Books about love of all kinds for Valentine's Day
Love is in the air - and to mark Valentine's Day we thought we'd share some wonderful stories about love of all kinds that are perfect for reading with a young child.
Friendship
Dogger by Shirley Hughes (Red Fox Books)
This is a tender, understanding book that wonderfully brings to life the unwavering love that many children have for a toy - for some their first ever friend.
This Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Lauren Child (Puffin)
No-one can come between Emily and her Rabbit; not even royalty, and not any bribe. A lovely story about true treasure and where to find it.
The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb (Macmillan Children's Books)
A little girl loves the friends she made with her mummy - her paper dolls - and finds a way to keep them in her heart even when one adventure has disastrous consequences. It's also a brilliant opportunity to create your own paper friends.
Unconditional love
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram (Walker)
Big and Small Nutbrown hare try to describe how much they love each other ... whether you are a parent, grandparent, care-giver or friend, reading these books about the power and completeness of unconditional love is like reading a love letter to your little reader.
Sometimes... by Emma Dodd (Templar)
Two elephants explore what it means to be loved, and how that doesn't change however naughty or good you are. Emma's other books in this series are also a feelgood treat.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy (Ebury Press)
This is an exploration of pure love between friends with young eyes. It's also a love-letter to the world and a reminder of the simple things that can spark real happiness - what could be more important and uplifting than that?
Good, old fashioned romance:
Burglar Bill by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (Puffin)
What could possibly be a better story to read on Valentine's Day than a tale of two burglars who fall in love with each other as they learn to do the right thing? Utterly heartwarming! And there's an unforgettable third person in this loving family unit too - the cheeky, baked bean-guzzling baby that brings Bill and Betty together.
The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear (various - and readable online at The Poetry Foundation)
This lovely nonsensical rhyme has endured for almost 150 years for good reason! Madcap and lullaby-like at the same time, this rhyming adventure of a cat and a bird to an island far away is uplifting and great for big imaginations who would like to conjure up unusual situations and words. It was originally written to entertain a three year old, too!
And Tango Makes Three… by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell (Simon and Schuster)
Based on the real life love story of two chinstrap penguins, Roy and Silo who live at New York’s Central Park Zoo. This plucky pair hatched an egg and raised their precious chick Tango, becoming the most famous same sex parents in the animal kingdom. A great book for showing children that love is love whatever your gender.
Loving yourself
Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (Walker Books)
When Julian sees three women dressed as mermaids he’s inspired to look just like them and sets about creating the most wonderful underwater costume. A lovely little book focussed on the importance of children’s self expression and how strong the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren can be.
The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton (Arthur A. Levine Books)
Princess Pinecone is a a brave warrior and all she wants is a majestic steed to carry her into battle. But what she gets is a flatulent filly that won’t play by the rules. A book about being unapologetically you and seeing people’s strengths even if they aren’t what you’d expect.
I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont (Houghton Mifflin)
This wonderful little book helps kids to love absolutely everything about themselves. Unruly hair? Stinky breath? Who cares! Mixing a jolly rhyming narrative, lots of jokes and a serious message to make the little people in your life feel absolutely great about who they are.
We hope you enjoy our loved-up selection. But don't worry. If one of these books isn't the perfect match for the pre-schooler in your life, you can try any of our previously shortlisted or winning books - and of course, we will be announcing another magical six in April.
Oscar's Book Prize 2020: the competition is now open for entries - and we reveal our fantastic Judges!
We are excited to announce that the prize is now open for this year's entries, and to finally reveal the fantastic judges that will be finding our five best books for the under 5s!
Publishers, please visit our Enter page for all information about how to submit your best books: we’re accepting entries from now until 5pm on Friday 21st February. Good luck everyone – we can’t wait to see what 2020’s Prize brings!
