“My parents made a brilliant decision … to choose a bookseller as our godmother”: Zeno Sworder on winning ABIA Book of the Year

A heartfelt thank you to ABIA and Australian booksellers and publishers for this honour and for the valuable work that you do.

My parents made a brilliant decision before my big sister was born and that was to choose a bookseller named Felicity as our godmother. Of course, Felicity’s occupation had nothing to do with her being chosen, but what a difference it made to our young lives. Our hearts and imaginations were profoundly shaped by Felicity, who knew exactly which stories to hand us at precisely the right times. Our childhoods were built on books.

Besides reading, my other great love as a child was climbing trees. When I was high up in a tree it was very clear to me that I was not only standing in the arms of something alive but also awake. Once I Was a Giant was inspired by this childhood love for trees. I hope that it encourages readers to consider a much older way of seeing the natural world – where all living things are part of an interconnected web. We breathe in because trees breathe out.

I greatly appreciate ABIA’s comment that Once I Was a Giant transcends age. This is largely due to the publisher, Thames & Hudson Australia, and their insistence that first and foremost we make the best book possible, before any other consideration. They championed the most passionate and wholehearted vision of this story. Then they poured their creativity, wisdom and time into elevating the book beyond what I had initially imagined. My sincere thanks to the whole team at Thames & Hudson and, in particular, the publishers Kirsten Abbott and Clair Hume and the editor Lisa Schuurman.

Category: ABIA winner profile