The CILIP YLG 2020 took place online due to the ongoing measures in place to protect against the spread of Covid 19. A special microsite was created to host the sessions, which were available to watch live or on demand at a later time, right up to the 31st December 2020. I must say, receiving the link to access the microsite was like receiving the password to Aladdin’s cave! There were sessions spread out throughout the week beginning 16th November and two full days on Friday and Saturday. I really appreciated the option to watch sessions on catch up so that I could still benefit from all the amazing content, but continue with my work and family responsibilities.
Sessions covered such varied topics as “Picturing the Past”, “Punching the Air”, “It’s a Mystery”, “Beyond the Secret Garden”, “The Art of Comic Absurdity” and the “Long Lost Library of the Memory”. I loved the emphasis on the relationship between illustration and words for all ages – particularly enjoying the “Pictures Mean Business” session with Guy Bass, Pete Williamson and A F Harrold as they discussed the collaboration between authors and illustrators and the campaign to have illustrators’ names given joint billing with the authors on covers, in reviews and when cataloguing. Seeing the process of the “Rising Stars” illustrators as they took us on a journey through their character development in their sketch books was fascinating.
There was a plenty of opportunity to discuss the vital importance of representation throughout all areas of children’s literature, from Rose Robbins taking us through how her life experiences and work with Inclusive Minds informed her picture book “Talking is Not My Thing” which is from the point of view of a non-verbal neuro divergent character, to “Exploring Fatherhood in Picture Books” and the absolutely fantastic “Including Everyone in the Picture”.
Of course, I enjoyed all the author talks – what book lover wouldn’t with such a huge roster of top children’s authors? But as a first-time conference attendee, I was surprised by the number of opportunities to have fun and celebrate in a less traditional way. This included a quiz by Britannica to tie in with the new Children’s Encyclopaedia; illustration workshops with Britta Teckentrup and Ross Collins; the celebration of award winners including the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway winners Anthony McGowan and Shaun Tan; and of course, the Gala celebration of the phenomenal Tiger, Tiger complete with readings and even more prizes!
I am very new to school librarianship, having only started working in a school a couple of days before the UK went into its first lockdown in March 2020. The conference certainly opened my eyes and gave me lots of inspiration for ways I can use the library as a tool to improve their well-being, particularly the “Schools as Sanctuary” session where we thought about the reading journey and the “Top Tips to Build Kid’s Resilience” session with Matthew Syed.
It may sound silly, but taking part really helped me see authors are just normal people who are dedicated to bringing their work alive for their audiences. This coupled with seeing first-hand the ease of using the technology has spurred me on to arrange online author visits for my pupils where before I had felt a bit hesitant in doing so.
I also benefitted from the online publishers exhibition area – I signed up for as many giveaways and competitions as I could for the age group I work with and received an extraordinary number of proofs and promotional materials as a result. This has really informed my book buying this term and I have used some of the lovely tote bags, badges, pencils and postcards as prizes for World Book Day events.
The YLG’s support for children and families is more important than ever. We all know that research shows that reading for pleasure not only improve life chances, but also supports mental health and well-being which is crucial in these uncertain times. For me, attending the conference will definitely help me with “enriching the reading experience and firing the imaginations of children and young people”. I was extremely lucky to receive a bursary from SW YLG to enable me to attend the conference and for that I am very grateful.
CILIP South West Member Network 