The Spanish Organization for Children's and Young People's Books (OEPLI) announced on Monday the winners of the Lazarillo Awards 2023, the most prestigious and independent awards for children and young adult literature and illustration in the languages of Spain.

The writer Francisco Díaz Valladares and the illustrator Laia Giménez have been awarded the Lazarillo Awards 2023 in the 'Literary Creation' and 'Illustrated Album' categories.

Francisco Díaz’s winning work is La hija del esquimal, presented with the slogan 'Haz de tu vida un sueño y de tu sueño una realidad.' The jury highlighted the narrative restraint, the author's research work and the fresh and fluid rhythm of this adventure story reminiscent of juvenile classics, with an empowered protagonist.

Díaz Valladares, a resident of Algeciras (Cádiz), is a prolific writer who, since 2007, has published about twenty works of children and young adult narrative. His works are marked by a direct style with dynamic dialogues that infuse the narrative with a quick rhythm. In 2017 he won the XXV Edebé Prize for Children and Young Adult Literature, in the Juvenile Literature section, for his work 'Tras la sombra del brujo'.

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