The inaugural Inclusive Books for Children Book Prize, worth £30,000, has announced Too Green!, You’re So Amazing! and Meet the Maliks, Twin Detectives as the winners.
The inaugural award is hosted by Inclusive Books for Children (IBC), a charity with a free website for families that helps them choose books for a more inclusive bookshelf. It was founded by Marcus and Sarah Satha in 2022.
The awards span three categories for different ages, with £10,000 going to the winner of each category. Too Green! (Barefoot Books), written by Sumana Seeboruth and illustrated by Maribel Castells, was named winner of the Baby and Toddler category. It features an ethnically diverse family and LGBTQIA+ representation, judges said.
You’re So Amazing!, written by James and Lucy Catchpole and illustrated by Karen George, scooped Best Picture Book, and offers disabled representation, written from an Own-Voice perspective, as well as a diverse cast.
Finally the Children’s Fiction award went to Meet the Maliks, Twin Detectives: The Cookie Culprit, written by Zanib Mian and illustrated by Kyan Cheng. It features features Muslim South Asian representation, an extended family and is an Own-Voices story.
The winners were chosen from a shortlist including Joseph Coelho, Anna McQuinn and Ruth Hearson, announced last month.
Awards judge, author and host Jeffrey Boakye said: “Being on the judging panel for the Inclusive Books for Children Awards has reminded me just how vital it is for there to be a range of voices and experiences within children’s publishing. The shortlist alone provides a powerful example of how rich children’s publishing can be once it welcomes a diverse breadth of narratives and perspectives. These books are joyous and celebratory, while also countering the limited perspectives that can come from dominant narratives.”
Fabia Turner, head of content at IBC, said: “We’re proud to have launched our brand new awards to showcase the best inclusive books on offer for children and families right now in the UK. There’s so much rich experience, authentic representation and pure joy to be found in the pages of these stories. Huge congratulations to the winners, the shortlisted authors and illustrators, and everyone else involved in making our 2024 awards such a great success.”