WINNER Flashlight
Text by Lizi Boyd – Chronicle Books (San Francisco, USA, 2014)
What the jury said
It is growing dark and a little boy is peeping out of his tent looking out into the darkness. Using his flashlight, he discovers the friendly world nature at night. This book is a visual poem featuring lovely, original line illustrations on black paper with colour confined to the spaces lit up by the flashlight beam. The Flashlight tells a simple yet resonant story of a boy’s curiosity overcoming his fears.
SPECIAL MENTIONS
La Chambre du Lion
Text by Adrien Parlange – Albin Michel Jeunesse (Paris, France, 2014)
What the jury said
This story inverts the popular notion of a child fearing scary creatures lurking in his room at night; this time it’s a lion who is scared of what is hiding in the dark. The book’s elegant, minimal illustrations feel simultaneously historical and fresh. Employing repetition and rhythm, La Chamber du Lion is a charming and reassuring bedtime story.
Gordon und Tapir
Text by Sebastian Meschenmoser – Thienemann-Esslinger Verlag (Germany, 2014)
What the jury said
This book tells the story a (messy) tapir and a (tidy) penguin sharing a flat. Due to their contrasting personalities, the odd couple experience a hilarious series of conflicts and disagreements. The colored pencil illustrations—black and white with a clever use of color—are detailed and amusing. Gordon und Tapir is a lovely story of friendship and tolerance overcoming fundamental differences in disposition.
Why am I here? (Hvorfor er Jeg her?)
Text by Costance Ørbeck-Nilssen / Akin Duzakin – Magikon (Norway, 2014)
What the jury said
At once traditional and fresh, this is a poetic tale of child imagining wide vistas far beyond her familiar world. The book’s landscape format features soft and dreamy full-page illustrations that quickly draw readers deep into the protagonist’s fantasy world.
My Little Doll’s House
Text by Joung Yumi Culture Platform Inc. (Seoul, South Korea, 2015)
What the jury said
With exquisitely crafted photorealistic illustrations, this daring book brings its readers into an uncomfortable series of psychological realities that deal with issues of self-identity and facing fear. The unusual structure of the visual narrative reinforces the inner the labyrinth of the unconscious.
The Little Wall
Text by Jee Kyung-ae – Bandal (Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 2014)
What the jury said
Telling a simple story of children waiting for their mother, this book presents a wall as a character that lends companionship and provides a sense of safety and stability during a temporary separation from their parent. Taking advantage of the wide, landscape format, the quiet but stunning, expansive illustrations show poetic spaces rife with emotional charge.