Historic Win as Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing Awarded to a Book in Translation for the First Time; A Graphic Novel Wins Illustration Medal for the Second Consecutive Year

CELEBRATED BOOKS OFFER AN IMMERSIVE READING EXPERIENCE AND ENCOURAGE YOUNG READERS TO LOOK TO THE FUTURE

yotocarnegies.co.uk | #YotoCarnegies23 | @CarnegieMedals

Images available here.

Wednesday 21 June 2023: The winners of the UK’s longest-running and best-loved book awards for children and young people, the Yoto Carnegies, were announced today in a live-streamed ceremony at The Barbican.

For the first time in the awards almost 90-year history, the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing is awarded to a book in translation – The Blue Book of Nebo (Firefly Press), written and translated by Manon Steffan Ros. Told through the dual narrative of a mother and son in post-apocalyptic Nebo, this “compelling, conceivable” story explores Welsh identity and culture, and offers a beautiful appreciation of language. The original Welsh publication, Llyfr Glas Nebo, won multiple awards, including the 2019 Wales Book of the Year.

Jeet Zdung has won the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration for Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear, (Kingfisher, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Books). This is the second consecutive year that a graphic novel has clinched the prize. Written and inspired by the real life of Vietnamese wildlife conservationist Dr Trang Nguyen, the “beautiful” manga-inspired illustrations – including scenic watercolours and detailed, pencil sketched journal entries – work together to offer “something new to discover on each re-reading” and inspire and educate young wildlife activists.

The Yoto Carnegies celebrate outstanding achievement in children’s writing and illustration and are unique in being judged by an expert panel of children’s and youth librarians, including 12 librarians from CILIP, the library and information association’s Youth Libraries Group.

Selected from shortlists of seven and six titles respectively, both winners were praised by the judges for providing an “immersive” reading experience, addressing questions about how we live now and how this might affect the future – from the domestic, day-to-day perspective in The Blue Book of Nebo, to environmental and animal protection in Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear.  

Each year thousands of reading groups in schools and libraries in the UK and around the world get involved in the Awards, with children and young people ‘shadowing’ the judging process, debating and choosing their own winners. They have voted for their favourites from this year’s shortlist and have chosen I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetysfor the Yoto Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Writing, and The Comet by Joe Todd-Stanton for the Yoto Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Illustration.

Sepetys previously won the Carnegie Medal for Writing in 2017 for Salt to the Sea and was shortlisted in 2021 for The Fountains of Silence. I Must Betray You, a YA novel set during the Romanian Revolution, was called “compelling”, “captivating” and “a must-read” by shadower Grace from The Abbey Readers, and Giselle from HAEC Books and Biscuits Carnegie Shadowers group described it as a “powerful and moving historical fiction novel. . . The author explores the themes of freedom, betrayal, and hope in a way that is both thought-provoking and relevant to our own lives.”

The Comet – a touching picture book about a father and daughter who move from the country to the city and are searching for a feeling of home – was praised by Darcy-Belle at Chandlings Prep School for its “bright and colourful illustrations” and Logan at The Great Bookish Club said it was “full of imagination and adventure.” Todd-Stanton was longlisted for the Medal for Illustration in 2018 for The Secret of Black Rock.

The winners were revealed at an in-person ceremony held at The Barbican, which was live-streamed and watched by shadowing groups around the country. The awards were hosted by former Children’s Laureate Lauren Child CBE, who won the Carnegie Medal for Illustration – then known as the Kate Greenaway Medal – in 2000 for her first Charlie and Lola book, I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato.

Janet Noble, Chair of Judges for The Yoto Carnegies 2023, said:

“From an incredibly strong shortlist, our panel of librarian judges have debated long and hard to choose our two worthy winners of the Yoto Carnegie Medals 2023.

