Templar Publishing Awards and Reviews

Recent Awards

	Double success at English Book Awards Two books published by Templar and illustrated by Helen Ward have triumphed at the prestigious book awards run by the English Association. In the "English 4-11 Book Awards 2008 for the Best Books of 2007", Varmints won the Key Stage 2 Fiction Award, while Wonderful Life came top in Key Stage 1 Fiction. Another Templar title, Beowulf, retold by Nicky Raven and illustrated by John Howe, was in the 12-book shortlist.

	Templar triumphs at Independent Publishing Awards! Templar Publishing has been named Independent Publisher of the Year and Children's Publisher of the Year in the 2008 Independent Publishing Awards. Templar's Managing Director, Amanda Wood says “We are thrilled. These two awards say so much and mean so much. Publishing books that children love, and that librarians and parents want to share with children takes a special kind of commitment and understanding. We produce good quality picture and novelty books – they are not cheap or throwaway. These are books that children treasure and they tell us, keep under their pillows.” Ruth Huddleston, Sales and Marketing Director for Templar, adds: "The strong relationships that we have built up over the years with our artists and authors and our retail partners alike, enable us to react quickly to market trends and recognise gaps. The risks we take with new artists and new publishing ideas are rewarded by the support of many loyal customers worldwide, who trust us to get it right for them.” The IPG judges praised in particular Templar’s 'Ology' series of books and accompanying website, and said the company was "a model independent … polished, considered and professional in everything it does. You can sense the passion, imagination, energy and strong philosophy of Templar." In winning the children's category the judges noted Templar's efforts to broaden its spectrum and to engage with its audience and said it stood out in this category for its "innovative publishing and committed can-do attitude." Click here to read The Guardian article about Templar, the Ologies and the awards.
	Beowulf success in the States In the US, Beowulf has been selected for The Bank Street College of Education’s "Best Children's Books of the Year 2008" in the 9-12 category. This is one of the most comprehensive annotated book lists for children, aged infant-14. The Bank Street committee reviews over 4000 titles each year for accuracy and literary quality and considers their emotional impact on children. It chooses the best 600 books, both fiction and nonfiction, which it lists according to age and category.
	To the Beach Thomas Docherty’s TO THE BEACH has been long-listed for the Big Picture Best New Illustrators awards – the best illustrators first published in the UK in or after 2000. To the Beach was also shortlisted for the ‘Read it Again!’ Cambridgeshire Children’s Picture Book Award.
	Moon Dog Stockport Schools Book Award shortlist.
	The Boat UKLA Children's Book Award for Most Successful Picture Book.
	Wizardology Shortlisted for Stora Ensign Design and Production Award (British Book Trade Awards 2006).
	Amazing Baby: Spots and Dots! Shortlisted for Sheffield Baby Book Award 2006.
	Guess Who's Coming for Dinner? Blue Peter Best Illustrated Book to Read Aloud.
	Evie's Mad Hair Day Cambridgeshire Children's Picture Book Award 2006
	Amazing Baby: Hide and Seek! Shortlisted for Sheffield Baby Book Award 2005.
	English 4-11 Award 2005 Fiction category: An Anthology of Aesop's Fables The Boat Non-Fiction category: Egyptology
	An Anthology of Aesop's Fables Congratulations to Helen Ward who has won the English 4-11 Award for Best Children's Illustrated Book of 2004 for Key Stage 2 Fiction with An Anthology of Aesop's Fables.
	Man on the Moon, a day in the life of Bob Winner of Blue Peter Book of the Year 2004, as well as its Best Illustrated Book To Read Aloud category. Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award 2003.
	amazing baby: I Love You Best Book for Babies 2004.
	amazing baby: Baby Boo Shortlisted for the Sainsbury Baby Book Award 2003.
	Egyptology Shortlisted for Stora Ensign Design and Production Award (British Book Trade Award 2005); Foreword Magazine's Editor's Choice Award; a New York Times Bestseller since November; No.1 children's non-fiction title in the UK; shortlisted for the Key Stage 2 Non-Fiction Category in the English 4-11 Best Children's Illustrated Books Awards for 2004.
	Templar Publishing Shortlisted for Small Publisher of the Year Award (British Book Trade Award 2005).
	The Cockerel and the Fox Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award 2003.
	The Wind in the Willows (Templar Classics) Winner in the book section of The National Art Library Awards 2001.

