A novel about friendship , based on her relationship with her husband, has won Joy Cowley New Zealand's top children's literature award for the fourth time.
Snake and Lizard, written by Cowley and illustrated by Christchurch's Gavin Bishop, won the Junior Fiction category and was named Book of the Year at the New Zealand Post Book Awards tonight.
Judges' convenor Dylan Owen said Snake and Lizard brought together the best of New Zealand writing and illustration.
"Cowley's book impressed the judges with its assured writing, humour and gentle, unforced observations on the nature of friendship," he said.
"Both witty and wise these timeless stories are an utter joy. They make you laugh, sigh and read all over again."
Cowley, 72, was unable to attend tonight's award ceremony at Wellington Town Hall as she is presenting writing workshops for the Ministry of Education in Singapore.
But she said in speech notes prepared for her husband, Terry Coles, to read out that she remembered a time when writing for children was considered to be the occupation of people who had failed at adult writing.
"The New Zealand Post Book Awards have given children's literature in this country rightful status. Clearly this is good for the authors of children's books; but I believe that the greater benefit goes to the children of Aotearoa.
"The award validates them as readers who have their own authority and who are deserving of standards of excellence."
Cowley said the book came out of an experience she had in Arizona, doing workshops and visiting schools.
"I was very much enamoured of the desert and the creatures I saw there, and when I came back I wanted to write about these two characters, Snake and Lizard," she told NZPA.
There was a tradition in literature of "unalike friends" making adjustments to each other – such as Mole and Ratty in The Wind in the Willows – and this was another.
"But it's shamelessly anthropomorphic, it's really about two people and those two people happen to be my husband Terry and I," she said.
"So that's why the book is dedicated to him. We are quite unalike, we are very different, he's Snake and I'm Lizard."
Cowley said it was fitting that her husband was collecting the award on her behalf.
"It's his favourite book, he loves it. Of all the books that I've written over many, many years this is the one that he really likes."
Cowley has won the top award three times before with her novels Hunter, The Silent One and Bow Down Shadrach.
2008 category winners and honour awards recipients:
* Picture Book: Tahi -- One Lucky Kiwi by Melanie Drewery, illustrated by Ali Teo & John O'Reilly
Honour Award: To The Harbour written and illustrated by Stanley Palmer
* Non Fiction: Which New Zealand Spider? by Andrew Crowe
Honour Award: Reaching The Summit by Alexa Johnston with David Larsen
* Junior Fiction and New Zealand Post Book of the Year: Snake and Lizard by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Gavin Bishop
* Young Adult: Salt by Maurice Gee
Honour Award: The Sea-Wreck Stranger by Anna Mackenzie
* Best First Book Award: Out of The Egg written and illustrated by Tina Matthews
* Children's Choice Award: The King's Bubbles by Ruth Paul
The winner of each category is awarded $7500 and Cowley receives an extra $7500 for the top award.
The winners of the Best First Book and Children's Choice Awards receive $2000 each.
The discretionary honour awards, presented in three categories this year, come with prize money of $500.
The judging panel was Mr Owen, who is national advisor for the National Library's schools collection, writer and illustrator Fifi Colston and award-winning novelist Vince Ford.
NZPA
source: newshub archive
