A book by Cockle Bay author Vanessa Hatley-Owen has made the finalists’ list of the 2023 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Her book Farewell, Anahera is a picture book award finalist. It is illustrated by Scott Irvine and translated by Kanapu Rangitauira (David Ling Publishing).
A synopsis of the book described the work, “An ethereal Anahera lies in the wharenui, there and yet at the same time not there. As her whanau recount tales of remembrance and express their aroha, Anahera sets out on her farewell journey to Hawaiki. This bilingual story is steeped in tradition and rich with reassurance and comfort for anyone who has lost someone they loved.”
The winners of each of the categories – Picture Book, Junior Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Non-Fiction, Illustration and te reo Maori – take home $7500 and are then in the running to be named the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year, with a further $7500 prize money. In addition, the judges will award a Best First Book prize of $2500 to a previously unpublished author or illustrator.
The ceremony to announce the winners will take place in Wellington on Thursday, August 10.
