This Australian text is about children’s voices – their minds, feelings, souls. It’s about how children’s voices are liberated through the arts, and how children make and communicate meaning through still and moving images, sounds, textures, gestures and the use of many other signs. It is also about how teachers, parents, peers and the community influence children’s early development, and how quality arts education in early childhood is an essential component of lifelong learning. The authors are teachers and researchers who are respected for their contributions to early childhood arts education. All of them have addressed their topics via practical examples, which are embedded in current philosophies and theories, often stemming from original research and firsthand interactions with children.

This is a reprint of the 25 year-old classic by Gavin Bishop that has been delighting children and adults alike for years. Mrs McGinty is a very grumpy, moaning old woman whose life is grey and bleak and lonely - until one day she buys a little plant which grows and grows and grows. Mrs McGinty becomes famous and happy and makes friends - the plant has transformed her life. Because MRS MCGINTY AND THE BIZARRE PLANT is set in Christchurch and features such Christchurch icons as the Edmonds Baking Powder factory the book has become a classic in the minds of thousands of South Islanders. First published by OUP in Australia and New Zealand in 1981 and winner of the Russell Clark Medal for illustration in 1982, the book is ready for a comeback to entertain a new generation of children. This year is the 25th anniversary of MRS MCGINTY AND THE BIZARRE PLANT and, as part of the 2006 Christchurch Writers Festival, there was a three week exhibition called MRS MCGINTY AND FRIENDS at the Our City centre in the heart of Christchurch.

The last thirty years have witnessed one of the most fertile periods in the history of children's books. A fascinating reference guide to the world of children's literature, this volume covers every genre from fairy tales to chapbooks; school stories to science fiction; comics to children's hymns

First published in 1998, this book is the first comprehensive survey of the awards made to children’s books in the English-speaking world. The Volume covers nearly forty different prizes including well-known and established ones such as the Newbury Award, prizes instigated by the commercial sector such as the Smarties Prize, as well as nationally sponsored awards and prizes for illustrators. Detailed lists are provided of the winning titles and, where appropriate, the runners-up in each year that the award has been given. Ruth Allen also presents some fascinating and often entertaining insights into the motivations behind awards and how they are views by authors, illustrators, publishers, librarians, booksellers and potential purchasers. The various criteria applied by judges of these awards are also examined, with an assessment of whether they have always achieved the ‘right’ result. This Volume is both a useful guide for adults wishing to buy good books for children and an important tool for those researching the history of the children’s book industry.