Congratulations to Alexa Moses on the publication of
a junior fiction book for 8+ due to be published by Scholastic Australia on 1 April.
'My secret worry list is the big boss of lists. Right now, there are 23 worries on it.' New school. New town. 23 worries. Can Michaela Mason handle it?
This book is on the list to read!
By nature, SCBWI members are some of THE most kind-hearted, generous and humble humans you’re ever likely to meet. But what happens when you find yourself in some type of rivalry with each other?
Often we’re oblivious - vying with others on Trybooking for the coveted assessment timeslot while worrying we’ll miss out entirely. But sometimes we’re completely and utterly aware - laying open portfolios (a.k.a our hearts and souls) in a room full of others we may dare to compare ourselves with. Or, when you’ve entered a competition - the disappointment of not seeing your own name turns into elation for a writing buddy who’s made the winner’s list.
Then, imagine this: being in the running to have your children’s book characters brought to life in sculpture form for Thalassa Park’s Storybook Walk and join the likes of Grug, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, Possum Magic, Storm Boy and The Dirty Dinosaur. What an opportunity! But, you’ll be pitted against SCBWI friends and mentors and voting is open to the public with only a single possible outcome – just ONE winner!
Library staff members from the City of Onkaparinga, in the south of Adelaide, recently selected three books for the voting process and recorded a reading of each book. Everyone from everywhere, was able to access these online and asked to take part in the poll by voting for their favourite.
In a first for the Storybook Walk, every book chosen boasted a South Australian writer and illustrator, with each of the three books also being published by an Adelaide publisher.
More than 1300 votes were received via City of Onkaparinga’s Your Say page or by hand at Onkaparinga Libraries in January and February.
While the lead changed between Fancy Pants and Mama Ocean several times, it was the rollicking tale of Dingo and his friends preparing for the Outback Dance—written by local author and Onkaparinga resident Kelly Hibbert, illustrated by Amanda Graham and published by Little Book Press—that took the win with 49 per cent of the vote.
Mama Ocean (by Jane Jolly and illustrated by Sally Heinrich) came in second with 39 per cent, and Esmeralda’s Nest (by Robert Moore and illustrated by Mandy Foot) couldn’t get its snout over the line with 12 per cent.
The new sculpture will be unveiled in 2022 after an artist/s are selected later this year.
Storybook Walk was established in 2007 with the support of the Thalassa Park and Gardens Trust. It aims to celebrate and raise the profile of Australian writers and poets and their works, by bringing characters from some of the best-loved children’s books to life.
Huge congratulations to Kelly, Amanda, Little Book Press and all involved!
Excerpts reproduced with the permission of the City of Onkaparinga.
After a year of online events, it was wonderful to catch up in person for the SCBWI SA Welcome to 2021.
The Walkers Arms Hotel provided the perfect venue to enjoy a meal, drinks and a long-awaited catch up.
It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces and equally as exciting to welcome some of our new members who joined in 2020.
With almost a year’s worth of member news to share, conversation flowed throughout the night. In fact, we could’ve done with a few more hours and no-one would’ve been stuck for something to say.
As the evening wound up, most members were already looking forward to meeting up again at one of the many in-person events scheduled for 2021.
Our next event, Sketch and Scribble, will be held with the beautiful backdrop of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens on Sunday, March 21. This is the event of the year where the focus is on creativity and dabbling with new ideas.
