Lauren Child, award-winning author of the best-selling Charlie and Lola books, has been named as the new children’s laureate, saying that she wants children to have the “freedom to dream” without being judged.
Ms Child will be the tenth Waterstones Children’s Laureate, and takes over the post from illustrator Chris Riddell.
She wants to use the position to inspire children to be creative, saying that she hopes to spark “random acts of imagination” among pupils. She also plans to build links between the worlds of literature and other arts, including television, during her two-year term.
“In an increasingly fast-paced world, children need the freedom to dream and imagine; to enjoy reading, drawing and telling their own stories without value judgement or restraint,” she said.
“My books have taken inspiration from many different art forms - from the illustrations of E.H. Shepard through Scandinavian design, dolls’ houses and miniatures as well as the films of Woody Allen and Alfred Hitchcock.
Building links to film and television
“Now I would like to focus on building stronger links between the world of children’s literature and other art forms such as fine art, film, music, television and design.”
Ms Child is associate producer of the BBC television series Charlie and Lola, based on her characters. The animated series has won four Baftas and is aired in more than 34 countries.
The author, who was awarded an MBE in 2010, added that she was proud to be continuing the “great work” of her predecessors in “elevating the status of children’s books in the UK’s cultural landscape”.
The first children’s laureate was the illustrator Quentin Blake, appointed in 1999. The post includes a bursary of £15,000 and is awarded to recognise the outstanding achievement of a writer or illustrator.
Ms Child, who once worked as an artist’s assistant to Damien Hirst, has not only illustrated and written the Charlie and Lola picture books, but she has also written the Clarice Bean books for primary-aged children and the Ruby Redfort series featuring a 13-year-old girl detective - which includes codes specially created by Marcus du Sautoy, Simonyi professor for the public understanding of science at the University of Oxford.
“Each of the laureates has been wonderfully different from each other, but they share a core belief…that is the power of reading and its capacity to change children’s lives for the better,” said Diana Gerald, the chief executive of Book Trust, the charity which administers the role.
Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow Tes on Twitter and like Tes on Facebook
