Lorraine Kelly and Axel Scheffler first judges to be announced for Oscar's Book Prize 2021

 

TV presenter Lorraine Kelly and award-winning illustrator Axel Scheffler – best known for his work on children’s classic The Gruffalo – are the first celebrity judges to be announced for Oscar's Book Prize 2021, with more to be revealed in the new year. 

Now in its eighth year, Oscar’s Book Prize celebrates the best new books for under-fives – a vital time for children to fall in love with reading. James Ashton and Viveka Alvestrand created the prize in memory of their son, Oscar Ashton, who loved stories.

Commenting on her new role, Lorraine Kelly said:

“Some of my favourite memories as a parent include reading bedtime stories to my daughter Rosie and I cannot wait to see what colourful characters, adventures and stories appear in this year’s entries. I wish everyone entering the very best of luck.”

Axel Scheffler said:

“I know how much work goes into creating a book for under-fives age and the impact it can have, so I am delighted to be on the judging panel for Oscar’s Book Prize this year and look forward to championing the work of some great children’s illustrators and authors.”

Oscar's Book Prize is supported by Amazon, the Evening Standard and the National Literacy Trust and its patron is HRH Princess Beatrice. The prize’s organisers distribute donated shortlisted books to schools and nurseries across the UK.

Prize chairman  James Ashton said:

“I'm delighted to welcome all our judges and supporters who will make our eighth annual contest the most thorough search yet for the picture book that will capture the imagination of young readers all over the UK."

Previous winners of the Prize include two-time winner Benji Davies, most recently for Tad in 2020, and Ed Vere in 2019 for his picture book How to be a Lion.

The prize is now open for entries and publishers can submit their chosen books at www.oscarsbookprize.co.uk until 5pm on Monday, January 25th, 2021. The shortlist will be revealed on Monday, April 12th, and the winner of the £5,000 prize will be announced on Thursday, May 12th, 2021.

 

About Oscar’s Book Prize

Oscar’s Book Prize is an annual prize for the best under-fives book of the year. It champions magical storytelling by authors and illustrators, best shared between young children and their parents.

It is awarded in memory of book-loving Oscar Ashton, who died in 2012 of an undiagnosed heart condition aged three and a half.

Founded by his parents and supported by  Amazon, the Evening Standard and the National Literacy Trust, the Prize has been running since 2014.

For news and all other information please visit www.oscarsbookprize.co.uk or follow @oscarsbookprize on Instagram or Twitter

 

About Amazon.co.uk

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalised recommendations, Prime, Fulfilment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.co.uk/about and follow @AmazonNewsUK

 

About Axel Scheffler 

Axel was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1957. He studied history of art in Hamburg, before moving to the United Kingdom to study illustration at Bath Academy of Art in 1982. Since then he has worked as a freelance illustrator in London. He is best known for the children's books he has illustrated through his partnership with author, Julia Donaldson. Together they created The Gruffalo, which has sold over 17 million copies in over 80 countries throughout the world. He lives in London.  

Axel Scheffler by Liam Jackson

About Lorraine Kelly

Lorraine OBE is an award winning TV presenter and journalist, hosting her own ITV show 'Lorraine'.  Born in Glasgow, Lorraine joined her local weekly newspaper The East Kilbride News aged seventeen.  In 1983, she joined BBC Scotland as a researcher, and a year later she became TVam's Scottish correspondent covering stories like the Piper Alpha disaster and the Lockerbie bombing. She went on to co-host TVam and GMTV.  In 2012, Lorraine was awarded the OBE by HM The Queen for services to charity and the armed forces at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh. She is a patron of Help For Heroes. Lorraine lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband Steve, daughter Rosie and their dog Angus.  

Lorraine Kelly

Halloween Reading for Half Term!

If you’re looking for something spooky to do with your little monster this Halloween (and over half term) then please look no further than these frighteningly good books to read together…

We hope you enjoy sharing one of these brilliant stories that truly put the BOO in book….

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (Macmillan Children’s Books)

This classic story of an unlucky witch and her ever-growing bunch of companions attempting to fly in very autumnal conditions has a winning combination of magic and adventure, with lovely rhymes, nail-biting action, and gorgeous drawings of the characters exploring their stormy world…

Funny Bones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (Puffin)

These skeletons might be the least scary monsters ever, but what they lack in being fearsome they make up for with being funny. So join Big Skeleton, Little Skeleton and Dog Skeleton on their dark, dark street and immerse yourself in a classic story from this series.

Ten Little Monsters by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty (Orchard Books)

Trick or Treating is off this year, but not for the ten little monsters. They set out to scare others, but instead encounter all sorts of ghouls, ghosts….and robots. Will they make it through the gauntlet to the Halloween party? You can rhyme, count and chuckle your way through together to find out!

Bedtime for Monsters by Ed Vere (Puffin)

Feel the thrill of excitement as the monster in search of a bedtime feast comes closer and closer to you – but what does he want in the end? Enjoy the giggles and tummy rumbles as you enjoy this story together, with its lovely twist. This is a brilliant story from our 2019 winner Ed Vere.

Ten Minutes to Bed Little Monster by Rhiannon Fielding and Chris Chatterton (Ladybird)

Continuing the bedtime trope is this seasonally themed bedtime read from the Ten Minutes to Bed series. Lovely illustrations and highly recognisable pre-bedtime situations make this an entertaining story as the reader and Belch count down to what’s hopefully a nightmare-free sleep…

Meg and Mog by Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski (Puffin)

Not that this wonderfully ghoulish pair should only be read at Halloween, but the adventures of Meg and Mog really are a perfect match for children wanting to get into the spooky spirit. It is Halloween in the story, and Meg and Mog are heading out to a party to make their yearly spell. What could possibly go wrong?