In The Blue Book of Nebo, the world building and distinct voices of the two main characters, the son and his mother, are expertly realised and the reader is compelled to question their own relationship with the modern world. Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear is a beautiful story, elegantly told, which brings together a global view of conservation and an empowering true story of an inspiring female environmentalist, told through dazzling manga art and watercolours. Jeet has crafted every illustration to immerse the reader, just as Manon draws the reader in completely with her vivid, deliberate prose.

Thanks to the young readers far and wide who have engaged with our shortlists and voted for their own deserving Shadowers’ Choice Medal recipients. Huge congratulations to all four of our Yoto Carnegie medal winners for this year, who demonstrate the best of children’s writing and illustration in its myriad of forms.”  

Prolific Welsh writer Manon Steffan Ros lives in Tywyn, North Wales. She has written over 23 books for adults and children and is four-times winner of the Tir na n’Og Wales Children’s Book Awards. The Blue Book of Nebo is Ros’ first YA novel to be published in English, and is published by British Book Awards Wales Small Press of the Year, Firefly Press. The judges admired the “appreciation of language, reading and literature” and described it as “heartbreaking”, “poignant” and “rich with Welsh heritage.” Following the success of The Blue Book of Nebo, Firefly have since acquired two middle-grade titles by Ros, Feather (Pluen), and Me and Aaron Ramsey (Fi ac Aaron Ramsey), to be published in English in 2024.

Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing winner, Manon Steffan Ros, said:

“I used to see the word Carnegie on the covers of my favourite books as a child, and the fact that The Blue Book of Nebo now has that honour bestowed upon it means more than I can say – and to be the first book in translation to win the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing is a source of great delight. One of the greatest privileges of my life has been the fact that I was raised through the medium of the Welsh language, and having access to two languages has brought me so much joy and opportunity. There’s a huge, lively, thriving Welsh language cultural scene that I’m honoured to be a part of. Each language offers a unique and enriching perspective on the world, and so literature in translation has the potential to enhance our lives greatly. Your favourite book might not yet be translated into a language that you understand.”

Comic artist-illustrator Jeet Zdung grew up in and still lives in Hanoi, Vietnam. He uses diverse drawing styles, from realistic depictions to cartoon, manga, and Vietnamese-Japanese folk styles, to create multiform works for readers of all ages. He has won several awards, including a Silent Manga Audition Excellence Award for his manga Stand Up and Fly. Considered alongside last year’s Illustration Medal winner Danica Novgorodoff for Long Way Down, written by Jason Reynolds, these two graphic novels demonstrate the range of storytelling this form can offer readers. The judges praised Zdung’s “clever use of panelling” and infusion of graphic novel and manga styles to deliver “drama and impact” as well as creating “perfect synergy” between the visuals and the text.

Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration winner, Jeet Zdung, said:

“When I was a child, I always wished that I could create my own cartoon movies. The process of creating the book Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear was a journey to satisfy the child’s longing inside of me – to create an immersive movie on paper using influences of comics and manga. Together with Trang Nguyen, we hope these books will contribute to the conservation of wildlife by sharing with the readers what we know, what we love and care about. For me, this is a long and enduring journey. Winning the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration is a great honour. We hope that the impact of the prize will be felt widely and draw attention to the plight of the Sun Bears and other wildlife.”

The winners each receive £500 worth of books to donate to a library of their choice, a £5,000 Colin Mears Award cash prize and a newly designed golden medal. For the first time, this year the Shadowers’ Choice winners were also presented with a golden medal.

Ros is making her donation to her local library, Tywyn Library in Gwynedd, where she wrote a few of her books when she didn’t have the means to get internet at home. Dr Trang Nguyen and her organization WildAct have set up libraries for children in localities near Vietnamese national parks to heighten their reading skills and knowledge of conservation; Zdung’s donation will be supporting this effort. 

Yoto, the innovative, screen-free audio platform for children, is the headline sponsor of the Awards. The Yoto Carnegies are sponsored by ALCS and Scholastic as the official book supplier, with First News as the official media partner for 2023.

