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Winners of the 2023 English 4-11 Picture Book Awards

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The English Association has announced the winners of the 2023 English 4-11 Picture Book Awards.

Established in 1995, the awards are presented by the English Association to the best children’s picture books of the year.  Awards are given to Fiction and Non-Fiction in age ranges 4-7 years and 7-11 years. The winning books are chosen by the editorial board of English 4-11, the journal for primary teachers published by the English Association and the United Kingdom Literacy Association, from a shortlist selected by a panel of teachers and Primary specialists. Each year, one of the books submitted to the English 4-11 Picture Book Awards is selected as the recipient of the Margaret Mallett Award for Children’s Non-Fiction. The winners in each category, plus the winner of this year’s Margaret Mallett Award for Children’s Non-Fiction, were announced at the online Awards Ceremony on Thursday 25 May 2023.

The winners are as follows:

Non-fiction 4-7

Invertebrates Are Cool! by Nicola Davies and Abbie Cameron (Graffeg)

Fiction 4-7

Flooded by Mariajo Illustrajo (The Quarto Group)

Non-fiction 7-11

Real-Life Dragons And Their Stories Of Survival by Anita Ganeri and Jianan Liu (Hachette Children’s Group)

Fiction 7-11

Paradise Sands by Levi Pinfold (Walker Books)

The Margaret Mallett Award for Children’s Non-Fiction

Narwhal: The Arctic Unicorn by Justin Anderson and Jo Weaver (Walker Books)

The Chair of the judging panel, Dr Sally Wilkinson, said, ‘It is a pleasure to honour prolific and well-loved children’s non-fiction authors like Nicola Davies, Anita Ganeri, and Justin Anderson, who have won many awards for their writing, film, and television work, all in celebration of our amazing natural world. These authors have worked in partnership with illustrators Abbie Cameron, Jianan Liu, and Jo Weaver to create rich, engaging texts for us to dive in to. Our fiction winners, Mariajo Illustrajo and Levi Pinfold, represent new, emerging talent and established, award-winning author-illustrators, both with lyrical, detailed works to share with us. We’re thrilled to announce this year’s winners, and look forward to seeing what next year’s competition brings!’

There is information on previous winners of the Picture Book Awards on the English Association website.

Danielle Jawando wins the Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize

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Danielle Jawando has won the Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize for her powerful coming of age story When Our Worlds Collided. First awarded in March 2017, the Jhalak Prize and its new sister award Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize founded in 2020, seek to celebrate books by British/British resident BAME writers.

Praised as a ‘powerful and devastating story’, Jawando’s novel is about chance encounters, injustice and how the choices that we make can completely change our future.

The judges for the Jhalak Children’s and Young Adult Prize 2023 were author and film maker Yaba Badoe, children’s author Maisie Chan and writer Irfan Master. Master said of the winning book, ‘When Our Worlds Collided stands out for its craft, courage and connection. This is a book with a devastating impact and one that brings to light a part of Britain rarely seen in literature.’

Danielle Jawando is an author, screenwriter and Lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her debut YA novel, And the Stars Were Burning Brightly, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the YA Book Prize, the Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize, the Branford Boase Award and was longlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, the UKLA Book Awards and the Amazing Book Awards.

She wins £1,000 and a specially created work of art as well as a complimentary two-year membership of the London Library, partner to the Jhalak Prize.

The Jhalak Prize was awarded to Travis Alabanza for None of the Above.

Caffè Nero launches new set of book awards to celebrate the best writing from the UK and Ireland

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Caffè Nero has announced the launch of the Nero Book Awards: a new set of multi-category awards celebrating the craft of great writing and the joy of reading.

With a mission to point readers of all ages and interests in the direction of the best books of the year, the Awards aim to recognise outstanding writing and readability. Established as a not-for-profit organisation, the Nero Book Awards will be run and underwritten by the independent, family-owned coffee house group, Caffè Nero.

The Awards will recognise books of the year across four categories including Children’s Fiction. The other categories are Debut Fiction, Fiction and Non-Fiction. Judges will select shortlists of four in each category, choosing the books they would most want to recommend to others.

The Nero Book Awards will celebrate books by writers based in the UK and Ireland. They will be administered by The Booksellers Association, the trade organisation that represents booksellers across the country.

Gerry Ford, Founder and CEO, Caffè Nero, says, ‘Caffè Nero was founded in 1997 on the principle of being a warm and welcoming neighbourhood gathering spot, a place to bring people together. Our venues were intended as and have come to be gathering spots where people come to talk, read and discuss issues of the day. Most of our stores are filled with books. Moreover, for the past two decades we have been supporting the arts in a variety of ways. Over the years we have partnered with Tate Modern, Tate Britain, National Portrait Gallery, British Museum, The National Gallery, V&A and the Royal Academy of Arts. In the music industry we are also known as keen supporters of the “talented but yet to make it”; we are the place that supports and helps outstanding up-and-coming singer songwriters. So, with the arts as part of our company culture – these Awards are a natural fit for us.’

Meryl Halls, MD, Booksellers Association, adds, ‘This is a hugely exciting moment for the world of books. The Nero Book Awards do that rare thing of celebrating books across multiple genres, with an emphasis on commercial books with wide appeal. With its brand values centred around quality, craft and community, plus its strong existing connection to the arts, Caffè Nero is a perfect partner with whom to establish these brand-new Awards.

