Inspiring I's and Joyful J's by Lynne Benton

I could find only three I's and three J's this month, so I’ll start with

EVA IBBOTSON, whose first children's novel was published in 1975.  Her most famous story, “Journey to the River Sea”, won the Smarties Gold Prize in 2001.  Her books have been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, and many other literary awards.  She died at the age of 85 in 2010.

MICK INKPEN is an English author who writes for young children.  His books, especially those about Kipper the Dog and Wibbly Pig have delighted children for many years and have won several children’s book prizes.  “Kipper's A to Z” won the silver medal in the 2001 Smarties Prize.

WASHINGTON IRVING was an American short story writer, American short story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820).  He died in 1859 in New York.

Then I went on to the J’s.

TOVE JANSSON, whose books about the Moomins have been constantly in print since the first of the series, The Moomins and the Great Flood, was written in 1945.   This was followed swiftly by Comet in Moominland and Finn Family Moomintroll, which continue to be popular today.  Born in 1914, she was a Swedish-speaking Finnish children’s author, novelist, painter and illustrator.  She also wrote for adults, but in 1966 she received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for her work as a children’s writer.  She died in 2001.

 ANN JUNGMAN has written many stories for children, many of which are quirky and funny.   She is probably best known for her series of books about Vlad the Drac.  The first of these is a delightful story about two children who find a baby vampire in Romania and take him home as a souvenir.  Ann was born in London, where she still lives.

DIANA WYNNE JONES is a great favourite with many of today’s children and children’s authors.  She was a British writer, principally of fantasy novels for children and adults.  Some of her better-known works are the Chrestomanci series, the Dalemark series and the novel “Howl’s Moving Castle”.  In 2004 in Japan the latter was made into an animated film, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and was subsequently dubbed into English.  She won the 1978 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for Charmed Life, the first of her Chrestomanci series.  Her books give children a favourite escape to parallel fantastical worlds and are both captivating and addictive.

That's all for the I's and J's.  Next month I'll be on to the K's.