Sherryl Jordan: Inspired by grandson's pirate phase

A Tauranga writer who penned a story about pirates inspired by her grandson has won a major book award.
Sherryl Jordan, of Matua, was last night named winner of the Junior Fiction Category Award in the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards for Finnigan and the Pirates: A Fine Fandango.
Ms Jordan, an acclaimed children's author, told the Bay of Plenty Times she was inspired by her 11-year-old grandson Kael's love of pirates.
"I've been writing novels for young adults," she said."When Kael came to live with me, I got into books for younger kids.
"He was 9 when I wrote the story and we were going through our pirate phase of playing pirates.
"I just wanted to write something about a pirate that pirates would never ever do, so I wrote about a boy pirate that loved ballet."
Ms Jordan was unable to attend the award ceremony in Auckland last night, so she and Kael read the story together to celebrate. The win is especially meaningful as it is the first book Ms Jordan both illustrated and wrote.
"It's rather exciting, it's neat," she said of her win.
Ms Jordan's books are widely published overseas and have won and been shortlisted for awards in Britain, America, Belgium and Germany, as well as New Zealand.
Her awards include the USA School Library Journal Best of 1999, the 2001 Wirral Paperback of the Year for The Raging Quiet, and the 2001 Buxtehuder Bulle Prize for Best Young Person's Book of the Year for The Juniper Game.
In 2001 Jordan was awarded the Margaret Mahy Medal for her contribution to children's literature, publishing and literacy.
Bethlehem College student Claire Gourley, a teenage chef and author, was also recognised in the awards, for the book Who's Cooking Tonight?, written with mother Glenda. The book was the non-fiction favourite in the Children's Choice award.
The premier award in the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards was won by acclaimed children's writer Margaret Mahy, for The Moon and Farmer McPhee.
The book, illustrated by David Elliott, also won the award for best picture book.
It tells the story of Farmer McPhee and the effect the moon has on him and his animals.
Other winners were:
Best first book: Hollie Chips by Anna Gowan;
Non-fiction category: Zero Hour: The Anzacs on the Western Front by Leon Davidson;
Young adult fiction: Fierce September by Fleur Beale.
Children's choice awards: Overall winner: Baa Baa Smart Sheep by Mark Sommerset, illustrated by Rowan Sommerset;
Junior fiction: Hollie Chips by Anna Gowan;
Young adult: Smiling Jack by Ken Catran;
Picture Book: Baa Baa Smart Sheep by Mark Sommerset, illustrated by Rowan Sommerset.