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For further information on The Yoto Carnegies 2023 please visit: www.yotocarnegies.co.uk    

#YotoCarnegies23 | @CarnegieMedals

Winning author and illustrator biographies and book synopses

The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros (Firefly Press)

Dylan was six when The End came, back in 2018; when the electricity went off for good, and the ‘normal’ 21^st century world he knew disappeared. Now he’s 14 and he and his mam have survived in their isolated hilltop house above the village of Nebo in north-west Wales, learning new skills, and returning to old ways of living. Despite their close understanding, the relationship between mother and son changes subtly as Dylan must take on adult responsibilities. And they each have their own secrets, which merge as, in turn, they jot down their thoughts and memories in a found notebook – The Blue Book of Nebo.

Manon Steffan Ros was born in Snowdonia and worked as an actress and musician before becoming a full-time writer. Manon has written over 23 books for adults and children in the Welsh language and has won the Wales Book of the Year for her adult fiction as well as being four-times winner of the Tir na n’Og Wales Children’s Book Awards. She has also won Eisteddfod and National Theatre Wales awards for her script writing. She lives in Tywyn in north Wales with her children.

Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear illustrated by Jeet Zdung,
written by Trang Nguyen (Kingfisher, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Books)

Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear is the incredible true story of the promise a young schoolgirl made to a brown moon bear in a small town in Vietnam. Follow Chang through tropical Asian rainforests and unpredictable jungles as she fights to become a conservationist. But these dangerous landscapes are only part of her troubles, disproving critics who say that a young girl can’t be a conservationist proves to be an even bigger challenge. Told as a graphic novel with breathtaking art from Jeet Zdung and STEM facts galore, Chang’s daring story is an accessible and fearless adventure that will inspire any animal-loving, intrepid explorer. This tale about friendship and the strength and resilience of one young girl teaches us that letting go is never easy, and sometimes the biggest challenges in life are the most special.

Comic artist-illustrator Jeet Zdung (illustrator) was born in 1988 in Da Nang and grew up in Hanoi, Vietnam. He writes and illustrates books for readers aged 4 years and up. His works are multiform – including manga/comics (with or without words), graphic novels and picture books – and often depict adventures and observations on nature, folk arts, sports, children, and wildlife. Jeet Zdung has diverse drawing styles, from realistic depictions to cartoon, manga, and Vietnamese-Japanese folk styles. His favourite materials are watercolour paper, washi paper, Dó paper, canvas, comic pen, brush, ink, watercolour, gouache, acrylic, and acryl-gouache. He has won several awards, including a Silent Manga Audition Excellence Award for his manga Stand Up and Fly. He lives in Hanoi, Vietnam.

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (Hodder Children’s Books)

I Must Betray You tells the story of Cristian, a 17-year-old who has lived his entire life in a country governed by fear. Ruled by a despotic dictator, Cristian and his fellow citizens live every day with ever-present suspicion, hardship and repression. One day he is faced with the toughest choice of all; will he betray his family or will he risk everything – even the lives of people he loves – to resist? Gripping, intoxicating and uniquely involving, Cristian’s story will have readers asking themselves just what they would have done under the constant watchful eyes of the secret police, what they would have sacrificed to be free. Set in a knife-edge moment of modern history, the courage, hope, and violence of the Romanian Revolution powerfully frame this evocative thriller.

Ruta Sepetys was born and raised in Michigan, USA to parents of Lithuanian origin. Her passion for global connectivity has led to her presenting to NATO, the European Parliament, the US Capitol and embassies worldwide. She is the author of 2016 Carnegie Medal and Waterstones Prize-winner Salt to the Sea. She specialises in stories with the power of the most gripping thrillers, which also expose lesser-known stories in 20th-century history. Her novel The Fountains of Silence was on the 2021 Carnegie shortlist. She is published in 60 countries and is a tireless traveller and speaker in support of her books. Ruta lives in Tennessee, USA with her husband.

