Brian Simmonds short listed for CBCA Crichton award

Fremantle Press illustrator Brian Simmonds has been short listed for a Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Crichton Award for Lighthouse Girl.

This is the third year in a row that a Fremantle Press illustrator has been recognised as one of the country’s best new illustrators.

Fremantle Press children’s publisher Cate Sutherland said she hoped that three would be the charm.

“Brian is the fourth author from Fremantle Press in the past three years to make it onto the short list, which just goes to show the depth of new talent emerging in Western Australia,” said Sutherland.

“I found Brian when I was taking a life drawing class – he was a very experienced artist with many exhibitions under his belt but, until we met, he’d never worked on a children’s book,” she said.

Simmonds, whose work is currently on display at the Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre, said that making it onto the short list had inspired him to continue working as an illustrator.

“It feels wonderful so bring it on,” he said.

Simmonds is currently working on an exhibition of works that depict the surface of the earth in both its natural and man-made states.

The CBCA Crichton Award aims to recognise and encourage new talent in the field of Australian children’s book illustration. The other nominees for 2010 are: Sue de Gennaro for The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas, Andy Geppert for Little Big Tree, Rebecca Cool for Isabella’s Garden, Dan McGuiness for Pilot and Huxley and Andrew Joyner for The Terrible Plop.

Fremantle Press illustrators Sonia Martinez, Ambelin Kwaymullina and Moira Court were short listed for the CBCA Crichton Award in 2007 and 2008.

Lighthouse Girl was also a CBCA Notable book. It is available from all good bookstores.