IBBY Honours List for 2015 and 2016

IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) is an international organisation with 74 member countries. IBBY SA is its South African chapter.

On 17 September 2015 IBBY SA announced the six South African books nominated to represent our country at the IBBY World Congress that will take place in Auckland, New Zealand, during 2016. These six books will be on display at the congress and will appear on the Honours List of Books in a brochure that will contain all the nominated international titles. Each book will also be screened and discussed during a plenary session at the Congress and will then be on display at the famous Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Spain.

Here are the six South African nominees:

Fanie Viljoen

Author, Afrikaans: Fanie Viljoen with Uit for making it easy for all teenagers to experience and empathise with the young man’s growing realisation of his sexual orientation. The book is about a young rugby player who needs to come out. During his speech Fanie said the book was aimed at all teenagers, but he was hoping that gay teens would feel less lonely after reading this book. Uit is published by LAPA.

Charmaine Kendal

Author, English: Charmaine Kendal with Miscast for its sensitive exploration of the inner journey of a trans boy; probably the first South African teen novel about a trans person. During her speech Charmaine said she felt compelled to write on the theme, since she had experienced the hurt of a trans learner at the school where she taught at the time. Miscast is published by Junket Publishers.

Sindiwe Magona

Translator into Xhosa: Sindiwe Magona for Umculo neentsomi zase-Afrika, since she was able to transmit the magic of the original folktales in Gcina Mhlope’s Stories for Africa so faithfully. Sindiwe said the translator should not be visible in the translation, the reader should read the stories as if they had been written in the target language from the start. Umculo neentsomi zase-Afrika is published by UKZN Press.

Carol Broomhal

Translator into Sotho: Selloane Khosi for Baile le Moketa, her clear and lively version of Gerard Sekoto’s 1973 story Shorty and Billy Boy, which itself was published only very recently, long after Sekoto’s death. Carol Broomhal, who received the award on Selloane’s behalf, said the publisher, Jacana Media, sees the translation of children’s books as an act of nation-building.

Kobus Geldenhuys and Shané Kleyn

Translator into Afrikaans: Kobus Geldenhuys for Hoe om jou draak te tem, since he was able to capture the spirit and sense of the fantastical in his translation of Cressida Cowell’s How to train your dragon. Kobus thanked the publishers, Protea Boekhuis, and in particular his publisher, Shané Kleyn, for daring to take on projects like this and for allowing him to be part of it.

Dale Blankenaar

Illustrator Dale Blankenaar for his rendering of the eerily atmospheric world in Marita van der Vyver’s Olinosters op die dak, or Rhinocephants on the roof (in the second edition). In his speech Dale explained how this project had landed on his desk at the time of his wedding and how his new wife, Keegan, had had to cope with the enormousness of the project. Dale also thanked Piet Grobbelaar, the illustrator of the original book and Dale’s tutor. It was a privilege to follow in Piet’s footsteps, said the young illustrator, who also thanked NB Publishers, especially Michelle Cooper, for allowing him the freedom to be a co-creator of this wonderful book about a boy overcoming his fears. Olinosters op die dak is published by Tafelberg, an imprint of NB Publishers.

Genevieve Heart and Lona Gericke

Commenting on the awards, IBBY SA chairperson Genevieve Hart said, “Isn’t it fascinating that the two author category nominees have both written books on sexual diversity? It is a very significant area of the teenager experience and one welcomes such careful and sensitive treatments.”

Lona Gericke, who holds the Award Portfolio of IBBY SA, says, “We are really glad that the six categories were spread among six different publishers. It means that more and more publishers are doing excellent work in the fields of literature for children and young people.”