So there you have it, some (mildly) scary stories guaranteed to please your little ghouls over the Halloween half term!

Books for Schools - Flash Giveaway!

Exciting newsflash!

It is almost time to roll up our sleeves and get started on a whole new year of OBP – and we can’t wait!.

However, before we move on to OBP21, we still have one commitment remaining from OBP20 that we need to fulfil.

As part of the prize’s Terms and Conditions, each shortlisted publisher agrees to supply copies of their shortlisted book to give away to schools and nurseries. This means that a whopping 50 schools or nurseries now have the chance to get their hands on the full set of the shortlist - AKA these fantastic titles:

A Mouse Called Julian by Joe Todd Stanton (Flying Eye Books)

Alphonse, There’s Mud on the Ceiling by Daisy Hirst (Walker)

I Am A Tiger by Karl Newson and Ross Collins (Macmillan Children’s Books)

The Runaway Pea by Kjartan Poskitt and Alex Willlmore (Simon & Schuster)

The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros (Nosy Crow)

Tad by Benji Davies (HarperCollins)

These special books are great to read together, whether at home or in an educational setting. To highlight how to get the best out of them, the wonderful team at CLPE have produced a fantastic pack of teaching resources for each shortlisted title, which you can download or read here:

About CLPE:

The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) is an independent UK charity dedicated to raising the literacy achievement of children by putting quality children's literature at the heart of all learning. It is a charity with a national and international reputation for excellent literacy training and resources. Visit www.clpe.org.uk for further information.

How to Enter:

Please email laura@oscarsbookprize.co.uk (or direct message @oscarsbookprize on Twitter or Instagram) to request a set for your school, remembering to include the head teacher’s name and contact email and the school’s full address. For preschools or nurseries please include the nursery manager’s name as well as the address.

The smallprint:

• We can only provide one full set per school.

• We will allocate the fifty sets at random, once we have enough schools to choose from.

• We will confirm that your school/setting has been chosen in writing. Please note that due to COVID-19 there may be a short delay in receiving the books. Each set will arrive in an OBP stickered package to allow you to quarantine the books if you wish.

A Q&A with the wonderful charity Read for Good

As anyone who has submitted to the prize will know, the books that aren’t longlisted by our expert team of pre-schoolers and their carers are donated to charity.

If we could, we would showcase each and every book we are sent, as the submissions are always so full of talent and wonder. While in reality this isn’t possible, it’s great to know that those books can still delight readers via the excellent work of Read for Good, who like us are staunch believers in just how far the magic of a book and story can go. 

This year, Read for Good have done even more than take on the mantle of the 2020 OBP cardboard box fort (and the amazing book treasure within it). As we announced last month, this year they are helping us put the money that would have gone into the physical prize-giving ceremony to good use, by using it instead to send a set of the shortlisted books to 150 hospitals (and that many settings can only be reached due to the generosity and support of the amazing publishers of the 2020 shortlist).

As such, we thought it was high time to share more details about this amazing charity and the special work they do. Their impressive roster includes a whopping 35 years of the Readathon, and almost a decade of their books to hospitals programme, which is specifically where the Oscar’s Book Prize books go. This essential project puts books into the hands of children that really need them, giving comfort, reassurance, entertainment and delight to children at a time when they need it most.

Lottie, Bristol Hospital

But enough from us. Here’s Read for Good’s excellent Fundraising and Digital Officer Jo Jeffery, who will explain more…

Jo Jeffery, Fundraising and Digital Officer, Read for Good

Hi Jo, you’re Read for Good’s Fundraising and Digital Officer – please could you tell us a little bit about what you do?

As a busy working Mum I have three wonderful days in the Read for Good office, which is always a hive of activity and ideas! I split my time between making applications to Trusts and Foundations to support our hospital programme in getting books, storytellers and bookcases to 30 children’s hospitals nationwide and curating our social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

What is your favourite part of your job?

Oh my gosh, so much of it! I love to see schools participating in their Readathons and sharing their successes with the social media world - this is amplified during World Book Day and during our Citywide Readathons where hundreds of schools set the literacy world alight with their mountains of books, activities and general book excitement! Getting feedback about our storytellers is just wonderful too, they bring such joy to children and their families, who are having a very tough time in hospital. The photos we receive remind us that even in the darkest of times joy is possible! 

All of Read for Good’s work stems from a key belief in the power and importance of reading for pleasure in children’s lives. Could you tell us more about why that is?

Ironically, somehow the words ‘reading for pleasure’ are a really inadequate way to describe one of the richest, most powerful experiences in life. Picking up a book, or being read to is transformative in so many ways. So many. Profound things can happen just by reading - building empathy and understanding, experiencing the impossible, travelling to places beyond your imagination, meeting people from all walks of life and getting insight into what makes them tick. For children, well for all of us, these moments are enriching, empowering and rewarding. But best of all, they’re all wrapped up in a great story that makes you want to turn the page. That all this can happen curled up on a sofa with some words on a page is pretty powerful!

Read for Good has some excellent methods to motivate children to read, such as helping others in the Schools project. Do you have any tips for beginning to engage children in reading – even before they can read themselves?

The Read for Good team are the biggest trumpet-blowing, shout-it-from-the-rooftop advocates of children reading for pleasure, whether it be comics or classics, cereal boxes or cake recipes; you name it, we want you to read it … just because it is fun! 

The premise of Read for Good is to allow children to choose the books they want to read, rather than the books we want them to read!  Now this can be any book, comic, audiobook, recipe book, poetry -  anything goes! As you mention children really are motivated by helping other children too - many might have been in hospital themselves, or have a friend who has been in hospital. It is relatable to them and acts as such a positive mechanism for engagement.   

