Between now and the winner announcement on 25th May we will be looking at each of our fabulous shortlisted books and their authors and illustrators in turn (although in no particular order).
We can’t believe it’s already time to take a closer look at our final shortlisted book: A Mouse Called Julian by Joe Todd Stanton!
It’s Joe’s second time on the Oscar’s Book Prize shortlist – he was also shortlisted in 2018 for The Secret of Black Rock. Will it be his first as a winner? Please read on for more information about this magical book and its author - and at the end please follow the links to our YouTube channel to watch Joe very patiently answer all of our Q&A questions! Thanks, Joe!
What’s the Story?
Julian is a mouse who is perfectly happy avoiding other animals. They seem to just get in the way, and sometimes even try to eat him! But one day, Julian has an unexpected dinner guest... When the fox tries to sneak into Julian's burrow for a tasty bite of mouse, it finds itself stuck headfirst in Julian's front door! At first alarmed and wary, they soon find themselves having a lovely dinner together, and it's not long before each realises that they have found in the other a lifelong friend.
What the Judges said:
‘Intricate illustrations of the natural world are a glorious backdrop to a story of enemies that become friends’ – James Ashton
About the Author
Joe Todd-Stanton grew up in Brighton and was taught to draw by his mother, who is also an illustrator. He studied at UWE Bristol, receiving a First Class Honours in Illustration. Todd-Stanton has been commissioned to work for clients such as Oxford University Press, Usborne Publishing and Aquila magazine. His second picture book, The Secret of Black Rock, won the Waterstone’s Children's Book Prize for Best Illustrated Book in 2018.
And finally….
Please check out Joe’s brilliant answers to our Q&A here - including his favourite picture books as a child, whether he prefers writing or drawing, and how he came up with the idea for Julian! Thanks so much, Joe.
Does Joe prefer writing or Drawing: https://youtu.be/bkSXfnsPyVY
What lockdown reading would he recommend? https://youtu.be/hj82sBRBVVs
What was his own favourite children’s book? https://youtu.be/ZdrftyNraEU
Find out more on our Oscar’s Book Prize YouTube channel!