We’re also thrilled to reveal that Jake Hope, Dermot O’Leary and Francesca Simon are uniting forces – along with Amazon UK’s Simon Johnson, and Oscar’s parents Viveka Alvestrand and James Ashton – to search for the most recent – and most magical - picture books that will captivate very young readers.
The full press release follows here:
DERMOT O’LEARY JOINS JUDGING PANEL OF £5,000 CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD
Presenter and children’s author O’Leary joins Francesca Simon, creator of the Horrid Henry children’s book series, and Youth Libraries Group chair Jake Hope on the judging panel of Oscar’s Book Prize
The prize, now in its seventh year, celebrates the best in literature for under-fives with a £5,000 prize
Oscar’s Book Prize was created by his parents in memory of Oscar Ashton, who loved children’s stories and died aged three-and-a-half of an undetected heart condition.
LONDON, January 13th, 2020 – X Factor and Radio 2 Presenter Dermot O’Leary, who is also author of the Toto the Ninja Cat children’s books series, will join Horrid Henry author Francesca Simon and Jake Hope, children’s books consultant, on the judging panel of Oscar’s Book Prize for 2020.
Also on the judging panel are Viveka Alvestrand and James Ashton, who founded the £5,000 literary award in memory of their son, and Simon Johnson, Country Manager for Amazon UK Books.
The prize, which is supported by Amazon and the National Literacy Trust, celebrates the best in literature for under-fives and is now open for entries. It has been running for seven years and counts HRH Princess Beatrice as its patron.
Dermot O’Leary said: “I’ve always been surrounded by books and was read aloud to from an early age. Books give me so much pleasure so I was inspired to get involved with Oscar’s Book Prize because it celebrates those very early books that we all need as children to show us what a truly magical experience reading can be.”
The prize was set up in 2013 in partnership with the Evening Standard.
Editor George Osborne said: “Oscar’s Book Prize began as a way of commemorating a young boy who loved stories. Today it continues to celebrate the power of story-telling and the vital role it plays in firing the imaginations of children everywhere.”
Simon Johnson, Country Manager for Amazon UK Books, said: “We are proud to support Oscar’s Book Prize and I am delighted to be on this year’s judging panel. I’ll be looking for stories that stimulate a child’s imagination and help them understand the world around them. From our origins as a bookseller to the present day, Amazon has always been – and always will be – passionate about inspiring children to read.”
Jonathan Douglas, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “Picture books are children’s first introduction to the magical world of stories. The best picture books help children learn new words, imagine new things and, when shared with loved ones, offer great opportunities for bonding. We are delighted to support an award that celebrates the incredible authors and illustrators whose stories engage, excite and educate our youngest minds.”
Publishers can submit entries for the 2020 prize now and until 5pm on Friday 21st February 2020. The shortlist will be announced on Friday 17th April, with the winner revealed on Thursday 7th May at a ceremony at the May Fair Hotel in central London.
ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact the Oscar’s Book Prize press office on 020 7100 7100 or at obp@theacademypr.com.
More About Our 2020 Judges
Jake Hope is passionate about stories, books and reading. He is a Reading Development and Children's Book Consultant who has worked as the Reading and Learning Development Manager for Lancashire Libraries, one of the largest authorities in the United Kingdom.
Jake’s work entails trying to make reading accessible and enjoyable for people of all backgrounds and ages. Jake has contributed to numerous publications on children’s books and reading and has recently written a book on visual literacy: 'Seeing Sense'.
Jake is the Chair of the Working Party for the UK’s oldest children’s book awards, the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals. He is an avid reader and commentator on reading and books for children and young people and a keen promoter of libraries.
Dermot O’Leary started his career on T4 for Channel 4 and has presented shows for both ITV and the BBC. His best-known work includes The X Factor, Big Brother's Little Brother, Unicef's Soccer Aid, BBC3's First Time Voters Question Time, the RTS Award winning 'Live from Space' season and the Brit Awards.
