Children’s Peace Literature Award

Some might ask: Why have a literary award for children?

As the 1991 award winner, Libby Gleeson says in Dodger:

‘...the majority of conflicts in the cartoon world are resolved by quick fix violent means. Literature can be different.'

This is because characters in books, by inviting readers to enter imaginatively into the story, can suggest alternative solutions and encourage discussion of values and beliefs. In such ways, literature helps to shape the future.

During the twenty-plus years since the inauguration of the award, focus has been given to writers with vision who have been able to stimulate children and adolescents to think, to dare, and to imagine taking control of their lives, believing that peace is both possible and desirable. toon minder