As a parent to two children, the daily bedtime book has always been a part of our routine, just 10 minutes at the end of the day can be everything to instil a joy of reading. And I have books everywhere in my house. My son has always been quite a reluctant reader despite loving books, I wanted him to be surrounded by books so we have book piles and shelves everywhere sparking the literacy love! Also things such as CBeebies Bedtime Stories are a great way to engage children with stories in a playful way. My son has loved hearing stories from actors such as Eddie Redmayne. 

During lockdown, the outpouring of creativity to find ways to get children listening and loving books and stories has been inspiring - what better way to explore the world when stuck inside our own four walls.

How valuable do you find picture books donated by Oscar’s Book Prize and others? Are there any age range or genres of books that work particularly well?

Receiving Oscar’s Book Prize books is like getting the biggest Christmas present! Honestly, it is always so exciting to see the variety of books, their themes, colours and illustrations.  They are often so very tactile too.  We send a huge variety of books to children in hospital - from newborn to sixteen year olds! Often families arrive in hospitals with little with them - when rushing out the house in a panic the last thing you pick up is a book. But the feedback we receive reveals that books like those from OBP - brilliant stories, well told, brimming with colour really do lift the spirits of the children and their families who find themselves in hospital.

As you know, each year we box up an extensive number of fabulous picture books to be sent to Read for Good HQ. Along with other donations from publishers, trusts and grants, they then wend their way to bookcases in hospitals across the UK. Could you take us through the likely steps of their journey? How do you decide which books go where?

It’s always a great moment when your delivery arrives - the whole team is so excited to see the wonderful array of books and stories of offer. We have a committed team of fantastic volunteers who will carefully bookplate each of the books, so that a child in hospital knows the book comes with kindness, and they are sorted into 30 piles, packaged and sent to each one of our 30 hospitals.

When the book parcel arrives in the hospital, we know that all the grown-ups in the room are drawn to see what’s inside. The books are thoughtfully put on Read for Good’s mobile bookcase, which then travels around the wards, right up to a child’s bedside. Books are facing out so that it’s really easy for a child’s eye to be drawn to their book. Our bookcase acts as a library, with children being able to read and book and then choose another one. But children are also able to keep the book.

Sharing a story in hospital is so important - bringing families together and giving them a chance to focus on something other than the situation they are in. The books provide entertainment and distraction for sure, but they also soothe, provide relief, reassurance and comfort. The ripple effects of those books go far and wide.

 The hospital programme you run is the ultimate home for the OBP books – please could you tell us about the amazing impact the books have? How many children and hospitals do you reach with this scheme?

Last year we reached over 190,000 children in our main hospital programme. Our service runs in thirty hospitals nationwide from Truro to Aberdeen and including Belfast. We sent out over 30,000 books, reaching not only the children in hospital but their siblings too - who are often overlooked and are equally as anxious.  One Mum shared such an amazing story with us that I want to pass it on - her son, who is only 6 years old, has had multiple admissions; over 20 operations to be exact. For every operation undergone, her son received a Read for Good book, scribed with the operation number and a little reminder of just how brave he is. These are stored, on his return home, in his Read for Good library - how amazing is that? OBP books really do reach the far corners of a child’s life.

As if your standard hospital programme wasn’t brilliant enough, we’re also thrilled to learn that OBP also directly helps support your new book box scheme, which places brand new books beyond hospitals to a variety of different children's medical settings, including mental health units and hospices. How many settings and children do you reach with this? And what feedback have you had from the children so far? 

This was such an exciting bonus and we were over the moon to be able to roll this programme out. We have reached an additional 4,000 children in over 60 settings nationwide.  The feedback from healthcare professionals about the scheme was overwhelmingly positive and had me in tears! 

“Treatment is long and uncomfortable: these books will be appreciated and enjoyed in what is a difficult time for children and their families. Children receiving proton and radiation therapy relish the opportunity to escape the regulated discomfort and anxiety they experience. We believe that education and personal development through reading can offer a bridge back to normal living, and life on the other side of cancer.“

- Proton Beam Centre, Manchester

 

The OBP donation was fundamental to this scheme being successful and we have secured funding to roll out this programme further.

How do you choose the hospitals and other settings involved? If someone who works in one is reading this and wants to get involved, what are the steps they can take? Can a hospital or other setting ask to join the scheme? How can someone volunteer?

 Our primary programme serves all thirty major children’s hospitals in the UK. We are aware that so many other children’s medical settings would benefit from books. While we cannot promise anything, if someone is interested in a book donation they should register their interest by clicking here (https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/YNB2PDK). If they meet the criteria we will consider their application when we have books available.

Unfortunately we cannot take volunteers on in hospitals ourselves - that is a process and decision managed by each individual hospital. If someone would like to support our charity, there are lots of ways to help here.

Since Read for Good’s work is so focused on schools and hospitals, how have you been affected by the current pandemic? Is there anything we can do to support the charity’s work?

Things are unrecognisable at the moment. Read for Good is a well governed charity, and the prudent decision was taken in April to furlough most of the team. We are definitely still open as far as schools and hospitals are concerned, but of course, they are busy focusing on other things at this time, quite rightly.

Much of our funding for the hospital programme comes from schools running Readathon, and whilst some are doing it remotely, it is not the ideal time to be asking schools and families for donations. We will have to see what the long term impact is. However, we are an optimistic bunch and the nation’s response to the pandemic has been so uplifting. We’re exploring ways to adapt our programmes to meet the coming need.

It is our belief that reading for pleasure will play a really important role in helping our young people to recover from the unquantified impact that Coronavirus is having on their education, social development, mental health and well-being. We hope that Readathon may help school communities come together in the new academic year, united in a common purpose supporting children in hospital, which at the same aids their own pupils' recovery.

And finally, on a personal note, you’re a parent of young children in the lockdown – do you have any book-related tips for entertaining them in these uncharted times?

