Alligator’s Mouth Award 2022 – Shortlist Announced!

18 May, 2022

The shortlist for the Alligator’s Mouth Award 2022 has been announced. Founded in 2018 by The Alligator’s Mouth Children’s Bookshop and the Bright Agency, the award was set up to celebrate the best highly illustrated children’s fiction titles for 6-8-year-olds. Young illustrated fiction is an often overlooked but important category of children’s books that provides a stepping stone between picture books and longer fiction, helping newly independent readers gain confidence and develop reading stamina.

The shortlisted titles were chosen by a judging panel of children’s book experts, including award-winning author Joseph Elliott, who commented: “With all that’s going on in the world right now, the power of books is more important than ever. Children’s books entertain, inspire, and provide a safe space to escape to, which is often exactly what we need. The books on this list are exceptional, and it’s a joy to be able to celebrate them all.”

Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors and illustrators!

Cover shots of the five shorslited titles for the Alligator's Mouth Award 2022

The 2022 Alligator’s Mouth Award shortlist:

Bad Panda by Swapna Haddow, illustrated by Sheena Dempsey (Faber Children’s)

Indigo Wilde and the Creatures at Jellybean Crescent by Pippa Curnick (Hodder Children’s Books)

Kate on the Case by Hannah Peck (Piccadilly Press)

Space Detectives by Mark Powers, illustrated by Dapo Adeola (Bloomsbury)

The Girl Who Talked to Trees by Natasha Farrant, illustrated by Lydia Corry (Zephyr, Head of Zeus)

The winner of The Alligator’s Mouth Award 2022 will be announced at a special awards ceremony in July 2022. Watch out for our winner announcement.

For more children’s book awards, click here.

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