March 07, 2012

Cub's First Summer by Rebecca Elliott has been shortlisted for The People's Book Prize 2012

We had some great news this morning – Cub’s First Summer by Rebecca Elliott has been shortlisted for the Spring 2012 category of The People’s Book Prize

Full details

The award relies on the public vote – the book with the highest number of votes in this round will then be put forward to the final round in the summer.

February 20, 2012

RHCSE to bring Wanda and the Alien to TV

Firm commissions Wish Films to begin work on Sue Hendra property.

Random House Children’s Screen Entertainment has signed up Wish Films to work on its latest children’s series, Wanda and the Alien.
The latest deal from the UK joint venture comes on the back of significant industry interest shown at the recent Kidscreen Summit in New York.
The series of books, written by Sue Hendra, focuses on a little girl rabbit who meets an alien.
“RHCSE aims to create enduring entertainment brands, with original characters that have global appeal,” said Andrew Cole-Bulgin, partner and head of film and TV for RHCSE. "Wanda is another success story in the making and demonstrates precisely the strength of our children’s and family entertainment portfolio.
“The story and characters have already led to talks with broadcasters, producers and distributors keen to invest in our vision for this property.”

January 31, 2012

Rebecca Elliot receives The Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award 2011

The Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award 2011 was presented on January 19, 2012 at the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD) international conference in Miami Beach, Florida.

In the picture book category, the awards went to Rebecca Elliott, author/illustrator of Just Because.

The Dolly Gray Award recognizes high quality fiction/biographical books for children, adolescents, and young adults that authentically portray individuals with developmental disabilities. The award was developed by the DADD in 2000 in response to a growing body of children’s literature that includes characters with developmental disabilities, and to assist in dispelling harmful myths and stereotypes portrayed in the media. Special Needs Project, a worldwide leader in the distribution of books related to disabilities, co-sponsors this award.

Fran Prezant, disability consultant, author, presenter, and Dolly Gray Award panelist notes, “Engaging books that feature people with disabilities as individuals with personalities, strengths and talents as part of the story line, have the exponential power to change attitudes and promote inclusion in education, jobs and community life. These are important, not only for young readers with and without disabilities, but for parents and teachers who read books to them and model societal attitudes through words and actions. This year, it is wonderful to see so many positive contributions to the literature choices compared to a decade ago when people with disabilities were rarely featured in positive ways if at all, in children’s books. The Dolly Gray Award has been a positive vehicle to call attention to this and authors and progressive publishers should be commended and encouraged to put more of these books into the hands of readers.”

For more information DADD website