Vasanti Unka facts for kids
Vasanti Unka is a talented writer, illustrator, and graphic designer from New Zealand. She has worked in the book and magazine world for many years. Her books have won awards, and she even won the top prize, the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award, in 2014 for her book The Boring Book. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
About Vasanti Unka
Vasanti Unka first trained to be a graphic designer. Later, in 2009, she studied even more and earned a master's degree in Design. She has spent many years working in the book and magazine industry. She was an art director and art editor, which means she helped decide how books and magazines looked. Vasanti has also drawn pictures for many books and articles. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
Vasanti Unka has shared her love for books at many festivals. In 2015, she visited the Bookaroo Children's Literature Festival in India. She went to New Delhi, Goa, and Pune. In 2017, she also joined the Bookaroo Festival in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. From 2015 to 2017, she worked with students at Ōtāhuhu Primary School. This was part of a special project by the New Zealand Book Council.
In 2018, Vasanti Unka talked about her work. She said it was like "exploring visual language." She also wrote about her family's background and how design inspires her. She believes it is important for children's books to show New Zealand's many different cultures. She designed the cover and drew some pictures for the book Go Girl: a Storybook of Epic NZ. This book was written by Barbara Else in 2018.
Vasanti Unka also put together a book called With A Suitcase Of Saris: From India To Aotearoa: Stories Of Pioneer Indian Women. This book shares the stories of some of the first Indian women to move to New Zealand. Their daughters and granddaughters told these stories.
Awards and Special Mentions
Many of Vasanti Unka's books have been chosen for awards. Some have also been named Storylines Notable Books. This means they are special books that stand out.
Her book The Boring Book won two big awards in 2014. It won Best Picture Book and the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award. These were part of the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards. Barbara Else, who was a judge, said the book was "thoroughly original." She said it charmed young readers with its "subversive touches" and "warmth and fun." The Boring Book was also chosen as a White Raven Book in 2014. In 2016, it became an IBBY Honour Book.