My son, Harry who is 9, really enjoyed the book scavenger hunt I organised for him! Choosing books with animals in the title, with a name in the title, with a colour in the title, a book of facts - the list was endless! Although be prepared for the tidy up afterwards.

We have also taken advantage of the amazing array of authors and illustrators who have been rallying the troops with reading of their books, daily illustrations classes and general loveliness! I think we ALL need stories right now. The power of escapism a book brings has never been as important as it is now - in all its forms.

Also books make great yoga blocks for Mamas too.

Thanks so much to Jo for taking the time to talk to us, and to all at Read for Good for the wonderful work you do. You can read more about Read for Good’s work www.readforgood.org and their impact https://readforgood.org/impact/.

 

Tad wins Oscar's Book Prize 2020

Benji Davies becomes first person in the seven-year history of Oscar’s Book Prize to win the award for a second time, with Tad, the story of a tadpole who grows up. His victory was announced by HRH Princess Beatrice, the award's patron. The winner was selected from a shortlist by a judging panel including TV and radio presenter Dermot O'Leary and Francesca Simon, writer of the Horrid Henry series. Their thoughts on the winning book can be found here.

Benji is the first person ever to win Oscar’s Book Prize a second time, with his picture story book, Tad. The £5,000 literary award, supported by Amazon and the National Literacy Trust, recognises great storytelling in books for children under five which have been published within the past year. Hear his acceptance speech here.

As both the author and illustrator Benji tells a story of growing up, and his tale follows Tad, the smallest tadpole in a big pond. Worried about being left behind by her brothers and sisters, Tad one day takes a big leap into an adventurous future. See the judges and other Oscar’s Book Prize supporters read the story here. Tad and the other five books on the 2020 shortlist will also be distributed to 150 children’s wards across the UK.

Speaking about his book, Benji Davies said: “Tad’s story is about taking your time to grow up, even though you are the smallest, slowest tadpole in the pond, or if you always feel like you’re at the back. Don’t worry because you will always get there in the end.”

HRH Princess Beatrice, the award’s patron since 2017, announced this year’s winner on the Oscar’s Book Prize website, in a video filmed from her home. The announcement also included endorsements from fellow judges Dermot O’Leary, broadcaster and children’s book author, Francesca Simon, creator of the Horrid Henry children’s book series, Jake Hope, Youth Libraries Group chair, Simon Johnson, Director, Amazon EU Books and Viveka Alvestrand and James Ashton, founders of the award and Oscar’s parents.

Speaking about his win, Benji Davies said:

“To win Oscar’s Book Prize in 2014 with The Storm Whale was an incredible feeling and I am very pleased to have won the Prize for a second time with Tad - I really can’t believe it. When I wrote the story, I wanted it to help small children navigate life in those early years. I couldn’t be prouder.”

Praise for the winning book:

Dermot O’Leary said:

“A wonderful coming of age tale of adventure, and nature.”

Francesca Simon said:

“An absolutely magical picture book, beautifully written, with a subtle message about embracing change and the unknown.”

Jake Hope said:

“The deliciously-named ‘Big Blub’ provides just enough menace to tantalise and tempt readers to turn the page. Readers feel like they have really hopped along on a journey alongside Tad.”

Simon Johnson said:

“Tad has all the qualities of a great book for under-fives. Beautiful artwork, a loveable hero character and a narrative we can all relate to.”

Viveka Alvestrand said:

“This is a story about the inevitability of change and the unknown, and how these can feel scary but also ultimately lead to new adventures. Beautifully told in words and pictures that transport you into the book, so you become a part of the story.”

James Ashton said:

“This beautifully-drawn story of growing up and gaining confidence is full of poetic language.”

So congratulations to Benji once again and to everyone on this year’s amazing shortlist. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did!

Oscar’s Book Prize Shortlist Gift for Children in Hospital

OUR annual Oscar’s Book Prize event is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the best in early-years literature and the magic of reading. In the last six years we have brought together talented authors, illustrators, publishers, reading charities, educators, celebrities, family and friends from across the UK in memorable locations such as St James’s Palace.

This year is different because of the Covid-19 outbreak, as every event organiser knows.

We took an early decision to announce our winner on the OBP website and via social media, even though our friends at the May Fair Hotel in central London were ready to host again as soon as lockdown ended. The big reveal is not far off now: Monday, May 25 at 12 noon.

The shift online left us with one more decision to make: what to do with the funds we had earmarked for our party?

Oscar’s Book Prize has evolved a lot since we first picked the best pre-school book of the year in 2014 in commemoration of our boy. We want to celebrate the best books in this vibrant category, but also inspire parents to spend vital book time with their children wherever that may be.

Thanks to the generosity of publishers, over several years we have been able to distribute books to children in schools and hospitals in collaboration with Read for Good, a brilliant charity whose professional storytellers encourage children to develop a love of reading.

As usual this year, we will offer 50 schools and nurseries the chance to receive our shortlisted books, but we’ll wait until autumn to do so.

In the meantime, we can go one better than before to get some fantastic books into kids’ hands just when they need something bright and imaginative to distract them from everyday life.

We are delighted that our decision to spend the event budget on our favourite books of the year has been met with the kind offer of even more free and discounted copies from the publishers of our six shortlisted titles - HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Flying Eye Books, Macmillan Children’s Books, Walker Books and Nosy Crow – plus many helping hands at Read for Good.

It means our Oscar’s Book Prize 2020 final six will be distributed to 150 children’s wards across the UK, just as soon as hospitals and delivery networks get back to something approaching normal.

Of course, this is a small gesture compared to some of the extraordinary acts of generosity we have witnessed in the last two months. But we hope every little helps, especially as books have such power to cheer and enthrall. One positive from lockdown is that there has never been a better time to read together.

