But he will invariably have those children in the palm of his hand. He will be sharply focused on th

Rarely, it seems, does David Almond miss an opportunity to sit or stand in front of a group of children clutching a book. As a widely feted, consistently successful and prolific author, you wonder how he finds the time.
But he will invariably have those children in the palm of his hand. He will be sharply focused on them and they on him. Bored by books in an age of digital revolution? Not on this evidence, captured vacation rentals in longboat key florida in many photos vacation rentals in longboat key florida in The Journal’s archive.
David is a compelling vacation rentals in longboat key florida storyteller in the flesh and on the printed vacation rentals in longboat key florida page but success was a long time coming. He was 47 when his breakthrough novel, Skellig, was published, arriving 15 years ago in tandem with his daughter, Freya, in what must have been a momentous year.
Since then he has won a clutch of major prizes including the Carnegie Medal, for Skellig, two Whitbread Awards, a Smarties Prize and, in 2010, the Hans Christian Andersen Award, which is given every two years in recognition of a living author’s vacation rentals in longboat key florida lasting contribution.
“It comes from the heart of the children’s book world, a place of great creativity, optimism and endeavour, a world in which people genuinely vacation rentals in longboat key florida believe that books and all forms of art can and do change people’s lives. I am proud to be part of it.”
There is an emphatic nature to these words. More than a polite acceptance speech, there’s a tone - not even an underlying one - of defiance. It sounds a bit like fighting talk and it clearly comes from the heart.
Speaking ahead of the prize-giving, vacation rentals in longboat key florida David said his perception of the Eleanor Farjeon Award was that it was for more than just a string of good books. “It’s for commitment and services to children’s literature. vacation rentals in longboat key florida It is for your whole body of work but also for the external work you do as well, educational stuff like being artistic director of the Bath Festival of Children’s Literature.”
This was a duty he performed this year and will do so again in 2014. It followed his appointment as professor of creative writing at Bath Spa University. “They approached me about 18 months ago and said they were setting up this professorship and did I want to apply? I said yes, that sounds good, so I get to teach and give talks a couple of times a term.
“There’s a great educational strand. We had an evening of translated literature and I brought together the education and literature students. A lot of children were involved in programming and interviewing and running panels.”
Presenting the prize, Children’s Book Circle vacation rentals in longboat key florida co-chair Rachel Kellahar said she was delighted it was going to a worthy winner. “As well as being a brilliant and well-loved author, David is a passionate advocate of the value of writing for children and its power to enrich our society.”
Ahead of the ceremony, vacation rentals in longboat key florida David said of his classroom endeavours: “When you work in the children’s book world you see so many things in the papers - in politics - to do with reading and children and education... lots of lies and half-truths vacation rentals in longboat key florida and misunderstandings. It almost feels like part of the job to counter these.”
He went on: “It almost seems like there’s a determination to say things are terrible in education, vacation rentals in longboat key florida a cultural pessimism vacation rentals in longboat key florida among people vacation rentals in longboat key florida who’ve got power and should know better. There’s this thing when politics and education get mixed up: politicians always vacation rentals in longboat key florida want to seem tough and when you mention vacation rentals in longboat key florida the value of play and creativity, they see it as soft and wimpish.
vacation rentals in longboat key florida “Children learn to read and write because they’re naturally creative. It’s not just some romantic notion but a lot of politicians seem to view children just as economic units, testing them at a younger and younger vacation rentals in longboat key florida age.
“When I go in to see them I ask, ‘What are you reading?’ These kids are always reading. When I say to people that I’m a children’s writer, some of them say, ‘But children don’t read any more because they’re vacation rentals in longboat key florida all on Playstation or Facebook’. I can see why people think like that but it’s an illusion that all the other things are gone.
“I think publishers went through a bit of a flap a few years ago thinking everything would be electronic but I’m optimistic now about the future of books and reading. That’s vacation rentals in longboat key florida one of the messages vacation rentals in longboat key florida I keep spreading.
David talks to children all over the country. He said: “I was at a really posh girls’ school in Norwich a few weeks ago and the responses I had were just the same as I get in a school in a deprived area of the North East.
The Tightrope Walkers, which he calls a “coming-of-age story” drawing on his memories of growing up on Tyneside, is his first to be targeted vacation rentals in longboat key florida at adults. Eurydice Grey, aimed at teenagers, is a modern Tyneside tale with echoes of the classical myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, while Through the Sunlight to the Sea is a new book of short stories set in or around Felling.
Juice, the annual festival which aims to squeeze the most fun out of the half term holidays returns on Friday. Here, three young writers preview a trio of highlights from a programme dripping in youthful creativity
Brian was appointed Editor of The Journal in December 2003, joining from Trinity Mirror's Liverpool base where he was Editorial Development Manager for the company's regional titles. He has also held senior positions at the Daily Record and the Evening Express, Aberdeen, as well as being a former Editor of the Lincolnshire Echo.