Pullman shares kids' lit prize

British children's author Philip Pullman and Japanese illustrator Ryoji Arai were Wednesday named winners of the third annual Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature.

The children's literature prize, named after the Swedish creator of the Pippi Longstocking book series, was established by the Swedish government and carries a value of $888,000. The two winners will split the money.

Pullman and Arai have been invited to Stockholm for the prize ceremony on May 25, to be presided over by Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria.

The award committee praised Arai for a career of creating "bold, mischievous and unpredictable" images for children's books.

"His picture books glow with warmth, playful good humour and an audacious spontaneity that appeals to children and adults alike," read the jury citation. "As a medium for conveying stories to children, his art is at once genuine and truly poetic, encouraging children to paint and to tell their own stories."

A children's writer for more than two decades, Pullman is best known for his trilogy His Dark Materials, including the final instalment The Amber Spyglass, which in 2002 became the first children's book ever named Whitbread Book of the Year. Pullman is "a master storyteller," wrote the award committee.

"With inventiveness, linguistic brilliance and psychological insight he creates and explores his own worlds without losing focus on here and now. Through his strong characters he stands firmly on the side of young people, ruthlessly questioning authority and proclaiming humanism and the power of love whilst maintaining an optimistic belief in the child even in the darkest of situations."

Established in 2003, the prize has previously been awarded to Where the Wild Things Are author Maurice Sendak, Austrian author Christine Nöstlinger and Brazilian author Lygia Bojunga.