James Ashton and Viveka Alvestrand

Oscar’s Book Prize

May 2020

Shortlist Spotlight: A Mouse Called Julian by Joe Todd Stanton

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!

Shortlist Spotlight: I Am A Tiger by Karl Newson and Ross Collins

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).

Our fifth shortlisted story is I Am A Tiger by Karl Newson and Ross Collins (Macmillan Children’s Books).

Please see below for everything and anything you might want to know about this fantastic story and its creators - and as a real treat, at the end is a link to a Roar-some reading by the authors, as well as some excellent answers to our very nosy Q&A! We are also in awe of the amazing #OBP20 drawing from Ross as above - a huge thank you from us!

What’s the Story?

A witty and clever story about a little mouse with very big ideas – she believes she is a tiger!

She manages to convince a raccoon, a fox, a snake and a bird that she is a tiger, and that they are not what they think they are! But when a real tiger turns up, can the persuasive little rodent manage to persuade the tiger that he is a mouse!

With vibrant artwork by award-winning illustrator Ross Collins, and delightful characters created by rising star Karl Newson, I am a Tiger is a story that will amuse and entertain everyone, from the smallest mouse to the biggest tiger. This story has already won the Leicester Our Best Picture Book Award, and the West Sussex Picture Book Award - will it be third time lucky with us?

What the Judges said:

‘This book made me laugh and laugh.  I adored the swagger and confidence of the irrepressible mouse, and the glorious theme of not letting others tell you who or what you are.  A surprising and unexpected story - I loved it.’ – Francesca Simon

About the Author and Illustrator:

Karl Newson is a children’s book writer and illustrator, living in London who grew up in Norfolk. He enjoys writing stories on a variety of topics, from quiet bedtime reads, to wild, imaginative, wondrous tales. The sometimes writer of short poems, Karl enjoys reading adventure stories, watching science fiction films, and listening to music from the 1960s. He loves to gaze at the stars and wonder why… and always gets his best ideas just before bed. Karl is the author of Here Comes the Sun, Fum, Little Grey's Birthday Surprise and A Bear is a Bear. I am a Tiger is one of three picture books he has with Macmillan, who have teamed him with award-winning illustrator Ross Collins. http://karlnewson.com/about

Ross Collins was born in Glasgow, Scotland. Growing up he was particularly fond of drawing the bionic man and precariously swinging backwards on chairs. He went on to study illustration at the Glasgow School of Art, graduating in 1994 and in the same year he won the Macmillan Children’s Book Prize for The Sea Hole. Since then he has gone on to illustrate over 100 books and has written several too. His picture book The Elephantom was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal and has now been staged at London's Royal National Theatre by the creative team behind Warhorse and in 2016 This Zoo is Not for You won the inaugural Amnesty CILIP Honour. When Ross is not creating children’s books he enjoys working on character development for animation studios such as Laika and Disney. He lives with his partner Jacqui, his young son, and his dog Hugo, in Scotland.

Author and Illustrator Q & A:

What was your own favourite picture book as a child?

Karl: I can only remember one picture book: Panda and the Snow by Oda Taro. I don't remember much about it other than the cover, sadly, but it's stuck with me all these years and always forms the answer to this question! It's my picture book go-to of my yesterdays :) 

Ross: Too many to count but I did love Sendak’s creatures in Where the Wild Things Are and was quite obsessed with pouring over Richard Scarry’s amazing townscapes.

What do you think the best thing is about picture books? 

Karl: EVERYTHING about picture books is the best thing! The words and the pictures working together to create something so short and yet so full of story is nothing short of magic. There is always more than meets the eye and always something to take away with you. For me, as a writer, the best thing is seeing my words brought to life by an illustrator when I get to see the characters for the first time. And then, when the book is published and out in the wilds of a bookshop, the best thing is seeing it being enjoyed by someone else. To know that little idea I had isn't mine anymore - it belongs to everyone who wants it, is wonderful. There's something amazing in that, I think.  

Ross: Simply getting kids interested in reading, stories, drawing, imagination, quiet time with someone they love, words, pictures – how long have you got?

What is your favourite thing about illustrating?

Ross: It’s either when very occasionally I make myself laugh with something I’ve drawn or more often when I just slightly change the way a character is standing or looking and it alters the whole tone of the piece – it’s amazing what you can do with a little line.

What is your favourite thing about writing for children?

Karl: My favourite thing about writing is that I can make up the rules to my stories! There's no right or wrong, so if I want to say 'my best friend is a blue polar bear called Victor who lives under my bed and only eats biscuits' then that's what it'll be. I like having fun, and breaking the rules. Stories can be anything we can think of. It's brilliant!

Tell us the best thing about this book. 

Karl: For me, the best thing about this book is the character of Mouse. Not just the way she handles a situation, but in that to me 'Mouse' is a she, but to Ross, Mouse is a he, and to readers Mouse can be anything they want him/her/them to be. Just as in the book, Mouse says "I am a tiger!" this story is about being who you want to be, and making it fit for you. 

Ross: It’s Karl’s funny writing. The second I heard the voice of the mouse in my head I thought – I want to illustrate this hilarious annoying rodent.

What was your inspiration for the story? 

Karl: The idea for it came when I thought about how silly it could be for something to confidently declare it was something else - something that it clearly wasn't! I started small, with a mouse, and I knew that for it to work Mouse had to believe she was something much bigger and louder in colour and voice and character... and a tiger seemed to tick all those boxes. I knew there'd be some other animals disputing Mouse's claim, and I knew at some point a tiger would have to turn up, and that mouse would handle each of these scenarios with simple but effective and convincing (or not!) responses that always meant 'I said I am, so I am, and that's that'. I knew it had to end on a new direction that meant it's OK to change your mind... It was such a simple idea that fell into my notebook and pretty much wrote itself. I think Mouse wrote it, really.

