Too Green! by Sumana Seeboruth, illustrated by Maribel Castells (Barefoot Books), You’re So Amazing! by James and Lucy Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George (Faber & Faber) and Meet the Maliks, Twin Detectives: The Cookie Culprit by Zanib Mian, illustrated by Kyan Cheng (Hodder Children’s Books) have been crowned the winners of the inaugural Inclusive Books for Children Awards.

Set up last year by new charity Inclusive Books for Children, the awards aim to showcase amazing, inclusive books that children and their families will love to read. There are three award categories:

• Books for babies and toddlers (ages 1-3)
• Picture books for ages 3-7
• Children’s fiction for ages 5-9

Commenting on the awards, judge and author 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, whilst also countering the limited perspectives that can come from dominant narratives.’

Fabia Turner, head of content at Inclusive Books for Children, said: ‘We’re incredibly 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.

Congratulations to all the winning authors and illustrators!

Inclusive Books for Children Awards 2024 – Winning Titles

Baby and Toddler Books: Too Green! by Sumana Seeboruth, illustrated by Maribel Castells (Barefoot Books)

Picture Books for Ages 3-7: You’re so Amazing! by James and Lucy Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George (Faber & Faber)

Children’s Fiction for Ages 5-9: Meet the Maliks, Twin Detectives: The Cookie Culprit by Zanib Mian, illustrated by Kyan Cheng (Hodder Children’s Books)

See all 13 of this year’s shortlisted titles here.

Inclusive Books for Children also runs an open access book review website dedicated to helping families and educators build more inclusive library collections. The website showcases stories that represent all types of families and a variety of ethnicities, as well as portraying positive images of disabilities and different identities.