2017 saw Dermot launch his new Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2, 'Saturday Breakfast with Dermot O'Leary'. Previously in the Saturday afternoon slot, 'The Dermot O'Leary Show' won three Sony Radio Awards and was well known for its support of new and emerging bands.
In 2019 Dermot hosted his tenth and final National Television Awards and presented the Explorers episodes of the BBC's 'Icons: The Greatest Person of the 20th Century'.
Last September saw the launch of ‘People, Just People’, Dermot’s first podcast series with Audible where he interviews interesting people from all walks of life. Guests so far have included Ed Miliband, Stephen Graham, Stig Abel and Eni Aluko.
Toto the Ninja Cat and the Superstar Catastrophe is Dermot's third children's book. He lives in London with his wife Dee and their cats Socks and, of course, Toto.
Francesca Simon is the author of the hugely popular Horrid Henry series, which has sold over 22 million copies and is published in 29 countries. She has written more than 60 books and won the Children’s Book of the Year in 2008 at the British Book Awards for Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman.
Her books for older children include The Sleeping Army and The Lost Gods. Francesca’s first book for teens, The Monstrous Child, about Hel, the Norse Goddess of the dead, was shortlisted for both the 2017 Costa Book Awards and the YA Book Prize. She wrote the libretto for an opera based on The Monstrous Child with the composer Gavin Higgins, which premiered at the Royal Opera House in February 2019.
Francesca went to Yale and Oxford Universities, where she studied medieval literature, art history, and Anglo-Saxon. She lives in London with her family.
Twelve Picture Books of Christmas - part 12
Our twelfth and final choice is not one but many! If you are looking for books that aren’t necessarily festive but are downright wonderful, our former winning and shortlisted stories are available from libraries and bookshops.
We can’t recommend highly enough our 2019 winner How to be a Lion by Ed Vere (Puffin) - and also Gemma Merino’s excellent The Cow Who Climbed a Tree (Macmillan) , which won in 2016. There are also plenty to choose from our amazing shortlists, including Almost Anything by Sophie Henn (Penguin), Ruby’s Worry by Tom Percival (Bloomsbury) and Baby’s First Bank Heist by Jim Whalley and Stephen Collins.
Whatever you choose, have a very happy, book-filled Christmas!
Twelve Picture Books for Christmas - part eleven
We’re Going on an Elf Chase by Martha Mumford and Laura Hughes (Bloomsbury)
Laura Hughes won the 2019 prize for her fantastic illustrations for There’s a Pig Up My Nose by Jim Dougherty (Egmont). In addition to that hilarious book Laura has illustrated the brilliant We’re Going on an Elf Chase by Martha Mumford (Bloomsbury Children’s Books), the lift-the flap, rhyming story of four bunnies as they run, run, run to catch ten elves across the pages.
Twelve Picture Books for Christmas - part ten
Ten Little Elves by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty (Orchard Books)
The ‘ten little’series deserves its stellar reputation: colourful images and action-packed,humorous rhymes will grab the attention of small children, especially those learning to count.This particular book energetically counts down to Christmas with adventures on every page.
Twelve Picture Books for Christmas - part nine
The Jolly Christmas Postman By Allan and Janet Ahlberg (Puffin)
The Jolly Postman remains a seminal children’s book, and the same applies for this enchanting Christmas edition. In this tale it's Christmas Eve and the Jolly Postman is delivering greetings to everyone's favourite fairy-tale characters, from Humpty Dumpty to Baby Bear.
Join them on their festive journey and enjoy opening all the letters, cards and gift as much as you do at home with the real life deliveries that come to your door.
Twelve Picture Books for Christmas: part eight
Alfie’s Christmas by Shirley Hughes (Bodley Head)
Alfie’s Christmas by Shirley Hughes (Bodley Head)
Shirley Hughes’ wonderful books have delighted children for decades. The adventures of siblings Alfie and Annie Rose are universally recognisable for most families with young children. Join them - and share their excitement - as they get ready for Christmas.