What are you writing/drawing next? 

Karl: I'm currently working on a ship-shaped chapter book idea (and a couple more ideas for Mouse to explore!)

Ross: I’m currently drawing Sherlock Holmes – as a Penguin. People pay me to do this you know…

OBP – like everything else - is slightly altered due to the lockdown. We’ve been enjoying seeing all the wonderful and inventive things that authors and illustrators have provided for children at home. What has yours been? 

Karl: I've really enjoyed watching author and illustrator videos. It's something I hope sticks around in the long run. I've made my own book club, too - The Mudwaffler Club! We read stories and make things and have lots of fun. It's been nice to try something different and escape my desk for a while.

Ross: I produced a little piece on social distancing and the NHS with my characters from There’s a Bear on My Chair. I wanted to do something to thank all the amazing teachers, librarians and carers out there who have asked to read my books to their kids while at home.

And finally, what book would you recommend to read to entertain young children during the lockdown? 

Karl: I'm going to be greedy and suggest two! A picture book: This Book Can Read Your Mind by Susannah Lloyd and Jacob Grant is fantastic fun and will have you full of giggles. And a chapter book: The Dragon in the Library (and its sequel) by Louie Stowell (illustrated by Davide Ortu) is wildly imaginative and takes you away on a magic adventure.

Ross: There’s a book by Tony Fucile called Let’s Do Nothing which is a really funny look at imagination and the inability of kids to sit still for five minutes. I think it might speak well to the times we are currently in!

Thanks so much, Karl and Ross!

To watch Karl and Ross read I Am A Tiger please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwL8rVi3LXM&feature=youtu.be

Shortlist Spotlight: Tad by Benji Davies

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).

Our second shortlisted story is Tad by Benji Davies, published by HarperCollins. We’re thrilled to have Benji back on the shortlist for the second time – he went on to win OBP in 2014 with The Storm Whale. Not long to wait now to find out if he will become OBP’s first double winner…

What’s the Story?

Meet Tad.

She’s the smallest tadpole in a big pond, and lives there with all her tadbrothers and tadsisters.

Although something else lives there too… BIG BLUB! And when everyone else starts to disappear, Tad starts to wonder if Big Blub will get her too…

Or is everyone else going somewhere else; somewhere better? And if so, will Tad ever get there too?

A big story about a tiny tadpole – about growing up, branching out, and taking a leap into life.

About the Author:

Benji Davies was born and raised in Peterborough. After studying animation at university he spread his creative wings, working on a variety of illustration and animation projects. His picture books have won numerous awards, including Oscar’s Book Prize, an AOI World Illustration Prize and the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Prize. He lives and works in London.

What the Judges said:

‘A wonderful coming of age tale of adventure, and nature’ – Dermot O’Leary

As if this wasn’t enough, Benji has kindly made the following video for us, telling us all about the book! Please follow the link below to listen - it gives a fantastic insight to a very plucky tadpole, and the brain of her amazing creator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0TAWW1arNc&feature=youtu.be

Shortlist Spotlight: The Runaway Pea by Kjartan Poskitt and Alex Willmore

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).

Our third shortlisted story is The Runaway Pea by author Kjartan Poskitt and illustrator Alex Willmore (Simon & Schuster).

What’s the Story?

It's time for tea, but one pesky pea has decided to ping himself off the plate in search of a party!

The rogue pea shoots, flings and bounces across the kitchen as he embarks on his perilous adventure - but will he find the fun he is looking for or is the kitchen a scarier place than he thought?

This quirky caper will show you just what can happen when you take your eye off your dinner for a second!

What the Judges said:

“The Runaway Pea was beautifully illustrated and made me (and my sons) laugh out loud. I particularly enjoyed the naughty fruit hiding under the fridge.” – Judge Simon Johnson, Amazon Director of EU Books

About the author and illustrator:

Kjartan Poskitt is the well-loved author of many hilarious books for children including Agatha Parrot and the Murderous Maths series, translated into over 30 languages. With a background in children's television, he is a tireless and brilliant performer. He was born and lives in York.

Alex Willmore is an illustrator and designer from Northampton whose passion lies in character design. A love of animals and picture books have inspired Alex and led to a career in illustration, and he has gone on to produce illustrations for a number of publishers, creating puzzles, surface pattern for kidswear, greeting cards and picture books.

Please fllow the links below for some AWESOME answers to our Q&A from Kjartan and Alex - what an amazing pair!

Kjartan – https://youtu.be/DUEl8eDpGOM

Alex – https://youtu.be/24V0kiHJLhs

(And please see above for a fantastic celebratory pea courtesy of Alex!)

Shortlist Spotlight: Alphonse, There's Mud On The Ceiling! by Daisy Hirst

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).

Our second shortlisted story is Alphonse, There's Mud On The Ceiling! by Daisy Hirst

What’s the Story?

This is the third adventure for mischievous monster siblings Alphonse and Natalie. Normally they love living up on thier flat on the 7th floor but one day they think up a new game - wriggly worms in the jungle. Things are going to get messy because that’s no game for indoors! This fantastic frolic around their little flat is sure to inspire families to explore outside and to keep the muddy fun off the upholstery!

What the Judges said:

“A terrifically zany sense of energy and joyous abandon are created by the quirky, free-form illustration and hand-lettering.  It is impossible not to feel captivated by the boundless creativity of Natalie and Alphonse which abounds through their imagination and play and is perfectly evoked both through text and illustration.” - Jake Hope

About the author

Daisy Hirst studied English and Creative Writing at Warwick University and Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art before becoming an author-illustrator. She is the creator of Hilda and the Runaway Baby; Alphonse, That Is Not OK to Do!, which has been translated into nine different languages worldwide; I Do Not Like Books Anymore! and The Girl with the Parrot on Her Head, which was awarded an Ezra Jack Keats Honor, shortlisted for the Klaus Flugge Prize, and selected as The Times' Children's Book of the Week. Daisy lives in Cambridge. Find her online at daisyhirst.com and on Twitter and Instagram as @Deenface.

