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UK author and illustrator John Burningham is on the shortlist for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) to an author or illustrator whose works have made lasting contributions to children's literature.
The 2014 winner, chosen from a shortlist of six authors and six illustrators, will be announced on 24th March at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
Burningham is one of the shortlisted illustrators, described by the IBBY as a “great celebrator of imagination”.
“The style of his picture books is spontaneous though the textures are very carefully worked,” said the IBBY. “His works are full of life, poetry and personality.”
The other illustrators shortlisted are Rotraut Susanne Berner (Germany), Eva Lindström (Sweden), Roger Mello (Brazil), François Place (France) and Øyvind Torseter (Norway).
The six shortlisted authors are: Ted van Lieshout (the Netherlands), Houshang Moradi Kermani (Iran), Mirjam Pressler (Germany), Nahoko Uehashi (Japan), Renate Welsh (Austria) and Jacqueline Woodson (the US).
The IBBY is a non-profit organisation comprising an international network of people from all over the world who are committed to bringing books and children together. This year’s Hans Christian Andersen Award will be chosen by a jury of 10 members, led by president María Jesús Gil from Spain.
Burningham’s children’s books include Mr Gumpy’s Outing (Red Fox), Avocado Baby (Red Fox) and There’s Going to Be a Baby (Walker), which he put together with his wife, author and illustrator Helen Oxenbury.