‘The Nero Book Awards are first and foremost for readers, but their impact will be felt widely – by authors, publishers, agents, book retailers, libraries and festivals – as they create discussion around nominated books and drive consumer engagement with bookshops and libraries. We at The Booksellers Association, and on behalf of our bookshop members, welcome the opportunities these Awards offer the world of books, by celebrating and showcasing the writing talent in the UK and Ireland.’

The inaugural Awards will open for entries on 19th June 2023.

Shortlisted books, category winners, and an overall winner will be selected by judges – from booksellers and authors to media commentators and influencers. The shortlist of 16 books will be announced in late 2023 before four Category winners – one of which will be selected as the overall ‘Book of the Year’, The Nero Gold Prize – are revealed in early 2024. Further details will be announced in due course.

The Awards prize fund totals £50,000, with the four Category Award winners receiving £5,000 each and the winner of the Book of the Year receiving an additional £30,000.

A website and social media channels are now live.

Jhalak Prize 2023 – shortlist announced

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The shortlist for the Jhalak Children’s and Young Adult Prize has been announced. The Jhalak Prizes celebrate books by British/British resident BAME writers.

Six books are selected for each Prize and, as with previous years, the shortlists demonstrate the exceptional quality and breadth of work produced by British writers of colour today.

The 2023 shortlist for the Jhalak Children’s and Young Adult Prize is:

In Our Hands, Lucy Farfort (Tate)
When Our Worlds Collided, Danielle Jawando (Simon & Schuster)
Mia And The Lightcasters, Janelle McCurdy, ill. Ana Latese (Faber)
Ellie Pillai Is Brown, Christine Pillainayagam (Faber)
Rebel Skies, Ann Sei Lin (Walker)
Dadaji’s Paintbrush, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, ill. Ruchi Mhasane (Andersen Press)

The Judges for the Children’s and Young Adult Prize are authors Yaba Badoe, Maisie Chan and Irfan Master.

Commenting on the Jhalak Children’s and Young Adult Prize shortlist the judges said:

‘A clarion call for change which confirms that if we work together, share ideas and pool our dreams, we’re never too small to make a difference.’ Yaba Badoe on Lucy Farfort’s In Our Hands.

‘When Our Worlds Collided by Danielle Jawando is a powerful and devastating story that deals with structural racism in a balanced and nuanced way. Really exceptional characters that define and shape the story with little tendrils of anger, frustration, hope and joy.’ Irfan Master

‘Mia and the Lightcasters is a fast-paced fantasy children’s book with mythical beasts, martial arts and humour. Janelle McCurdy is an exciting debut author who taps into the interests of young readers, especially gamers and those who want to be transported to a totally different world. I am looking forward to seeing what else springs up from such an imaginative mind.’ Maisie Chan

‘Ellie Pillai is Brown by Christine Pillainayagam is an expertly-crafted YA rom-com with multi-layered themes and its own unique soundtrack. I loved the voice of the main character and was rooting for her the whole way through the book. I wish this book existed when I was a teen! It’s fantastic!’ Maisie Chan.

‘Easily one of the best YA novels I’ve read this year, Rebel Skies is an outstanding debut with vivid characters and excellent world-building. Once immersed, the power of Ann Sei Lin’s writing and vision propelled to a conclusion that left me gasping for more.’ Yaba Badoe.

‘Dadaji’s Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande is a beautifully touching book, full of love, expression and overcoming grief. Simply done yet hits all the emotions – there wasn’t a single page I didn’t linger over.’ Irfan Master.

The 2022 Prize was won by Sabba Khan for her mesmerising graphic novel The Roles We Play (Myriad). The Jhalak Children’s and Young Adult Prize was won by Maisie Chan for Danny Chung does not do maths (Piccadilly Press).

This year sees the return of the partnership launched in 2021 with National Book Tokens, which will help increase awareness and support for the nominated titles amongst bookshops across the UK and Ireland.

The winners will be announced at the British Library on Thursday 25 May 2023.  Each winner will be awarded £1,000 and a specially created work of art as part of the ongoing Jhalak Art Residency.  This year’s artists are Sharon Adebisi and Diane Ewen, respectively. To find out more about the Residency and the 2023 artists, please click here.

The Jhalak Prize has also partnered with the London Library for the second year.  All shortlisted authors will receive a complimentary one-year membership to the library and will be invited to attend an event to showcase the shortlists on Thursday 18th May.

Inaugural James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation awarded to The Biggest Footprint

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The Biggest Footprint: Eight Billion Humans. One Clumsy Giant by Rob and Tom Sears, published by Canongate, has won the 2022 James Cropper Wainwright Prize. Now in its nineth year, the Prize is named after much-loved nature writer Alfred Wainwright and is awarded annually to the books which most successfully inspire readers to explore the outdoors and to nurture a respect for the natural world.

This is the first time that books for children have been included.

The 2022 Yoto Carnegie Medal winner, October, October by Katya Balen, illustrated by Angela Harding (Bloomsbury) is Highly Commended.

In their book, writer/illustrators the Sears brothers use statistics to present the challenges of climate change in a new light, in a fun, accessible and empowering story that will inspire younger readers to make the world a better place. Chair of Judges, CBBC Presenter, Gemma Hunt said, ‘This totally unique and highly innovative book captured all our imaginations. It’s an empowering, insightful tale that helps us all, at any age, understand and take ownership of the biggest threat of our lifetime. Such a clever and original book that feels totally deserving of our inaugural prize.’

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