Daisy’s Q&A

What was your own favourite picture book as a child?

Quentin Blake’s Angelo was one of my favourites. The picture of Angelo’s family (of travelling musicians and acrobats) around their campfire might be my favourite picture book illustration.

What do you think the best thing is about picture books?

By having the pictures do so much of the storytelling they give small children power, because they have this very immediate access to the story.

Do you prefer writing or drawing?

That’s so hard! I find drawing less angsty, but I wouldn’t like to do without either. When I’m making up picture books I doodle words and pictures all muddled up together.

Tell us the best thing about this book

It contains many of the things I like best: stars, sticks, tents and campfires – even though, apart from a short trip to the park, everything happens within the small flat (and its balcony) where little monsters Natalie and Alphonse live. It also contains the word “squoze.”

What was your inspiration for the story?

This is my third book about Natalie and Alphonse and when I was first coming up with it I actually wanted them to go off on a big adventure – a camping trip, or at least a visit to a friend’s wild, jungly garden. I think I felt a bit cramped by the thought of making another book set in their home. My editor and art director helped me find out that this cramped feeling was the very thing that needed exploring. It’s taken me ages to realize you don’t need a grand stage to tell a story that means something to small children, who are just getting to grips with their own little bit of world. 

There’s a lot of my brother and me in all the Natalie and Alphonse books and, in this one especially, there’s a lot of my nieces too.

What are you writing next?

A few different things, but one is ANOTHER Natalie and Alphonse book. I’m also thinking about monster baby books (my first two are coming out later this year and I’m hoping I’ll get to make some more).

 

OBP – like everything else - is slightly altered due to the lockdown. We’ve been enjoying seeing all the wonderful and inventive things that authors and illustrators have provided for children at home. What has yours been?

I love seeing the responses to Carson Ellis’ Drawing prompts on instagram (good for children and adults) and Chris Haughton has all manner of storytime videos, animations and activities on his facebook page. I’ve got some free activity sheets at www.daisyhirst.com/freestuff (including one called Naming the Pigeons, based on one of Natalie and Alphonse’s favourite things to do). 

And finally, what book would you recommend to read to entertain young children during the lockdown?

Maybe Scritch Scratch Scraww Plop by Kitty Crowther – it’s about a little frog called Jeremy who’s frightened by strange noises he hears in the night, and how his dad helps him feel better. The illustrations are quietly glorious, the frogs are one of my favourite literary families and I love their watery home too.

Shortlist Spotlight: The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

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).

First up is The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros, published by Nosy Crow.

What’s the Story?

When a strange-looking animal arrives pulling a big suitcase, the other animals are curious. What on earth could be inside that suitcase? A teacup? Maybe. A table and chair? Perhaps. A whole home and hillside with trees? This stranger must be fibbing! But when the animals break into the suitcase and discover a very special photograph, they begin to understand what the strange creature has been through, and together they create a very special welcome present…

About the Author:

Chris Naylor-Ballesteros is originally from Bradford and studied illustration and graphic design at Bradford College of Art. In 2000 he moved to France where, amongst other things, he was an English teacher before working in newspaper layout and design. When his children were small he realised he loved the picture books he read to them, sometimes even more than his children did – the Picture Book Bug had truly bitten. Chris has since written and illustrated several books and is currently thinking about the next one, probably with a cuppa in hand at home near Limoges. He likes listening to and making music, wandering around the countryside, a bit of running and riding a bike. His favourite season is autumn and his favourite colour is green.

What the Judges said:

Viveka Alvestrand: “This book touched my heart. It has a beautiful melancholy about it. The illustrations are wonderfully simple and emotive and – crucially – the sad beginning leads to a happy ending!”

And for added delight please follow these links:

For a wonderful reading of the book by Chris:

https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/9zAlCvZgzcWzgmcQIoU_

And for Chris’ excellent answers to our shortlist Q&A:

https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/dC95CwrjAIL3QMfqW789

And we’re hugely grateful to Chris for the amazing original OBP doodle above!

OSCAR’S BOOK PRIZE 2020 SHORTLIST REVEAL

Six books are in the running for annual prize recognising the best in new books for under-fives, with a £5,000 prize.

A record number of entries were received for this year’s award, which is supported by Amazon and the National Literacy Trust

LONDON, May 4th, 2020 – The shortlist for Oscar’s Book Prize 2020 has today been revealed and, for the first time, six books are in the running for this year’s £5,000 award. The prize, which celebrates the best storytelling for children under five, received the highest number of entries in its seven-year history – 128 submissions from children’s writers and illustrators from across the UK.

The prize was created in honour of Oscar Ashton, who loved stories that fed his imagination. He was three and a half when he died from an undetected heart condition in 2012. The award is supported by Amazon and the National Literacy Trust.

This year’s winner was chosen by a judging panel comprising of Dermot O’Leary, the presenter and children’s author, Francesca Simon, creator of the Horrid Henry children’s books series, Jake Hope, Youth Group Libraries chair and Simon Johnson, Amazon Director of EU Books. Oscar’s parents Viveka Alvestrand and James Ashton complete the judging panel.

This year’s shortlisted books are:

A Mouse Called Julian by Joe Todd Stanton (Flying Eye Books) 

James Ashton said: “Intricate illustrations of the natural world are a glorious backdrop to a story of enemies that become friends.”

