Small Indie Publisher Nominated for International Award

Small Indie New Zealand Publisher Nominated for Big International Award

New Zealand publishing house Book Island from the Kapiti Coast has been nominated for the Bologna Prize 2016 for Best Children’s Publisher of Oceania by the International Children’s Book Fair in Bologna, Italy. This international award pays tribute to excellence in the world of children’s publishing. Children’s publishers and cultural institutions from all over the world nominated the small publishing house from Raumati South.

Book Island is one of only three publishers nominated across Australia and New Zealand, and is actually the only New Zealand publishing recognised in this way this year. The children’s publisher is well-known for its best-selling titles The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc and The Umbrella by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert.

"For a small indie publishing house like Book Island it is a great honour to be nominated for the Bologna Prize for Oceania this year. We would like to pay tribute to the original publishers of the beautiful and meaningful picture books that we have translated into English and Dutch in the past four years. Without them, their illustrators and authors – and not to be forgotten – our translators and editors, there would be no Book Island. This award is a tremendous acknowledgement of our combined efforts,” says publisher Greet Pauwelijn, who will attend the award ceremony in Bologna on Monday 4 April.

The prestiguous Bologna Prize has recognised the best in children’s publishing every year since 2013. It is awarded to one children’s publisher from each of the following 6 regions: Europe, North America, Central-South America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. The previous winners in the Oceania category were Allen&Unwin (2015), Walker Books Australia and NZ (2014) and Gecko Press (2013).

ENDS

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