Produced by The Bookseller, The British Book Awards, also known as the Nibbies, are the definitive celebration of the UK’s best-loved books and authors. This year LoveReading4Kids are thrilled to be sponsoring the Children's Illustrated Book of the Year - read on for the winners and the shortlisted books in the children's categories.
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Children’s Fiction Book of the Year
Children’s Non-fiction Book of the Year
Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year
S F Said’s Blakeian adventure, strikingly illustrated by Dave McKean, was nine years in the making, with publisher David Fickling Books determined not to rush the book to market until it was fully ready. This patience paid off: Tyger is the independent publisher’s second-bestselling fiction hardback ever and the title is now in its fifth reprint. The publisher utilised the glowing reviews from early readers to build connections with key retailers, ensuring the book stood out in a crowded children’s market. One judge said: “This to me feels like a book I really want children to read and have access to.” The “synergy” between the text and illustrations was applauded, with our judges agreeing that Tyger already “felt like a classic”. A “stand-out”, they all concluded.
Dr Alex George, UK Youth Mental Health Ambassador and a former A&E doctor, brought his personal experience to A Better Day, an empowering mental health handbook aimed at children aged nine to 11. The title is taken from the author’s regular social media message that “there is always hope of a better day”. The handbook format with curved edges was admired by our judges, who also praised the balance between the text and the illustrations by The Boy Fitz Hammond. A Better Day was the bestselling début children’s non-fiction book in 2022, according to figures from Nielsen BookScan. “It’s a book that will really save lives”, agreed our judges, as it offers practical techinques for young readers to use when faced with issues from exam stress to peer pressure.
The judges fell in love with the “beautiful” and “joyous” message of Harry Woodgate’s picture book, Grandad’s Camper. This “gentle and heart-warming” tale, a celebration of love in all its forms which was inspired by the lack of older LGBTQ+ characters in children’s books, was awarded Best Illustrated Book at the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize in 2022. Author Woodgate worked hard to promote the book: decorating the windows of six bookshops across the UK, creating postcards for the Queer Lit bookshop, and teaming up with National Literacy Trust to create KS1 resources for schools to use alongside the book. The “purity” and “simplicity” of the book’s message and the drive behind the “hell for leather” marketing campaign from Andersen Press made it a winner for our judges.
The British Book Awards or Nibbies has been the leading awards for the book trade since 1990. Celebrating the best books, the best bookshops and the best publishers it is supported by all major industry associations including The Publishers Association, The Booksellers Association and the Independent Publishers Guild. Judged by leading industry experts it is regarded as ‘the BAFTAs of the book trade’.
Split into 12 categories, the shortlists reflect the diversity and breadth of the publishing industry, and new for 2022 is split in the children's award to create two separate new categories, Non-fiction and Illustrated.