Alphonse, There’s Mud on the Ceiling! by Daisy Hirst (Walker Books) 

Jake Hope said: “A terrifically zany sense of energy and joyous abandon are created by the quirky, free-form illustration and hand-lettering.  It is impossible not to feel captivated by the boundless creativity of Natalie and Alphonse which abounds through their imagination and play and is perfectly evoked both through text and illustration.”

I Am a Tiger by Karl Newson and Ross Collins (Macmillan)

Francesca Simon said: “This book made me laugh and laugh. I adored the swagger and confidence of the irrepressible mouse, and the glorious theme of not letting others tell you who or what you are. A surprising and unexpected story – I loved it.”

Tad by Benji Davies (HarperCollins)

Dermot O’Leary said: “A wonderful coming of age tale of adventure, and nature.”

The Runaway Pea by Kjartan Poskitt and Alex Willmore (Simon & Schuster)

Simon Johnson said: “The Runaway Pea was beautifully illustrated and made me (and my sons) laugh out loud. I particularly enjoyed the naughty fruit hiding under the fridge.”

The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros (Nosy Crow)

Viveka Alvestrand said: “This book touched my heart. It has a beautiful melancholy about it. The illustrations are wonderfully simple and emotive and – crucially – the sad beginning leads to a happy ending!”

The winner will be revealed on Monday, May 25th, on the Oscar’s Book Prize website, announced by the award’s patron, HRH Princess Beatrice, who has supported the award since 2017.

Speaking about his role on the judging panel, Dermot O’Leary said: “It was an honour to have the opportunity to read through such an incredible set of books this year. I encourage parents to use all six of our shortlist to read with their kids and unlock the magic of storytelling.”

Amazon Director of EU Books Simon Johnson said: “The quality of stories gets better and better each year, and I would like to congratulate each author. The shortlisted books share stories of positivity, togetherness and friendship, which are important messages to teach children at an early age.”

For more on the six shortlisted stories, go to amazon.co.uk/obp.

The winner will be announced on Monday, May 25th, 2020 at oscarsbookprize.co.uk

Key dates for Oscar's Book Prize.

The judging for Oscar’s Book Prize is now complete. However due to the Coronavirus outbreak the dates we announce the shortlist and winner/s has had to change.

We’re thrilled to be able to announce that the shortlist will now be revealed on the 4th May and the winner/s of the £5,000 prize on 25th May 2020. Please see our News page for more updates, or follow us on Twitter or Instagram: @oscarsbookprize

Books for an Easter indoors

It’s Easter but an Easter unlike any other which means great books are even more essential than usual to keep young minds occupied. You can go down the traditional egg route or branch out (pardon the pun) into nature and spring. Here are a few of our top books guaranteed to thrill the little people in you life.

We're Going on an Egg Hunt

We're Going on an Egg Hunt by Martha Mumford is a great choice for children who love the idea of going on an adventure. Join a gaggle of Easter Bunnies who set out to track down an egg or two in this exciting lift-the-flap Easter expedition.

Wild

Wild by Emily Hughes is a book about a little girl who has known nothing but nature from birth. It’s a visual feast and a perfect taste of the outdoors when children are missing green spaces. Full of vivid colours and beautiful illustrations, the parents will be as enchanted as the kids.

The Odd Egg

Emily Gravett’s The Odd Egg is a funny little tale about a duck without an egg to hatch… that is until he finds a quite extraordinary one to look after. A story of belonging and not judging a book by its cover, look out for the surprise ending guaranteed to cause a lot of laughs with children and parents alike!

Easter Bunny Flap Book

One for really tiny children who are too little to make the most of the chocolate on Sunday, the Easter Bunny Flap Book by Sam Taplin has gorgeous characters, is full of colour and allows the really small to join in the fun come Easter.

Woodland Sounds

Sam Taplin again, this time with illustrator Frederica Iossa and a whole lot of outdoor sounds, perfect for little people who are stuck inside. They can enjoy all the familiar noises of the woodland from tinkling steams to the tap, tap, tap of woodpeckers.

Where the Wild Things are

The original outdoor adventure guide by Maurice Sendak. Make like Max and get your children to dream up imaginary worlds and the incredible monsters they could meet along the way. As well as being a firm favourite to return to again and again, it’s a great prompt for playtime.

RSPB My First Book of Garden Wildlife

A book for budding ornathologists and animal enthusiasts alike. All they need to while away a few hours is a copy of My First Book of Garden Wildlife by Mike Unwin, a window and a pencil. With fun facts about all the creatures you can expect to see in your garden, it’s a great way to get kids enthusiastic about the natural world no matter where you live.

The Squirrels who Squabbled

Trying to get fractious children to behave is a challenge at the best of times but add to that a few weeks of lock-down and you’ve got yourself quite the situation. Use outdoor animals like these squabbling squirrels created by Rachel Bright as an example of how they can behave a little better and to make their hour outdoors more entertaining.

A Slight Change to our Announcement Schedule...

Judging might be done, but due to the Coronavirus outbreak we will be rescheduling our announcement dates, in order to give our wonderful 2020 shortlist and winner(s) the attention they deserve. Please check back here or follow @oscarsbookprize on Twitter and Instagram for more news - in the meantime stay safe, and alleviate the pressures of the lockdown by sharing a fantastic picture book - especially one that’s been on one of our shortlists! On our Twitter feed we’ve also been tracking all the brilliant stay at home activities illustrators and writers are providing, such as ‘draw alongs’ with our awesome 2019 winner Ed Vere.

The submission period for Oscar's Book Prize 2020 has now closed!

After six weeks of splendid submissions, the entry period for the prize is now complete.

We’re relishing the thought of reading all of the fantastic picture books currently making a box fort in the office - thank you so much to everyone who has entered. The judges have a treat ahead of them!

The shortlist will be announced in April and the winner/s of the £5,000.00 prize will be announced on 7th May.

Please do check back here before then for more news and features!

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!