You can also get a glimpse into all of Alfie’s festive adventures - and those of other characters including Lucy and Tom - by following @ShirleyHughes_ as they look inside the pages each day. It’s something we’ve been enjoying here over the past few weeks.
Twelve Picture Books for Christmas: part seven
The Storm Whale in Winter by Benji Davies (Simon and Schuster)
Benji Davies was the inaugural winner of the prize with his unforgettable book The Storm Whale. This sequel has a wonderfully wintry theme – Noi is worried about the whale he saved last year now that it is snowy, shivery winter – but this time it’s the whale’s turn to save him!
Benji’s other brilliant books including Grandma Bird and Grandad’s Island are also available to read together.
Twelve Picture Books for Christmas - part six
We were thrilled when Steve’s brilliant book The Queen’s Hat won Oscar’s Book Prize in 2015. Here’s a festive tale from the same series: this time The Queen is off on a round-the-world tour in search of the perfect Christmas present. And she's not alone... Father Christmas is here to help!
This story follows the Queen and Father Christmas on a whirlwind tour of some of the world's best-known landmarks.
This is a wonderful story to enjoy together as the countdown to Christmas well and truly hits its stride!
Twelve Picture Books for Christmas - part five
That's Not My Reindeer by Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells (Usborne)
Babies and very young children will adore the multi-sensory aspect of this board book – sturdily made to withstand the exploration of inquisitive little hands! The friendly, simple illustrations let children explore their way through smooth, fluffy, bumpy and shiny surfaces in order to find the right reindeer.
Seasonal alternatives that are just as fun are also available, including That’s Not My Polar Bear, That’s Not my Snowman, and That’s Not My Santa
Twelve Picture Books for Christmas - part 4
Stick Man by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (Scholastic)
Of all the wonderful picture books produced by former Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler, none is as seasonally relevant as the story of Stick Man and the adventures he encounters as he struggles to return to his family. Could helping someone special out of a chimney on Christmas Eve finally let him make his way home to the Family Tree?
Twelve Picture Books for Christmas - part three
Published by Orchard Books
Rachel Bright and Jim Field won this prize in 2016 with The Koala Who Could, and now have a wonderfully snowy adventure set in the Arctic about a little wolf cub who gets lost.
This book is perfect for the many toddlers who are determined to do things for themselves, who will enjoy the adventure told in rhyme.
If you love this books and want more, other books by this wolfishly talented pair include The Lion Inside and The Squirrels who Squabbled.
Twelve Picture Books for Christmas - part two!
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs (Puffin)
Our second choice for Christmas is not one but a bundle: three festive choices from the treasure trove of Raymond Briggs' books. All equally wonderful, they are: The Snowman, The Snowman and the Snow Dog and … because how could we not… Father Christmas.
All three books capture perfectly the excitement and wonder of childhood – especially at Christmas. From wishes coming true, to the simple delight in building a snowman, and some insight to Santa himself, the humour, warm and detailed pictures and sense of anticipation make these an enchanting adventure for small children.
There are also some wonderful variations of these books to further delight children, including a pop up version of The Snowman and finger puppet version of The Snowman and the Snowdog.
All published by Puffin.
Twelve Picture Books for Christmas
Published by Puffin
Twelve Picture Books You Can Share This Christmas:
Whether you are looking for a stocking filler to delight a small person, or just want to snuggle up and read with them as the nights draw in, this is a great time of year to share a picture book with a child.
Over the next few weeks we’ll be featuring twelve picture books (and, because we couldn’t limit it to just twelve, a few alternative choices are sneaking in, too) that we think capture the magic of the season.
If these snowy, twinkly and festive adventures catch your eye, why not go and borrow or buy one, and enjoy them together?
Please follow @oscarsprize on Instagram and Twitter, with #OBP20 – and do share your own picture book recommendations as we go along!
