READING IS A RESOURCE FOR LIFE...
‘If you can read, you can do anything. Reading is a resource for life ’… that was the core belief of Wendy Cooling, founder of BookTrust’s Bookstart, who died in June after a short illness. Reading the tributes from fellow authors, illustrators, editors, librarians and teachers it’s clear just how big an impact she made on the world of children’s publishing.
I first met Wendy in 2008 when as the chair of judges she presented me with the BookTrust, Early Years Award for Best Emerging Illustrator for my picture book ‘Here Comes Frankie’.
As a newcomer to publishing, I wasn’t fully aware of the wonderful work BookTrust does and the impact Wendy had had on the world of children’s publishing. But I immediately liked what I heard, Wendy was passionate about books, her summing up of each shortlisted title was direct, informative, lively and entertaining.
I can still remember the moment she started to talk about my book, I remember she used the word extraordinary. It was quite something to hear someone talking about my work in such a enthusiastic way in front of room full of publishing professionals. It soon became clear that the judging panel liked my book, they liked it a lot. Moments later I was up at the front alongside my editor accepting an award for Best Emerging Illustrator. Over twenty years after leaving college with a degree in illustration I’d finally emerged!
Back then, I was working part-time as a washer- upper to help pay the bills. The income I was generating from creating picture books was measly and household debts were mounting. As a family we were struggling to stay afloat. I was facing the prospect that perhaps I’d left the transition over to picturebooks too late in life, the future certainly didn’t look bright.
Receiving the Early Years Award made a huge difference to my life. For starters there was a significant cash prize attached to the award. Cashing the BookTrust cheque meant I was able to buy a new computer which enabled me to work faster and do more, now at long last I had a machine that didn’t keep crashing!
But it wasn’t just the money that made a difference. Struggling to earn a living out of publishing meant I was full of doubt. A huge amount of doubt, the kind that interferes with your day; disrupts your sleep and eats away at your self-confidence. I had three books out in the world, they’d all received positive reviews and even won awards but here I was with a part-time job washing up dishes in a local restraurant wondering if I’d ever be able to be a full-time author/illustrator. As well as the cheque, Wendy handed me a presentation box, in it was a paperweight inscribed glass award, I’d never won anything like this before, I placed it on my desk to chase away the doubt.
The next time I saw Wendy I told her what a difference winning the BookTrust award had made and how it helped me through some hard times. Without it my next book might never have existed, a book called ‘WOW! Said the Owl’ that Wendy championed right from the start. WOW! went on to sell around the world and enabled me to give up working part-time. It was also selected by BookTrust several years running to be included in their Bookstart packs which are given out each year to thousands of families across the UK.
As the founder of Bookstart Wendy’s impact on children’s publishing will be everlasting. Her impact on me was immense.
