Scholastic New Zealand Award for
Best Children’s Book 2015
Highly Commended 2015
Designer Sarah Laing
Title The Curioseum: Collected Stories of the Odd and Marvellous, edited by Adrienne Jansen, illustrated by Sarah Laing
Publisher Te Papa Press
Format 198 x 130mm, 160pp, paperback with flaps. Cover printed on unlaminated and uncoated card with embossing.
Judges’ Comments A great example of how a children’s book need not be childish. The Curioseum is the story version of a ‘wunderkammer’ (a cabinet of curiosities) and that theme runs strong throughout, from the brilliant cover which perfectly balances the illustration, type, colour, paper stock and embossing to achieve a design with an intangible quality. The miscellany of stories within are supported by delightful illustrations and hand-drawn drop caps throughout, and the use of hand-rendered type for chapter headings is nicely integrated, all making for an engaging and fun read.
