On Thursday, 8 January, the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre announced the most original children’s book of the past year, the Raisin of the Year Award, at a thank-you event held at the centre. The award was given to the comic book Snarlie, written by Katrin Tõnisson and illustrated by Ulla Saar, published by Päike ja Pilv.
Snarlie is a book created with exceptional professional skill. It leads the reader into the world of a sensitive young boy who grapples with big emotions and is only beginning to learn how to manage the feelings within himself. The story is told in a form of a comic book, which is unfortunately still a rather rare format in original Estonian children’s literature. The book’s empathetic text and playful illustrations that open up the story on multiple levels, teach that all emotions are valid and need not be feared.
“I am very happy that this year’s recognition is also, in a way, a colleague’s award, as both authors work at the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre. It is a great asset that our team includes such highly professional experts in the field. Comics and graphic novels, which are gaining great popularity elsewhere in the world and bringing many children to reading, are still regrettably rare here. With this award, we want to draw the attention of both authors and readers to the important role that a comic book with strong content and visual language plays in children’s reading, and perhaps give new momentum to the creation of such books by placing them on a pedestal.”
The Raisin of the Year Award has been presented since 2004 to a distinctive and outstanding Estonian children’s book published in the preceding year. The jury may assess the book as a whole or focus specifically on the work of the writer or the illustrator. The winners are honoured at the Estonian Centre for Children’s Literature’s annual thank-you celebration with one kilogram of raisins, a monetary prize, and a certificate of appreciation. Last year, the award went to Mr Harald’s Dream Garden by Anti Saar and Marja-Liisa Plats, and the year before that to Be Who You Are. Stories for Reading Aloud by Andry Ervald and Kristel Maamägi.
More information about the Raisin of the Year Award can be found here.
In the photo: award laureates illustrator Ulla Saar, publisher Katrin Reinmaa, and author Katrin Tõnisson (photo by Dmitri Kotjuh).
