Lists

Firstly, I've been waiting to announce this for a while, but I wasn't allowed. My mother has beaten my publisher's press department to it though, and found that The Nestlé Children's book prize shortlist has been officially announced. Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie is on it. So is Polly Dunbar's Penguin again, but at least there's gold silver and bronze to be had here.

Please don't be hassling me about the wrongs of Nestlé in this context. I have thought about this and I think that the way that the prize is selected and judged by children and the involvement of booktrust and other very positive organizations more than outweigh these.

In other news: I was at the launch party for this book last night, slightly sneakily because I had to pretend to be Tim Spooner, since we were there under the banner of Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, who had provided some automaton for the foyer of Waterstone's Piccadilly, where the launch was held. A person there waxing lyrical to me about Shaun Tan pointed out that he has a website, which I might well have noticed if I'd bothered to look.

And, and:



Moomin gifts in the mail all the way from Sweden! Thank-you Rowan!