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Authors and illustrators including Laura Bates, A F Steadman and Abiola Bello gathered to celebrate Simon & Schuster Children’s Books’ recent triumph at the British Book Awards.
The publisher’s annual authors and illustrators summer party was held on Tuesday 11th July at a Southbank venue. Benji Davies as well as Katie and Kevin Tsang were among the guests gathered to raise a glass to a "year of growth, innovation and successes" with the S&S Children’s Books team.
In her speech, Rachel Denwood, managing director of S&S Children’s Books, said: “This is a momentous occasion, because it’s the first time in the history of S&S Children’s Books that we come to celebrate at our summer party as the reigning Children’s Publisher of the Year. On evenings like this I think about how lucky we are to be working together, to do what we do: to pour our creativity and ambition and grit into publishing incredible books: books that might brighten a day, convey a new perspective, build empathy, spark the spirit of adventure, make a child giggle, make a reader feel seen.”
Denwood discussed current challenges within children’s books, including “worrying reports about the decline of reading for pleasure, the threat to school libraries, to the coverage of children’s books". She said: "We face economic pressures on consumers and a widening wealth gap, contraction in some areas of the market, and the often monolithic nature of the bestseller lists.
"And so our creativity, ambition and grit is needed more than ever before. It’s needed in the way we face those wider challenges and it’s needed at S&S Children’s Books as we remain steadfastly focused on our passion and purpose which is to publish you to the best of our ability.”
Denwood finished by saying “ultimately our success and growth at S&S Children’s Books has been built, and will continue to be built, on the enduring quality of your books".