The Comet illustrated and written by Joe Todd-Stanton (Flying Eye Books)

When Nyla has to leave her home in the countryside to start life again in the city, all she can think about is everything she misses from before. So when a comet comes crashing through the city streets and starts to glow and grow, Nyla can’t resist a chance to head somewhere that feels closer to what she had before … but what starts as an escape could be just the thing to make her finally feel at home. The Comet is a celebration of imagination, make believe play, and the relationship between parent and child all combined with the near universal theme of moving house, and dealing with a new environment and experience.

Joe Todd-Stanton is from Brighton and grew up drawing with his mum. He studied Illustration at the University of the West of England, afterwards moving to London where he currently lives. In 2018, his book The Secret of Black Rock was longlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal – now named the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration – and won a Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. The Comet was shortlisted for the Foyles Children’s Book of the Year 2022, longlisted for the UKLA 2022 Book Award (age 3 – 6 category) and was included as a CLPE Power of Reading title for 2022 – 2023.

About The Yoto Carnegies

• The Yoto Carnegies celebrate outstanding achievement in children’s writing and illustration respectively and are unique in being judged solely by librarians.
• The Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing is awarded annually to a children’s book author whose writing creates an outstanding reading experience. It was established in 1936 in memory of the Scottish-born philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919).
• The Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration, established in 1955, is awarded annually to a children’s book illustrator whose artwork creates an outstanding reading experience.
• Each year thousands of reading groups in schools and libraries in the UK and overseas get involved in the Awards, with children and young people ‘shadowing’ the judging process. They read, discuss and review the books on the shortlists, get involved in reading related activities in groups, and vote for their favourite books to win The Yoto Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medals for Writing and Illustration.
• In 2022, Katya Balen won both the Yoto Carnegie Medal and the Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice for October, October. The Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal – now named the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration – was won by Danica Novgorodoff for Long Way Down and Mariachiara Di Giorgio was awarded the Greenaway Shadowers’ Choice for The Midnight Fair.

About Yoto

• Yoto is an interactive audio platform for kids. Yoto offer a catalogue of stories, songs, activities and more to inspire creative play and learning without a screen. The carefully connected audio players, Yoto Player (3rd generation) and Yoto Mini, put kids safely in control. No cameras. No microphones. No ads.
• Inspired by Montessori principles, Ben Drury and Filip Denker founded Yoto in 2017. Yoto Player was designed with renowned design agency, Pentagram, and launched in early 2020. Yoto Mini, the portable audio player, launched in late 2021. The new and improved third generation Yoto Player arrived in summer 2023.
• Now available worldwide, Yoto has won awards and accolades from critics, parents and children alike. TIME Magazine even named it one of the Best Inventions of 2020 and Yoto Mini won a prestigious D&AD Pencil in 2022.
• Yoto’s platform features both award-winning original content and audio that has been licensed or co-created with partners. These partners include PRH, Macmillan, Sony, Warner Music, Mattel, Disney, LEGO, Roald Dahl Story Company, HarperCollins, Hachette, Bonnier and Scholastic.

About CILIP, the library and information association

• The Yoto Carnegies are managed by CILIP, the library and information association. The Medals are awarded annually by CILIP and the Youth Libraries Group with longlists announced in February, shortlists in March and the winners announced at a ceremony in June.
• CILIP is the leading voice for the information, knowledge management and library profession. Our goal is to put information and library skills and professional values at the heart of a democratic, equal and prosperous society.
• CILIP is a registered charity, no. 313014. The Youth Libraries Group (YLG) is a special interest group of CILIP who work to preserve and influence the provision of quality literature and library services for children and young people, both in public libraries and school library services.
• YLG has 12 regional committees covering all of the UK, and each committee advertises and democratically recruits a judge to represent them on the panel of judges. Each judge serves a two-year term and each year the panel is a unique mix of new and experienced judges led by the Chair of Judges. Following the independent diversity review of the Awards, CILIP introduced a co-opting procedure so that if this recruitment process does not result in a sufficiently diverse and representative judging panel, up to two judges will be co-opted to join the panel.
• In 2023, the judging panel includes 12 volunteer judges from CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group. Find out more about this year’s judges here.