Without further ado, we’re delighted to introduce our first recommendation:
I Completely Love Winter by Lauren Child (Puffin)
We can’t think of a better way to mark the season – and the close of the Prize’s 6th year, than to suggest not one but two Charlie and Lola classics from our brilliant 2019 judge Lauren Child: I Completely Love Winter or – if we’re feeling optimistic about the weather - Snow is My Favourite and My Best.
Explore with a young child some very relatable emotions and excitement with Charlie and the irrepressible Lola as they enjoy the cold.
How To Be A Lion wins Oscar’s Book Prize 2019
Worthy winner: Ed Vere, recipient of the 2019 Oscar’s Book Prize, with HRH Princess Beatrice. Photography: Nigel Howard Media.
A story about the friendship between a poem-writing lion who doesn’t want to conform to stereotype and his brave duck friend has been named the sixth winner of Oscar’s Book Prize.
How To Be A Lion by Ed Vere has been named the winner of Oscar’s Book Prize 2019.
Vere received the £5,000 award for his book that the jury said “does not preach nor resort to sentimentality but yet a very clear point is made about how it is possible to deal with those who wish to bully and intimidate”.
Lauren Child, Children’s Laureate and author behind the Charlie and Lola and Clarice Bean series, who was a judge of this year’s prize, said: “Ed Vere understands how to pace a story, tell it beautifully, make an important point about being true to yourself and loyal to your friends.”
The award is named after Oscar Ashton who died from an undetected heart condition in 2012 at the age of three and a half. It is supported by Amazon, the Evening Standard and the National Literacy Trust and aims to promote books that parents will love reading with young children.
Child was joined on this year’s judging panel by campaigner for women and children’s health Sarah Brown, and Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, UK director of books at Amazon. As in other years, Oscar’s parents Viveka Alvestrand and James Ashton were also judges.
Oscar’s Book Prize 2019 was awarded by HRH Princess Beatrice, royal patron of the prize, during a ceremony at the May Fair Hotel in London.
Children’s Laureate Lauren Child; 2019 winner of Oscar’s Book Prize, Ed Vere, and Oscar’s Book Prize Royal Patron, HRH Princess Beatrice. Photography: Nigel Howard Media
Dream judge: Children’s Laureate Lauren Child, who was a judge for the 2019 Oscar’s Book Prize, speaking at the awards ceremony at the May Fair Hotel. Photography: Nigel Howard Media
Children’s Laureate and 2019 Oscar’s Book Prize judge Lauren Child; James Ashton, Founder of Oscar’s Book Prize, and HRH Princess Beatrice. Photography: Nigel Howard Media.
Ed Vere, writer and illustrator of How To Be a Lion, winner of the 2019 Oscar’s Book Prize.
How To Be a Lion by Ed Vere, winner of Oscar’s Book Prize 2019
Oscar’s Book Prize 2019 shortlist is revealed!
2019 shortlist: Five wonderful books are in the running for this year’s £5,000 prize
The five children’s books in the running for Oscar’s Book Prize 2019 have been revealed.
It has been another record year for admissions, with 117 entries from publishers around the UK. From these a longlist of 15 books were chosen, with help from the Eveline Day Nursery in Wimbledon. This is the nursery that book-loving Oscar Ashton, to whom the prize is a tribute, attended before he died from a heart condition in December 2012.
This year’s judges, including Children’s Laureate Lauren Child and campaigner for women and children’s health Sarah Brown, helped to whittle the candidates down to five to compete for the £5,000 award. They were joined by Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, UK director of books at Amazon. As in previous years, Oscar’s parents Viveka Alvestrand and James Ashton also helped to judge the prize.
Stories about the power of self-belief, children’s mental health and even an infant criminal mastermind are represented on the shortlist.
Here is the 2019 shortlist and what the judges said about the books – in no particular order:
1. Almost Anything by Sophie Henn (Penguin)
“So many children are reticent about having a go at things, or they give up if they aren’t good straight away. I couldn’t think of anything else like it,” said Sarah Brown.
