Oscar's Book Club: One Lucky School Gets a Special Visit from Our Patron!

We’re very lucky to have HRH Princess Beatrice as our Patron - and this year she helped us mark the inaugural Oscar’s Book Club by visiting a primary school and reading this year’s winning book!

You can read all about the visit via the press release below - or here’s a lovely video, too!

HRH Princess Beatrice visits London primary school to read the winning title from this year’s Oscar’s Book Prize 

London, UK, 23 May 2024: HRH Princess Beatrice made a surprise visit to West Thornton Primary School in Croydon, South London to carry out a very special storytime with year one pupils, courtesy of Oscar’s Book Prize.

The visit celebrated the recent launch of Oscar’s Book Club, whereby Oscar’s Book Prize and award supporter, Amazon, are donating this year’s shortlisted books to schools and nurseries across the country via the Amazon Reading Volunteer network. This team of volunteers will also support on the ground with group reading sessions to inspire young children through the magic of reading.

HRH, who is the Prize’s Royal Patron, read the 2024 winning book, When Dinosaurs Walked the Earth by Sean Taylor (author) and Zehra Hicks (illustrator), before sitting down with the class to take a look at the other shortlisted books, and find out a little more about the pupils’ own reading habits. HRH also discussed the importance of picture books to foster children’s imagination and how they can provide quality moments for families coming together at the end of the day. 

Jonathan Owen, Headteacher at West Thornton Primary School said: "So much can be taught from picture books and we make sure our children are exposed to a wide range of stories from the very beginning of their school journey. One of our school priorities is to ensure that proficient reading skills and a love of reading underpin all learning across our curriculum. We carefully select texts that both faithfully represent our diverse community and serve to broaden children's imagination. The diversity of topics covered in children’s books is greater than ever, and those shortlisted for this year’s Oscar’s Book Prize were no exception to that. We have loved reading them together and it was an absolute delight to have HRH Princess Beatrice visit and read this year’s winning book - it certainly will be a story time to remember!”

When Dinosaurs Walked the Earth (Frances Lincoln Children's Books) topped the shortlist of five magical stories to take home the £10,000 literary prize earlier in May. The book is a fun tale about the intrepid journey of a little dinosaur named Smallasaurus, who simply wants to enjoy her plant-based diet in peace, but goes on a big adventure along the way. This witty and vibrant children’s book brings the prehistoric period into the present day, complete with dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. 

This year’s shortlist for the Prize also included Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf by Craig Barr-Green and Francis Martin (Little Tiger), Geoffrey Gets The Jitters by Nadia Shireen (Puffin), Gigantic by Bob Biddulph (HarperCollins Children's Books) and The Hare-Shaped Hole by John Dougherty and Thomas Docherty (Frances Lincoln Children's Books).

The award, now in its eleventh year, was set up by James Ashton and Viveka Alvestrand - named in memory of their son Oscar, who was three-and-a-half when he died from an undiagnosed heart condition - and celebrates the joy and magic picture books can bring to young children.

Lisa de Meyer, Amazon UK Books Country Manager, said: “Both humorous and full of surprises, When Dinosaurs Walked the Earth truly is a memorable and page-turning picture book. The rhythmic language and colourful illustrations will make it a wonderful addition to Oscar’s Book Club, alongside the other magnificent shortlisted titles. We hope the schools up and down the country receiving these books via the Amazon Reading Volunteers enjoy them as much as us judges did!”