Australian Children's Laureate 2014-2015 Jackie French

I'm so excited. One of my very favourite authors, Jackie French has been named the Australian Children's Laureate for 2014-2015! That is such fantastic news. Jackie French is a deadset legend. She has written everything- nonfiction, fiction, books for toddlers,young kids, teenagers and adults.

Jackie with her Magpie award
Picture source

Jackie will take over from the inaugural laureates Boori Monty Pryor and Alison Lester in January 2014. The theme for Jackie's Laureateship will be Share a Story. You can listen to an interview with Jackie here. 

"I'd like every child in Australia to have a book to go to bed with, and a bed to read that book in."

"I would like every child in Australia to learn to read."

"Every child can learn to read."

"They are more important than submarines, winning medals at the Olympics, expensive ice-cream. If we have got money for that, we have money for every child in Australia to read."

Jackie also wants children to have access to teacher librarians and children's librarians to guide them to the books they need.

"Reading is more important than almost anything else in our society."

"When you read a story you can taste the ice-cream, when you watch a DVD you can only see the ice-cream."

"Never ever ever underestimate the power of a story."

She's so passionate, so well suited to take up this position.

It's an honour that's so well deserved.

I saw Jackie speak at the Melbourne Writers Festival last year. She was fantastic.

I've read a few of her books, you can see reviews of two of my favourites- Nanberry, and Flood.

Last year when I saw Jackie in Melbourne she was the author of 130+ books, this year they are saying 140+ books. I feel more than justified in my musings that she may well write faster than I can read. I shall have to read more and more of her books over the next two years. I can't wait to see what she achieves with this position.