2. Ruby’s Worry by Tom Percival (Bloomsbury)
Brigitte Ricou-Bellan said that book has “beautiful illustrations and brings to life behaviours or ideas which are not easy to discuss.”
3. The Way Home for Wolf by Rachel Bright and Jim Field (Hachette Children’s)
Viveka Alvestrand said: “The illustrations transport you right inside the book. You are standing there with the Northern Lights in front of you – it is breathtaking. It conveys the wonder and awe of nature beautifully.”
4. How to be a Lion by Ed Vere (Penguin)
Lauren Child, author behind the Charlie and Lola and Clarice Bean series, said of the book: “Its author Ed Vere understands how to pace a story, tell it beautifully, make an important point about being true to yourself and loyal to your friends.” She added: “It doesn’t preach nor resort to sentimentality but yet a very clear point is made about how it is possible to deal with those who wish to bully and intimidate.”
5. Baby’s First Bank Heist by Jim Whalley and Stephen Collins (Bloomsbury)
James Ashton said: “It is a smart and sassy story with some laugh out moments and vibrant illustrations.”
The winning book will be announced by Oscar’s Book Prize Royal Patron, HRH Princess Beatrice, at a ceremony at the May Fair Hotel in London on 9 May. In addition to those involved with the shortlisted five books, the awards ceremony will host former winners, book charities, publishers and educators.
Oscar’s Book Prize is designed to celebrate a child’s love for magical stories and highlight the importance of parents and carers reading with their children in the early years. The prize is supported by the Evening Standard, Amazon and the National Literacy Trust.
For more information about this year’s event see today’s article published by the Evening Standard
50 sets of the shortlist for Oscar’s Book Prize 2019 up for grabs!
To celebrate the announcement of the shortlist, the first 50 nurseries or primary schools to email oscarsbookprize@standard.co.uk will receive a complimentary set of the five books. To anyone entering, please don’t forget to include a contact name and address details for where the books should be sent to in the event you win.
Children's Laureate joins Oscar's Book Prize judging panel 2019
2019 prize judge: Children’s Laureate Lauren Child
Children’s Laureate Lauren Child joins the judging panel for Oscar’s Book Prize 2019.
The £5,000 award seeks to find the best book published in 2018 for children aged five or under. It was set up in memory of Oscar Ashton, the son of former Evening Standard City Editor James Ashton, and pays tribute to his love of stories and children’s imagination. HRH Princess Beatrice, a judge for the prize in 2016, is patron. The prize is supported by Amazon, the Evening Standard and the National Literacy Trust.
Child, the creator of much-loved children’s characters Clarice Bean and Charlie and Lola, said that she’ll be on the look-out for new authors and illustrators “with left-field ways of looking at the world”.
Joining Child on the judging panel is Sarah Brown, President of children’s charity Theirworld and Executive Chair of the Global Business Coalition for Education.
They are joined by Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, Director of Books at Amazon UK. As in previous years, Oscar’s parents James Ashton and Viveka Alvestrand are also judges.
This year, the judges are especially keen to see entries for books that reflect diversity in all its forms, real or imagined.
Child said: “We are great at giving prizes for unusual adults’ books, but not so good at praising people who have different ideas about children’s books; things need to broaden out and be a bit more extraordinary.”
The winner of this year’s prize will be announced on May 9 at a ceremony at the May Fair Hotel in London.
Previous winners of Oscar’s Book Prize are: Benji Davies for the Storm Whale (2014); Steve Antony for The Queen’s Hat (2015); Gemma Merino for The Cow Who Climbed a Tree (2016); Rachel Bright and Jim Field for The Koala Who Could (2017) and John Dougherty and Laura Hughes for There’s a Pig Up My Nose (2018).
Publishers are invited to submit up to five entries each for the 2019 prize. Forms and rules can be found here. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on May 9. The closing date for submission is 5PM on March 1, 2019.
