An Aberdeen author has seen her newest release nominated for a prestigious literary award.
The Kate Greenaway Medal recognises “distinguished illustrations” in children’s books.
Louise Greig’s newest novel Sweep, which tells the story of a boy named Ed who struggles to express his emotions, has now been nominated for the award.
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The book was illustrated by Julia Sarda, who has previously worked on beloved classics such as Alice in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Ms Greig said: ““The Kate Greenaway medal is one of the oldest and most prestigious awards in children’s literature and the nomination feels very special indeed.
“Julia brought a great depth of character to the story, not just through the main character, Ed, but through all the gorgeous details she added.
“It is marvellous fun to visually follow the impact of Ed’s mood on the whole town.
“I had given Julia a list of possible ‘scenarios’ for the visual details but the way she depicted them was far beyond my expectation and she added quite a few of her own that really made me smile.
“She has an incredible talent which is justly now being widely recognised.”
Ms Greig’s first picture book, The Night Box was nominated for the award last year too.
The writer described Sweep as being very different in tone to her previous work, and thanked the surrounding countryside for the initial inspiration.
She said: “Most of my ideas come to me while I am walking in the Aberdeenshire countryside with my dog – I find the beauty of the landscape very inspiring.
“I was walking on the old Deeside line when the idea for ‘Sweep’ first occurred to me.
“I was thinking about metaphor and language and the words and phrases we use for different moods like ‘storm in a teacup’, ‘whirlwind’, ‘swept away’.
“The idea for a child in a raging mood like a storm took shape from there.”
If Sweep wins the Kate Greenaway Award, they will not only get £5,000 but also be able to donate £500 worth of books to a library of their choice.
To purchase Sweep, published by Egmont, click here.
