BCBF Newsline
2012 Jury
RYOII ARAI, Japan
Galleria Immagini
Illustrator
Born in 1956 in Yamagata. Author and illustrator of picture books. He received the Bologna Ragazzi Award at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 1999 for “Dr. Do-Riddle in the Riddle Land” (Froebelkan), and has won many other awards for children’s books in Japan. He also won The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2005. He is currently one of the most prolific illustrator authors in Japan, whose work gives rise to innovative new picture books. His illustrations have a wide following and the fields in which they are used range from advertising to the performing arts and CD covers.
CHIARA CARRER, Italy
Galleria Immagini
Illustrator
Has been creating stories for children for over 20 years. Born in Venice, she graduated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, and also studied engraving at the San Giacomo School of Ornamental Arts. Since 1990 she has published over one hundred books in Europe. These include: Il Grande Ploff; Otto Karotto; Cappuccetto rosso; A qui la faute?; Alice raconté aux petits enfants; and the Lutin series. Chiara has won many important prizes such as Apel Les Mestres, UNICEF, Il battello a Vapore, Andersen, l'Osterreichischen Kinder und Jugendbuch-lllustrationspreis; she received a mention in the Prima Infanzia Bologna Ragazzi Award at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, and a special mention at the Ilustrararte Internacional Bienal of Illustration. In 2000 she received The Golden Apple of Bratislava. Il Lord delle Liane, Bambine terribili, ABC, Troisdorfer Bilderbuch Preis, Progetto Alice, Alice et Peter, Il Gigante Egoista, Eine imaginare bibliothek,and Arlequin are only a few of the national and international personal and collective exhibitions she has participated in. She was also a member of the 1997 and 2004 jury at the Catalogna Biennale d'Illustraciò de llibres per a infants and Figure future of Montreuil. In 2011, Chiara was on the jury of the A la Orilla del Viento award promoted by the Mexican publishing house Fondo Cultura Econmica.She teaches at both ISIA in Urbino and the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts.
ANNA-LAURE COGNET, France
Galleria Immagini
Bibliothèque nationale de France, La Joie par les Livres.
Graduated in literature and history at Paris III and l’École des hautes études en sciences sociales, respectively. She subsequently took a publishing diploma at Paris XIII.
After holding several roles in publishing, including as Director of the children’s book fair of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux (Drôme, France), Anne-Laure joined the French National Library to work at CNLJ – La Joie par les livres. In charge of international missions, she coordinates several publications including the on-line journal Takam Tikou that specialises in children’s books from the Southern countries, as well as the « Lire en V.O », a collection of children’s books in foreign languages. Anne-Laure is also a literary critic specialising in picture books. She writes for La Revue des livres pour enfants.
MAGDALENA KLOS, Poland
Galleria Immagini
Wytwornia
Lives in Warsaw, Poland. She studied political science and had worked for many years for advertising agency leading international campaign projects . In 2005 she established a publishing house Wytwórnia with a mission to create a new quality on the children’s book market. She strongly believes that making books for children is actually introducing them to the world of art and children should be treated as perfect but demanding art-consumers. Since the very beginning published books have won numerous prizes and awards including BolognaRagazzi Award in 2008. . She keeps on seeking for new talents and successfully finding them.
ELIZABETH WOOD, United Kingdom
Galleria Immagini
Walker Books
Was born in Cape Town, South Africa.
She studied Graphic Design at the Cape Technicon and received her diploma in 1970.
Her first job was at Rupert International where she focused on package design under the expert guidance of Swiss Calligrapher Werner Prisi, then in 1972 she joined advertising agency McCann-Erickson. Later she went to London to work as a freelance designer and illustrator, and lectured in Graphic Design at East Ham College where she taught a specially created two year course aimed at finding placements for students as junior assistants.
In 1978 Elizabeth was fortunate enough to meet Amelia Edwards, co-founder of Walker Books, and was employed as a freelance illustrator and hand letterer. Seven years later, she joined Walker Books full time. She specialized in cover design, working with wonderful artists such as Helen Oxenbury, Maurice Sendak, Barbara Firth, Nicola Bayley, Helen Craig, Bob Graham, Charlotte Voake and Anita Jeram. In 2001 she was appointed Creative Director of the Company, and started focusing on art directing and designing the interiors of books with a range of artists, including Polly Dunbar, Angela Barrett, John Lawrence, David Hughes, Sara Fanelli, Clare Jarrett and Richard Holland. In recent years Elizabeth has extended her range of illustrators to include creative fine artists and printmakers such as Laura Carlin, Sarah Young and Mark Hearld, bringing their talents to the world of children's books. Laura Carlin's The Iron Man was awarded an honourable mention in the Bologna Ragazzi Award fiction category and was winner of the 2011 V&A Best Illustrated Book of the Year.
