Book of the Year - Children's Non-Fiction & Illustrated
Book of the Year - Children’s Non-Fiction & Illustrated Winner and Shortlist
Proudly supported by The Week Junior Science + Nature
This combined award features books that celebrate the human body and the wonders of science, with rich illustrated titles exploring cultural heritage, emotional complexity and a shopping trip gone delightfully awry. Many of the campaigns prioritised community outreach, nationwide events and creative school initiatives.
Winner
Oh Dear, Look What I Got!
Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
Walker Books
A “timeless” book “made to be the next classic”, said the judging panel of Oh Dear, Look What I Got!, the first collaboration between the author-illustrator duo Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury in decades. The winner of this combined category was called a “masterwork” of “undeniable artistry” by the judges.
This “deceptively simple” picture book, a poem about one boy’s tumultuous shopping trip, was an example of “clever” and “fun” publishing from Walker. The team maximised their time with Rosen and Oxenbury, organising a host of broadcast opportunities and a delightful photoshoot with five live animals featured in the book. Walker worked with numerous Waterstones and independent bookshops to create cosy, inviting window displays. This is a “great book that works hand-in-hand with the publishing”, the panel agreed. Oh Dear, Look What I Got! demonstrates “two titans” working together to produce an “undeniably good book” that will coax young children into reading.
Highly Commended
The Wizard's Guide to Magical Experiments
AJ Wood, Jo Rioux (illustrator)
Magic Cat Publishing
Magic Cat conjured up something special for AJ Wood’s The Wizard’s Guide to Magical Experiments, which aims to reframe science as magic. Jo Rioux’s fantastical cosy illustrations and a removable wizard’s certificate set this book apart. It was selected as Waterstones Book of the Month and featured on Blue Peter. Twenty independent bookshops created window displays, while Wood channelled her magic and produced videos demonstrating experiments from the book.
The Shortlist
Fold-Out + Play: Doll’s House
Ingela P Arrhenius
Nosy Crow
Fold-Out + Play: Doll’s House is both a book and miniature house illustrated in Ingela P Arrhenius’ bold signature style with words from Victorian England. Nosy Crow developed the idea for two years to create a sustainable, price-conscious format and savvily targeted the Christmas gifting market. Character standees were sent to bookshops and a window display competition offered a compelling prize for indie booksellers.
My Rice Is Best
Selina Brown, Maxwell A Oginni (illustrator)
Puffin
Selina Brown’s joyful picture book My Rice Is Best, beautifully illustrated by Maxwell A Oginni, was championed by Puffin. In a first for the publisher, they instigated a four-day takeover of the Black Child Promotions stall on Oxford Street and organised a community launch at Midlands Art Centre, catered for by a local Caribbean vendor. A high-impact school event and a suite of appearances at literary festivals topped off this campaign.
Oh Dear, Look What I Got!
Michael Rosen, Helen Oxenbury (illustrator)
Walker Books
Oh Dear, Look What I Got! is the first collaboration between Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury in 36 years. Walker organised a charming photoshoot with animals at a local school and, on publication day, Rosen and Oxenbury completed back-to-back radio interviews and featured on Channel 5 News. The pair were in demand and so was the book, which was reprinted three times before publication.
Sammy Feels Shy
Tom Percival
Bloomsbury Children's Books
Sammy Feels Shy, the latest instalment in author and illustrator Tom Percival’s Big Bright Feelings series, saw the strongest first week sales of any in the series so far. Bloomsbury clinched impressive supermarket support, including a promotion with Aldi. New social media assets, discussion notes and resources for schools refreshed this book, and a partnership with NSPCC included author visits to supported schools and competition to win books for the library.
The Wizard's Guide to Magical Experiments
AJ Wood, Jo Rioux (illustrator)
Magic Cat Publishing
Magic Cat conjured up something special for AJ Wood’s The Wizard’s Guide to Magical Experiments, which aims to reframe science as magic. Jo Rioux’s fantastical cosy illustrations and a removable wizard’s certificate set this apart. The book was selected as Waterstones Best Book of the Month and featured on Blue Peter. Twenty independent bookshops created window displays, while Wood channelled her magic and produced videos demonstrating experiments from the book.
You and Your Body
Dr Punam Krishan, Verónika Cháves Morales (illustrator)
DK
Practising GP Punam Krishan brings her expertise to You and Your Body, an insightful lift-the-flap book about the human body. She was heavily involved in the campaign, appearing at both Cheltenham Science Festival and Edinburgh Book Festival. DK brought in two sensitivity readers and an educational consultant to read the book and successfully leveraged Krishan’s healthy online following to make her DK’s flagship medical voice for children under the age of seven.
