Anthony Browne was announced as the the 6th Children's Laureate at a ceremony at Paramount CentrePoint, London at 11 am on today.

Write Away is delighted with Browne's selection. As well as being one of the world's outstanding illustrators, his generosity of spirit and support for initiatives like Write Away's Read to Inspire conference series for student teachers make him deserving of the honour and perfect advocate for children's books and reading.

 Accepting the Laureateship Anthony Browne said, “I hope to encourage more children to discover and love reading, but I want to focus particularly on the appreciation of picture books, and the reading of both pictures and words. Picture books are for everybody at any age, not books to be left behind as we grow older. The best ones leave a tantalising gap between the pictures and the words, a gap that is filled by the reader's imagination, adding so much to the excitement of reading a book.”

Anthony Browne is an internationally acclaimed illustrator being a recipient of the presitgious Hans Christian Andersen Medal for illustration( 2000), which is awarded by IBBY for a lifetime's achievement and services to children's books.His is a multi-award winning picture book maker having received the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1983 for Gorilla and again in 1992 for Zoo. Gorilla (1983), Alice's Adventure in Wonderland (1988) and Voices in the Park (1998) all won the Kurt Maschler Emil Award. Browne's books are popular with readers of all ages, proving that pictures can be both intellectually and emotionally engaging for older children.

Andrew Motion, chair of the selection committee, presenting Anthony Browne with the Children’s Laureate Medal and a bursary of £15,000 said: “Anthony Browne is an absolutely distinctive and extraordinarily skilful artist - someone whose work entrances children, and has influenced an entire generation of illustrators. His pictures and stories give deep and immediate pleasures, while also insisting that we - children and adults - return to them - and when we return, we have a gradually-expanding sense of discovery. It is a great pleasure to be able to recognise the achievement of Anthony's work by celebrating his appointment as Children's Laureate.”

Anthony Browne, who will be the Children’s Laureate for the next two years (2009-2011), responded: “It's an honour to be the Children's Laureate for 2009-11. I'm well aware of the amazing things achieved by the five previous Laureates, and I'm in awe of their commitment and hard work. Picture books are special - they're not like anything else. Sometimes I hear parents encouraging their children to read what they call proper books (books without pictures), at an earlier and earlier age. This makes me sad, as picture books are perfect for sharing, and not just with the youngest children. As a father, I understand the importance of the bond that develops through reading picture books with your child. We have in Britain some of the best picture book makers in the world, and I want to see their books appreciated for what they are - works of art.”

The role of Children's Laureate is awarded once every two years to an eminent writer or illustrator of children's books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field. The appointment of a Children's Laureate acknowledges the importance of exceptional children's authors in creating the readers of tomorrow. Previous Children’s Laureates are: Quentin Blake (1999 – 2001), Anne Fine (2001 – 2003), Michael Morpurgo (2003 – 2005), Jacqueline Wilson (2005 – 2007) and Michael Rosen (2007 – 2009)

. The award is now funded by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and administered by Booktrust. The sole sponsors for the 2009-2011 award are Waterstone’s. Toby Bourne, head of children’s books at Waterstone’s said: “Waterstone's is delighted to continue its support of the Children's Laureate. Over the last decade the Laureates have played a key role in helping raise the profile of children's books, not just to children but to parents, schools, libraries and the media. Each Laureate has brought something different to the role, with outgoing Laureate Michael Rosen proving a fantastic ambassador for the written word through his poetry. Anthony Browne will complement this perfectly with his passion for the power of illustration and we look forward to working with him to introduce even more children to the excitement of reading.”

Viv Bird, Chief Executive of Booktrust added: “The role of the Children’s Laureate is that of ambassador and champion for children’s literature. As managers of the award, Booktrust has been delighted with the enthusiasm and contribution made by each of the Laureates, and welcomes Anthony’s appointment wholeheartedly. We know he will continue this valuable legacy and look forward to working with him.”