Read on: Evening Standard writer Katie Law speaks to Lauren Child on why children’s books should be taken more seriously
Interview: Pigs and perseverance paid off for this year's Oscar's Book Prize winners
Winners: John Docherty and Laura Hughes at the 2018 Oscar's Book Prize ceremony
It took children’s author and former primary school teacher John Docherty over 20 years to get There’s a Pig Up My Nose published.
Last week it won this year’s Oscar’s Book Prize, the £5,000 children’s book award he shares with Laura Hughes who provided the illustrations for the hilarious story.
“I had the idea while I was teaching at Hillbrook Primary school in Tooting where there was a little girl with one of those ‘snorty’ laughs, so I’d ask her, Suganthi, have you got a pig up your nose, and she would say ‘Yup’. It was the first story I ever sent off to a publisher and it was rejected by everyone,” Docherty told the Evening Standard in an interview.
Fortunately, Northern Ireland-born Docherty didn’t let a bit of rejection put him off, and while he had many other children’s books published in the meantime he refused to give up on his pig tale. It was eventually accepted by Egmont, who paired up Docherty’s words with Hughes expressive drawings.
And while perseverance has been crucial for the success of There’s a Pig Up My Nose, so is being in touch with your inner child, according to Hughes.
“When you illustrate, you have to be able to put yourself in their mindset and recall what it was like to be knee high, even if it’s just thinking about the perspective,” she says. “Luckily I’m very childish.”
And fans of There’s a Pig Up My Nose will be pleased to know that the collaboration between Hughes and Docherty is set to continue. The pair have already started talking about a sequel to their winning book. Watch this space.
Read the full interview in the Evening Standard with John Docherty and Laura Hughes here
There’s a Pig Up My Nose wins Oscar’s Book Prize 2018!
The winner of Oscar’s Book Prize 2018 is There’s a Pig Up My Nose.
The £5,000 award is shared between author John Dougherty and illustrator Laura Hughes.
Their winning book tells the heart-warming, funny story of Nathalie, a little girl who suddenly gets a pig stuck up her nose, and the efforts of her class mates as they try to lure it back out.
The wit and charm of the story and its accompanying illustrations won the hearts of the jury, which included presenter Katie Derham, Julia Eccleshare, children’s director of the Hay Festival and Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, UK director of books at Amazon.
The inspiration for the book came to Dougherty when he worked as a primary school teacher.
Julia Eccleshare praised the winner: “The surprise comes right at the start, and what a wonderfully dotty premise to begin a story with, about problem-solving in the classroom. Brilliantly structured too.”
Oscar’s Book Prize 2018 was awarded by HRH Princess Eugenie during a ceremony at St James’s Palace. She stepped in to present the award in place of HRH Princess Beatrice, Royal Patron of Oscar’s Book Prize, who was held up on work duties in New York.
Below is a selection of images from the awards ceremony at St James's Palace on May 14, 2018
Winners of Oscar's Book Prize 2018: Writer John Dougherty and illustrater Laura Hughes. Image: Dave Benett
HRH Princess Eugenie at the Oscar's Book Prize 2018 awards ceremony. Image: Dave Benett
James Ashton, founder of Oscar's Book Prize and Oscar's father, speaking at the awards ceremony. Image: Dave Benett
Oscar's Book Prize 2018 winner John Dougherty with prize judge and BBC presenter Katie Derham. Image: Dave Benett
Oscar's Book Prize 2018 winning illustrator Laura Hughes, HRH Princess Eugenie and Sarah, Duchess of York. Image: Dave Benett
Oscar's Book Prize 2018 judge and BBC presenter Katie Derham. Image: Dave Benett
Alice Ashton, Oscar's little sister, Viveka Alvestrand, co-founder of Oscar's Book Prize, with HRH Princess Eugenie and Sarah, Duchess of York. Image: Dave Benett