Ms Cowell was presented with the silver laureate medal by the outgoing laureate, Lauren Child, at a ceremony at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London today.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the medal, created by poet laureate Ted Hughes and author Michael Morpurgo to be awarded once every two years to an eminent children’s author or illustrator, honouring outstanding achievement in their field.
The award is managed by BookTrust, the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, and sponsored by Waterstones.
At the ceremony, Ms Cowell unveiled her new charter, or ‘to-do list’, advocating the right of every child to:
The author and illustrator said, 'Books and reading are magic and this magic must be available to absolutely everyone. I’m honoured to be chosen to be the eleventh Waterstones children’s laureate. I will be a laureate who fights for books and children’s interests with passion, conviction and action. Practical magic, empathy and creative intelligence is the plan.'
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