The shortlists have been announced for the UKLA Book Awards, the only national UK children’s book awards judged entirely by teachers. The Awards highlight texts from a ‘wide and inclusive range’ of publishers that ‘recognise a broad range of perspectives, experiences and voices’ but first and foremost the judges are looking for well written, engaging reads. This year’s shortlist features a number of small, independent publishers, with UCLan, the children’s publishing arm of the University of Central Lancaster and The O’Brien Press from Dublin both appearing for the first time.

The shortlists are:

3-6+                                   

Fox & Son Tailers written and illustrated by Paddy Donnelly (The O’Brien Press)

The Hare-Shaped Hole written by John Dougherty and illustrated by Thomas Docherty (Frances Lincoln)

10 Dogs written and illustrated by Emily Gravett (Two Hoots)

Martha Maps It Out written and illustrated by Leigh Hodgkinson (Oxford)

The Wilderness written and illustrated by Steve McCarthy (Walker)

Dick the Delightful Duck written by Kaye Umansky and illustrated by Ben Mantle (Alison Green)

The 3-6+ category features author Steve McCarthy, currently also shortlisted for the Carnegie medal for Illustration, for The Wilderness alongside two times Carnegie winner, Emily Gravett,  who is shortlisted for 10 Dogs, described by the judges as, ‘a really funny story about dogs which brilliantly teaches about number bonds to 10’. The shortlist also features best-selling author Kaye Umansky with Dick the Delightful Duck, who is hilariously having a very bad mood day, in a book which opens up discussions about feelings. The judges also chose John Dougherty’s The Hare Shaped Hole,  described as ‘a touching and beautifully age appropriate metaphor to depict bereavement, which leaves young readers in a hopeful, optimistic place’.

7-10+  

The Song Walker written by Zillah Bethell and illustrated by Saara Katariina Söderlund (Usborne)

Call Me Lion written by Camilla Chester and illustrated by Irina Avgustinovich (Firefly)

How to be More Hedgehog written by Anne Marie Conway and illustrated by Danielle Dey (Uclan)

Wildsmith: Into the Dark Forest written by Liz Flanagan and illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (Uclan)

Finn Jones Was Here written by Simon James Green and illustrated by Jennifer Jamieson (Scholastic)

Where the River Takes Us written by Lesley Parr and illustrated by David Dean  (Bloomsbury)

The 7-10+ category  has something for the whole age range, say the judges. Camilla Chester’s touching debut Call Me Lion and Anne Marie Conway’s sensitive How to be More Hedgehog both feature protagonists battling with communication difficulties, bullying and family issues and in Finn Jones Was Here Simon James Green features a young boy in total denial about his best friend’s death and manages to be both hilarious and heartbreaking. There is a second shortlisting for Lesley Parr with Where the River Takes Us, a thrilling adventure mystery about the power of friendship, set in a Welsh valley in the 1970s. The list also features a current Carnegie shortlisted title, Zillah Bethell’s The Song Walker, which weaves Aboriginal folklore into a courageous story of friendship, loss and discovery, and Wildsmith: Into the Dark Forest, Liz Flanagan’s fantasy world full of magic, mystery and dragons.

11-14+ 

Away with Words written by Sophie Cameron (Little Tiger)

Crossing the Line written by Tia Fisher (Hot Key)

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow written by Zoulfa Katouh (Bloomsbury)

Steady for This written by Nathanael Lessore (Hot Key)

All My Rage written by Sabaa Tahir (Atom)

I Must Betray You written by Ruta Sepetys (Hodder)

In the 11-14+ category, Hot Key Books has two books on this shortlist, Tia Fisher’s powerful verse novel debut, Crossing the Line,  dealing with highly topical county lines exploitation of vulnerable youths, and Nathaneal Lessore’s comedic and authentic debut Steady For This. Both are also featured on the Carnegie shortlist as is Sophie Cameron for Away With Words and Ruta Sepetys with I Must Betray You which powerfully explores what it was like for families and friends under the brutal Ceausescu regime. The judges describe fantasy author Sabaa Tahir’s All My Rage as ‘an unforgettable contemporary novel about family and forgiveness, love and loss, in a story that crosses generations and continents’. It has already won a National Book Award, the Michael J Prinz Award and the Boston Globe Horn Award in the author’s native USA.

Information Books 3-14+                                      

Unspoken written by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Dare Coulter (Andersen)

Lands of Belonging: A History of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Britain written by Vikesh Amey Bhatt, and Donna Amey Bhatt and illustrated by Salini Perera (Nosy Crow)

The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Die written by Peter Lantos (Scholastic)

Whose Tracks in the Snow? Written and illustrated by Alexandra Milton (Boxer Books)

Saving H’Non: Chang and the Elephant written by Trang Nguyen and illustrated by Jeet Zdung (Macmillan)

Darwin & Hooker written by Alexander Stewart and illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (Bloomsbury)

Kwame Alexander repeats his 2021 shortlisting in the Information Books category with The Unspoken, which describes the horrors of slavery yet is balanced with hope for the future. Darwin and Hooker is an accessible biography by Alexander Stewart exploring one of science’s most important friendships and enables reader to understand the struggles of making ground-breaking scientific discoveries.  In a moving autobiographical account, written for children, The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Die, Peter Lantos shares his experiences as a child in Bergen-Belsen.  Husband and wife team Donna and Vikesh Amey Bhat’s Lands of Belonging explores  the rich and complicated history of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Britain. The final book in this wide ranging shortlist demonstrates the variety of text types available. Using a graphic novel scientist-notebook style Saving H’Non: Chang and the Elephant with a mix of Vietnamese art and manga, tells an important environmental story about the work of the Animals Asia Foundation.

For UKLA, giving classroom practitioners the opportunity to read high quality new children’s books is as important as finding an overall winner. Research carried out by members of UKLA (Cremin et al 2008) clearly demonstrated the links between teachers’ knowledge of children’s books and the likelihood of pupils becoming successful readers. Despite this evidence, teachers are seldom given time to read new books or funding to purchase them when they do. As judge Jane Branson said, ‘The book talk with colleagues has been stimulating and invaluable’. Fellow judge Rachel Gonin agreed, ‘My school is definitely a richer, more knowledgeable and better-read place for me having taken part.’

Twelve teachers nominated from the 84 involved in the shortlisting will now form the final judging panel andwill read all the shortlisted books in all categories. The winner’s announcement will take place at the UKLA International Conference at the University of Sussex on 5th July.

The awards are sponsored by LoveReading4Kids and Reading Cloud.