The winners of the 2023 English 4-11 Picture Book Awards have been announced. Established in 1995, the awards are presented by the English Association to the best children’s picture books of the year.

There are four award categories: Fiction aged 4-7; Non-Fiction aged 4-7; Fiction aged 7-11; and Non-Fiction aged 7-11. In addition, one of the books submitted is chosen as the recipient of the Margaret Mallett Prize for Children’s Non-Fiction, a prize set up in 2017 to honour former primary teacher, Fellow of the English Association, book reviewer and passionate children’s book advocate Margaret Mellett.

This year’s winners were chosen by the editorial board of English 4-11  – the journal for primary teachers published jointly by the English Association and the UKLA – from a shortlist selected by a panel of teachers and primary specialists.

Congratulations to all the winning authors and illustrators!

 

English 4-11 Picture Book Awards – Fiction 4-7 Winner:

Flooded by Mariajo Ilustrajo (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books)

Also shortlisted:

Bibi: A Flamingo’s Tale by Jo Weaver (Hodder Children’s Books)

Five Bears: A Tale of Friendship by Catherine Rayner (Macmillan Children’s Books)

Fox & Son Tailers by Paddy Donnelly (O’Brien Press)

The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish by Chloe Savage (Walker Books)

 

English 4-11 Picture Book Awards -Non-Fiction 4-11 Winner:

Invertebrates Are Cool! by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Abbie Cameron (Graffeg Limited)

Also shortlisted:

Luminous: Living Things That Light Up The Night by Julia Kuo (Greystone Kids)

Wild Life: The Extraordinary Adventures of Sir David Attenborough by Leisa Stewart Sharpe, illustrated by Helen Shoesmith (Hachette Children’s Group)

An Arctic Story: The Animals of the Frozen North by Jane Burnard, illustrated by Kendra Binney (Macmillan Children’s Books

Narhwal: The Arctic Unicorn by Justine Anderson, illustrated by Jo Weaver (Walker Books)

 

English 4-11 Picture Book Awards – Fiction 7-11 Winner:

Paradise Sands by Levi Pinfold (Walker Books)

Also shortlisted:

Saving The Butterfly by Helen Cooper, illustrated by Gill Smith (Walker Books)

Spin To Survive: Deadly Jungle by Emily Hawkins, illustrated by Ruby Fresson (Wide Eyed Editions)

Our Tower by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Richard Johnson (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books)

The Midnight Panther by Poonam Mistry (Templar Publishing)

 

English 4-11 Picture Book Awards – Non-Fiction 7-11 Winner:

Real-Life Dragons and Their Stories Of Survival by Anita Ganeri, illustrated by Jianan Liu (Wayland)

Also shortlisted:

The Magic Of Flight by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Lorna Scobie (Hodder Children’s Books)

Do Bears Poop In The Woods? by Huw Lewis-Jones, illustrated by Sam Caldwell (Thames & Hudson Ltd)

Inside The Body: An Extrarodinary Layer-by-Layer Guide to Human Anatomy by Joëlle Jolivet (Thames & Hudson Ltd)

 

Margaret Mallet Award Winner

Narhwal: The Arctic Unicorn by Justine Anderson, illustrated by Jo Weaver (Walker Books)

For more children’s book awards, click here.