About CILIP’s Awards Partners

• Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Calibre Audio are producing the Yoto Carnegie shortlisted books in accessible formats (compatibility permitting), including braille, giant print and audio books.
• OverDrive are offering the Yoto Carnegie shortlisted books in digital formats on their platform.
• Centre for Literacy in Primary Education and the English and Media Centre have created expert teaching resources for the shortlisted books.

About Scholastic

• For 100 years, Scholastic Corporation has been encouraging the personal and intellectual growth of all children, beginning with literacy. Having earned a reputation as a trusted partner to educators and families, Scholastic is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, a leading provider of literacy curriculum, professional services, and classroom magazines, and a producer of educational and entertaining children’s media. The Company creates and distributes bestselling books and e-books, print and technology-based learning programs for pre-K to grade 12, and other products and services that support children’s learning and literacy, both in school and at home. With 15 international operations and exports to 165 countries, Scholastic makes quality, affordable books available to all children around the world through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail, and online.
• Learn more at www.scholastic.com

About the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society

• The Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) is a not-for-profit organisation started by writers for the benefit of all types of writers.
• Owned by its members, ALCS collects money due for secondary uses of writers’ work. It is designed to support authors and their creativity; ensure they receive fair payment and see their rights are respected. It promotes and teaches the principles of copyright and campaigns for a fair deal.
• It represents over 118,000 members, and since 1977 has paid over £600 million to writers. There is no other organisation quite like ALCS. Visit www.acls.co.uk

About First News

• First News is the official media partner for The Yoto Carnegies 2023.
• First News is the UK’s number one children’s newspaper, with a readership of over 2.6 million, including 7,500 subscribing schools.
• It is a multi-award-winning publication, trusted by parents, endorsed by teachers, and loved by children.
• Expertly written by award-winning journalists, First News takes the fear out of sensationalised stories providing a balanced and truthful view of the world, carefully and sensitively explaining context and background.
• With daily online content and weekly delivery to your doorstep, First News provides factual, impartial news, sports, science, and entertainment from the UK and around the world.
• Improving news literacy is at the heart of First News, whether through our acclaimed news service or our award-winning news-based learning tools and resources for schools and educators.
• You can find out more about First News at: www.firstnews.co.uk  

About Lauren Child

• Lauren Child is an award-winning artist and writer. She is the creator of many much-loved characters, including Clarice Bean, Charlie and Lola, and Ruby Redfort, along with several stand-alone picture books.
• Her first two books were published in 1999 – I Want a Pet and Clarice Bean, That’s Me, and she won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal (now the Carnegie Medal for Illustration) in 2000 for I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato, the first of her Charlie and Lola picture books that became a worldwide bestseller and award-winning TV series. The first Clarice Bean novel was published in 2002 by Orchard– Utterly Me, Clarice Bean. Her books have sold over 15 million copies worldwide. Her latest Clarice Bean book is Clarice Bean Scram! published by Harper Collins in 2022.  In the same year she illustrated The Little Match Girl Strikes Back by Emma Carroll.
• She was awarded a CBE for Services to Literature in 2020; and was the 10^th Waterstones’ Children’s Laureate from 2017-2019.
• Lauren is a champion for the importance of illustration as an art form. She has been a trustee of the House of Illustration for ten years, and at the forefront of innovation, raising the profile of illustration as a sophisticated art form for all ages. She works with mixed media, has pioneered text as an integral part of illustration and collaborates with artists across different fields including music, film, and design. Lauren is a Foundling Museum Fellow and an UNESCO Artist for Peace and her work has always championed the importance of childhood.