Childrens Book Ireland Reveal Book of the Year Winners 2017

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Yesterday, in a ceremony at Dublins' Smock Alley Theatre, Childrens Books Ireland announced the incredible winners for this years Book of the Year Awards.
The overall winner for 2017 went to Chris Haughton for his picture book, Goodnight Everyone. This beautiful book combines Haughtons' cut-paper style illustration in a gradually darkening palette with simple text to journey through the forest as nighttime sets in and the animals go to sleep for the night. Subtle, quiet and calming, it is set to join such childrens' classic bedtime books as Goodnight Moon.
Goodnight Everyone also won the Honour Prize for illustration.

My favourite award in this annual event is the Childrens' Choice Award, as the book is selected by children all over Ireland involved in the CBI shadowing scheme. This year, the firm winner was Peadar  Ó Guilíns' The Call. An unnerving horror-fantasy,  this blend of Irish mythology and contemporary coming-of-age see the Sidhe returning to take their revenge. Not so much about the horrible things that happen, this book is more about the dread of knowing something is coming for you. Chilling and well done!
Deirdre Sullivan won this years Honour Award for Fiction for her incredible YA novel, Needlework. A powerful novel that will stay with you for a long time, Needlework is everything YA fiction should be, and more. Amazing! (This is previously reviewed on the YA page of this blog.)

Winner of the Eilís Dillon Award for first childrens book went to Paul Gamble
for The Ministry of Strange Unusual and Impossible Things (S.U.I.T.s). THis off-the-wall adventure tells of a secret Ministry hidden away within the depths of the Ulster Museum in Belfast and it's dealings with all the in the world we don't want to think about.Packed full of adventure and hilarity, it's one of my favourites!

Congratulations to all the winners.

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