This is a stunning time in the history of British children's literature. Not only is the Harry Potter phenomenon contributing substantially to the GNP, but the QUALITY of UK children's writers is attracting attention as never before. Philip Pullman's well-deserved Whitbread Prize for Literature was this year followed by an unprecedented pair of Hans Christian Andersen Awards (the little Nobel Prize) for Quentin Blake and Aidan Chambers, following on from Anthony Browne's receipt of the same award in the year 2000. This stamps world recognition on contemporary British children's literature.

No wonder then that a plethora of the internationally acclaimed children's literature academics and authors will be gathering in London for the second Children's Literature International Summer School (CLISS) when it convenes in August 2003. Organised by the award-winning National Centre for Research in Children's Literature and subsidised by a generous grant from the Arts Council of England, this innovative and diverse programme will provide participants with an unparalleled opportunity to study and celebrate children's literature generally, and British creativity and resources specifically. Comments from those involved in the first CLISS include:

* one of the highlights of my professional career
* an absolutely wonderful experience
* I have enjoyed each moment
* the most wonderful summer school I ever attended

The summer school will feature a host of internationally-renown writers, including Anthony Browne, Aidan Chambers, Adele Geras, Peter Hunt, Rod McGillis, Lissa Paul, Jill Paton Walsh, Kimberley Reynolds, John Stephens and Lynne Vallone.

CLISS is not a conference but a concentrated five-day period of study for which delegates prepare, attend lectures and contribute to seminars. Its purpose is to provide a forum in which participants and researchers in the field can exchange ideas and generally broaden their knowledge of the subject, and it offers an excellent opportunity to develop collaborations and extend individual research. Projected areas of study for CLISS 2003 include Radical Visual Texts, The Literature of War , Children's Literature in Translation and Creative Writing for Children, and there will also be exhibitions and visits to relevant places of interest.