Scholastic New Zealand Award
for Best Children’s Book 2019
Winner
Designer: Te Kani Price; illustrated by Josh Morgan
Title: The Bomb
Publisher: Huia Publishers
Format: 210 x 270mm, 36pp, limp bound, section sewn in 16pp with cover drawn on, cut flush. Internals printed on woodfree stock and spot gloss UV treatment used for the cover masthead.
Typography: Cover font: Fersken Regular – with tweaks for masthead. 13/15pt for spine.
Back cover font: Ammer Handwriting – 31/27pt.
Interior font: Archer, Book – 19/26pt.
Judges’ Comments “A riot of fun about being true to yourself. The endpapers of the book are a wonderful piece of storytelling in themselves – introducing the illustrative mix and match used throughout the book – love the splash montage on the title spread. Using a slab serif for the typography of the book gives the text a contemporary flavour. Just like the best books for children, The Bomb invites many return readings to pick up all the extra little bits of visual storytelling included in the illustrations – so much subtle and rich detailing.”
“A triumph! This book screams “fun” and right from the cover, invites us to dive right in. Love the splashes of bold colour. It is a classically NZ story, instantly resonant but from a unique, non-clichéd angle. Visually, there is so much to pore over. It is a book that makes you smile just to look at it!”
“The design works hard to promote the incredible illustrations. Cover text integration works perfectly. The relationship between text and illustrations is consistent throughout.”
“What a delight and surprise. There is an immediate joy in the recognition of a quintessentially New Zealand fun pastime – the story illustrations and pacing of the design cut to the heart of summers of the most, or least, athletic pool and bridge jumping heroes. The timid becoming feted. Confident typography fits in and around the story telling illustrations. The hand rendered as much a drawing, pacing device as the set text.”
