for a primary school class’ or ‘let’s balance the list as too many have historical settings’ are not permitted as arguments. In the end the choices made are those of a particular group of judges at a particular time. The full Judges’ Report is published annually in the August issue of Reading Time.
I still worry about some of the themes.
We live in a less than perfect world, and authors, illustrators and publishers are perhaps reflecting our society. Children are bombarded with news and information, not to mention advertising and TV programs. Books provide a means of generating thoughtful discussions about issues and fears. They can be shared with a trusted adult, read at the child’s own pace, and disturbing pages can be skipped. Reading is a very different experience to that of being exposed to images and information over which one can have little or no control. Books can be put aside or reread whenever the reader chooses to do so. It is individual buyer's responsibility to determine if a title is suitable for their particular situation.