Recent Reviews

	Amazing Baby Adore Magazine, Spring 2005 "New in the amazing baby range of titles from Templar Publishing are four new books: hide and seek! go baby! bath friends!, and bath baby! The books are based on baby's development, and we particularly adored hide and seek! in which baby finds where bunny is hiding."
	An Anthology of Aesop's Fables Angels and Urchins (2004) "A beautifully presented book in which illustrator Helen Ward interprets twelve of her favourite fables, some familiar and some less well known. They are told with elegant simplicity but with great effect and the moral of each tale is easily understood. The watercolour illustrations are delightful. They combine great delicacy with careful detailed observations of plants, animals and insects. The twelve title pages are particularly remarkable and worthy of note."
	Baby Unique Nursery Equipment Magazine, Spring 2005 "Children will love these shots of babies feeling happy, sad, eating and playing. The only text in the book is a minimal selection of quotes from parents because it's the pictures that are of most importance here."
	The Boat Publishing News, 4th February 2005 "A modern flood story, beautifully illustrated by Ian Andrew, whose ethereal pencil illustrations vividly bring this touching tale to life."Nicola Bevan, Junior Education, July 2005 'On a hill among hills lived an old man.' So begins Helen Ward's The Boat, a surreal and life-affirming story in which kindness conquers fear and flood. When the old man's extraordinary menagerie is flung into danger, an Arthurian boat appears through the mists and a young boy rows to the rescue. Ian Andrew's subtle and sympathetic pencil drawings swirl the reader along to the radiant conclusion. Sheer magic. Nicholas Tucker, Carousel, Issue 30, Summer 2005 "This striking, generously-sized picture book, illustrated in pencil with occasional colour tints by Jonathan Lambert, is really something. It tells the story of a grumpy old man living alone with a collection of abandoned animals. A terrible flood one night threatens to drown them all until a young boy from a neighbouring village rows over to save them. Each picture combines strong, swirling atmosphere with sharp detail, creating images unlike anything most young children have ever seen before but will surely want to come back to again and again."
	Bob's 123 Pat Thomson, Carousel, Issue 30, Summer 2005 A good board book for families where there is an older sibling - or for tough babies, of cause. Based on the illustrator's prize-winning picture book character, it can be read on two levels. For example: two eyes, or you can read the small print and discover the eyes belong to a scary alien. The colours are much more interesting than are usually found in board books. See also Bob's ABC. It is hard to see why this is a board book it is just right for 6 - 10s, with a more challenging vocabulary and the right sort of jokes. Having said that, it is useful for the older sibling if baby is a book chewer.
	Dougal's Deep-Sea Diary Nicola Bevan, Junior Education, July 2005 "Dougals' Deep-Sea Diary by Simon Bartram takes us to a world where mythical characters greet us like old friends. Although Dougal seems sad on his commuter train, below the waves he soon rediscovers his smile. But will our hero ever notice the teasing mermaid or the ghostly pirate? This book is as colourful and surprising as a coral reef, and children will want to explore it again and again."
	The Dragon Machine Jane Doonan, TES, 24/06/05 "St George is famous for dragon-slaying, but George, the hero of Helen Ward's The Dragon Machine, becomes celebrated for rescuing them. There was a time whjen gentle George was easily ignored and overlooked. Everything changes after the mischievous little dragons, which he sees all around him, come under threat and he builds a truly magnificent flying machine to pilot them to a far-way safe place. George's fantasy materialises in a text of muted grey typeface, accompanied by Wayne Anderson's accomplished low key, dusky-hued, grainy textured pictures."
	Dragonology Sunday Times 2003 "This elaborate spoof purports to be a facsimile of a rare book from 1896 – a study of the natural history of dragons. Its text, in captions and bite-size chunks makes use of dragon myths and images from around the world. Picture-book sized, it is a striking object with detailed line drawings and beautiful colour pictures, in Wayne Anderson's distinctive style. … It is a book to pour over and savour for its painstaking details and its jokes."
	Egyptology Guardian 2004 "It's great to find a history book for the Christmas market more serious and demanding than school. This has all the adventure and fun, and educates too. The plucky female narrator writing up her exploration of the pyramids should impress girl readers, as much as the detail will fascinate boys."
	Evie's Mad Hair Day Carousel, Autumn 2005 "Evie is far too busy to brush her hair when there are so many more interesting things to do, such as imagining a cardboard box is a racing car or that broom is really a big, brown galloping horse. But when she finally looks at herself in the mirror she decides it is time to act, given that the next game, this time played with friends, involves pretending to be a famous pop star. Stylishly and wittily illustrated, this joyous book is a real treasure."
