Pupils' “Make A Book' Competition

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32054, 31 July 1969, Page 12

Pupils' “Make A Book' Competition

The “Make A Book” competition which is being run by the Christchurch committee of the New Zealand Library and Book Week Council, is directed to school-class, rather than individual, effort.

The aim has beeh to involve as many children as possible, and to allow for the wide range of ability among these children. As part of the ordinary classroom programme, children making a book may work as contributors, editors, sub-editors, proof-read-ers, illustrators, designers, dust-jacket designers and artists, and as binders. Canterbury primary and intermediate schools were invited to submit to the organisers a bound book of children’s work for each or any of four grades. “Making a Book” signifies making an edition or a number of copies of the one book. Therefore it was suggested that each book be duplicated by the school and stapled for distribution within the school (as many • schools already do with magazines), but that I one copy of the class book be properly bound in boards j and cloth for submission to I the judges. Where duplicating was im- i possible the class book was : still expected to be typed. j One Subject The organisers left the | choice of coritent to teach- i ers, so that the “Make A I Book” contest as far as pos- I sible fitted into the curri- i culum.

A book was expected to embrace one subject only—in its many aspects. For instance, a class project on India might well include work both of a factual and of an imaginative nature, although care would have to be taken to ensure that the contents of the book were not unduly repetitive. Several Articles

Alternatively it was open to a teacher to plan the book so that it had, perhaps, several articles based on social studies; several articles based on nature study topics; fictional stories, retelling of stories, diary entries, etc; original verse. Any or all of these items could be illustrated with line drawings, maps, etc., and the book could also carry drawings that did not bear any relationship to the articles.

The competition will be judged by a committee comprising Christchurch publishers, librarians and booksellers. Prizes, in the form of gifts of books to school libraries, will be awarded for each grade in two categories. These are general appearance and workmanship, in-

eluding layout, binding, illustrations and dusl jacket; and content, including subject and verbal pre sentation. The results will be announced during Book Week; the books themselves will be exhibited at the Canterbury Art Society's Gloucester Street gallery.