| Founded in 2008, the Laureateship is bestowed every two years on an outstanding writer or illustrator of children’s books. Its role is to promote the importance and transformational power of reading, creativity and story in the lives of young Australians. Morris Gleitzman will succeed Leigh Hobbs (2016-2017) and previous Laureates Alison Lester, Boori Monty Pryor and Jackie French.
Previous Laureate Jackie French said: ‘I cannot tell you how thrilled I am about Morris. He is a brilliant choice, an extraordinary man, profound thinker and campaigner for all good things, and I am so deeply glad he has accepted the Laureateship.’
The theme for Morris’s two-year term as Australian Children’s Laureate will be ‘Stories Make Us – Stories Create Our Future’. We know that Morris, whose books explore a range of subjects, sometimes serious, sometimes funny and sometimes confronting, will be a fantastic Laureate. |