	A Fish Wish Angels & Urchins, Spring 2005 "On the quirkier end of the spectrum but none the less thought-provoking and lovely for it." Carousel, Autumn 2005 "Wayne Anderson, well-known for his fearsome dragons and goblins, is in amiable mood here, with great colours and witty details. Elizabeth likes pet fish. She wishes she had more. Then every time she turns on a tap, a fish slithers out. Her parents are forced to notice when the Beluga whale arrives. As a nice change from teddies, fish are given their due in this stylish picture book."
	Grunter Primary Times, March 14 2005 "The story of a small green farm with a large problem called Grunter - a pig with attitude. To say he's not a friendly pig is an understatement. All the other animals suffer him in silence - until it just gets too much for them and they decide to do something about it. This is an hilarious picture book that had me laughing out loud, and it's not only Grunter who gets a shock! With a few words on each page, aided by wonderfully funny illustrations it is great for beginner readers and fun for all abilities."
	Guess Who's Coming for Dinner? My Books Magazine, Spring 2005 "This is a funny story about Glenda the goose and Horace the Pig who are invited for dinner by Dr Hunter, the new owner of Eatum Hall. Glenda and Horace are greedy animals who love their food, and throughout the book they don't realise that Dr Hunter is actually a hungry wolf, trying to fatten them up to put in a pie. The greedy goose and pig characters are not the smartest and, you feel a bit sorry for the wolf, who gets his comeuppance in the end! Nicola Bevan, Junior Education, July 2005 "John Kelly and Cathy Tincknell have combined talents to create Guess Who's Coming for Dinner? The inventive illustrations are stuffed with jokes, as a goose called Glenda and a hog called Horace set off to meet (or should that be 'meat'?) the mysterious owner of Eatum Hall. Observant readers will have great fun spotting all the clues and will relish the delicious denouement. Anyone for Wolf Pie?"
	I'll See You in the Morning Aisling Kashishian, Lion and Unicorn Website "Send yourself to sleep with this gentle lullaby that will comfort you through the night and prepare you for the wonderful possibilities of tomorrow. The sleepily soothing quality of the rhyme combined with the dreamlike quality of the pictures creates a perfectly tranquil and reassuring bedtime story. So cover yourself with the blanket of night and drift off to sleep."
	Peter Pan and Wendy Books for Keeps Spring 2005 "Ingpen has picked up Barrie's realisation that every child has a unique Neverland, and made from it a truly beautiful set of illustrations, full of humour, glamour, mischief and a dancelike movement and energy. They celebrate imagination as the play and novel do. I doubt if Barrie's immortal creation has ever been better served by and artist."
	Slam! Amanda Craig, The Times, 14/05/05 "A boy goes out of the house wearing a personal stereo. He slams the door, and consequently, chaos ensures around his innocent figure as drains explode, dragons crash and buildings collapse. Told in pictures, Adam Stower's Slam! is a gift to adults trying to explain cause and effect to under-fives. The best comedy, realistic or fantastical, is always a hair's-breadth away from horror. These authors are no less skilful, serious or artful than their peers. They deserve no less praise or prizes."Debbie Williams, Primary Times, May 16 - July 4 2005 "Almost wordless picture book showing a series of events that occur as a result of a boy slamming the door of his house as he goes out. Listening to his headphones and reading as he walks, he is totally oblivious to the chaos that ensures as a cat frightened by the bang jumps on a woman making her drop her shopping which causes a lorry to break sharply shedding its load - and on it goes, the result getting ever messier and funnier. An engaging book - excellent way to start new readers or help reluctant ones see how much fun a book can be." Carousel, Autumn 2005 "Does he see his ball dropping from the roof on to the cat? The cat leaping on to a passing lady? The lady's broken eggs blinding a nearby runner and the chaos that ensues? Not a bit of it, but the reader is left to enjoy a visual feast as the ball bounces its way through a story of few words. Hilarious!"
	Watch Out for Sprouts! Books For Keeps "A new talent amongst picture book creators." The Guardian "Big, bold, wonderfully detailed illustrations." Carousel, Autumn 2005 "Fantastic! Innovative! His new-found talent for writing poetry is sure to be as well received as his masterly picture books Man on the Moon and Dougal's Deep Sea Diary. We particularly relished his 'Message For Boys'."
	Wizardology Guardian Unlimited, Thursday October 13, 2005 ". . . never before has a book on the arts desk attracted so many admiring looks and been so flicked through by curious browsers on their way to the watercooler . . ." Debbie Williams, Waterstone's Books Quarterly, Issue 18/2005 "Forget biology, neurology and philology, most of us would much rather study Wizardology. Until the National Curriculum adopts it, we have Dugald Steer's beautifully illustrated wizard primer, packed with spells, fortune telling cards, a phoenix feather and a spinning amulet. Lots of fun and Steer includes educational chapters on the history of wizards." Sonia Benster, The Bookseller, 16th September 2005 "Wizardology is a winner with the Harry Potter market."