Scholastic UK Announce Lollies 2022 Shortlist of Funniest Books in Children’s Literature
Michael Rosen, children’s novelist, poet and former Children’s Laureate, today announced the shortlist for the 2022 Laugh Out Loud Awards (The Lollies). The Lollies, created by Scholastic UK, celebrate the funniest children’s books and this will be the fifth year of the awards after a hiatus in 2021.
Having long championed humorous books for children, Rosen said of the shortlist: “Are you looking for books for children that will get them giggling and wanting to read more? These 12 books will do just that. Funny books are so important because they encourage children to want to read. It gets them into the habit of finding fun and interest in books and the reading habit helps children succeed in life.”
Rachel Partridge, Group Marketing & PR and Schools Commercial Director said: “We are delighted to have the Lollies back this year. Schools have repeatedly asked about the awards and we know that teachers and children really missed reading and discussing the shortlists. Our Lollies judges have done a wonderful job of selecting three really cracking shortlists this year and we have big plans for the autumn to showcase these brilliantly funny books and their creators in schools nationwide. We cannot wait for classes to get stuck into these books and vote for their winners.”
Head judge Michael Rosen was joined on the shortlisting panel including actor and writer Stephen Mangan, whose children’s book with sister Anita Mangan, Escape the Rooms, was published on 10th June. Teachers Ceridwen Eccles and Maaria Khan as well as Scholastic product director Kate Newport completed the panel.
The Lollies are awarded in three categories: Best Laugh Out Loud Picture Book, Best Laugh Out Loud Book for 6-8 year olds and Best Laugh Out Loud Book for 9-13 year olds. The shortlisted books in each category are as follows:
Best Laugh Out Loud Picture Book:
101 Bums by Sam Harper & Chris Jevons (Hachette)
I’m NOT a Mouse! by Evgenia Golubeva (Child’s Play)
Never Show a T-Rex a Book by Rashmi Sirdeshpande & Diane Ewen (Penguin Random House) Octopus Shocktopus! by Peter Bently & Steven Lenton (Nosy Crow)
Best Laugh Out Loud Book for 6-8 year olds:
Anisha Accidental Detective: School’s Cancelled by Serena Patel & Emma McCann (Usborne Publishing) Cats React to Science Facts by Izzi Howell (Hachette)
Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of the Dark by Katie Tsang, Kevin Tsang & Nathan Reed (Farshore) Wigglesbottom Primary: Break-Time Bunnies by Pamela Butchart & Becka Moor (Nosy Crow)
Best Laugh Out Loud Book for 9-13 year olds:
Kay’s Anatomy by Adam Kay & Henry Parker (Penguin Random House)
Little Badman and the Invasion of the Killer Aunties by Humza Arshad, Henry White & Aleksei Bitskoff (Penguin Random House)
The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates by Jenny Pearson & Rob Biddulph (Usborne Publishing) Zombierella by Joseph Coelho & Freya Hartas (Walker Books)
The winning book in each category will be decided solely by children’s votes. PopJam will be returning as the Lollies’ voting partner. Votes can be cast via the Scholastic website (www.scholastic.co.uk/lollies), and children can vote themselves using the PopJam app. PopJam is a free, moderated app where children can create art, play games and be part of a safe, positive community.
The winning books will be announced in early 2022.
The Lollies were created in response to findings from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading ReportTM, (www.scholastic.co.uk/readingreport) which found that what two-thirds of children aged 6-17 looked for when choosing books for themselves were “books that make me laugh”.
