The English Association is proud to present the winners of the 2024 English 4-11 Picture Book Awards.

Established in 1995, the awards are presented by the English Association to the best children’s picture books of the year. Awards are given to Fiction and Non-Fiction in age ranges 4-7 years and 7-11 years. The winning books are chosen by the editorial board of English 4-11, the journal for primary teachers published by the English Association, the National Association for the Teaching of English, and the United Kingdom Literacy Association, from a shortlist selected by a panel of teachers and Primary specialists. Each year, one of the books submitted to the English 4-11 Picture Book Awards is selected as the recipient of the Margaret Mallett Award for Children’s Non-Fiction. The winners in each category, plus the winner of this year’s Margaret Mallett Award for Children’s Non-Fiction, were announced at the Awards Ceremony on Saturday 25 May 2024.

The Chair of the judging panel, Dr Sally Wilkinson, commented:
"We’re so pleased to share with you this diverse selection of books, all of which exemplify the partnership of words and images. There’s something for every classroom: non-fiction to pore over and explore, and fiction to delight and entrance. It’s a pleasure to celebrate debut books (like Bethan Frang’s wonderfully silly Holey Moley, illustrated perfectly by Anders Frang) alongside books from established and well-loved authors and illustrators (like Jackie Morris and Cathy Fisher’s lyrical tale, The Panda’s Child). We’re celebrating books that are deserved winners of a host of other awards, like Atinuke and Kingsley Nebechi’s powerful and empathetic Brilliant Black British History. Sophy Henn’s series of LIFESIZE animals continues with Deadly Animals, sure to enrapture teachers and pupils alike; and Saving H’Non: Chang and the Elephant builds on the success of Trang Nguyen and Jeet Zdung’s previous collaboration. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the publishers, authors, and illustrators who sent in books to the Awards, and we look forward to reading next year’s submissions!"

Non-fiction 4-7
LIFESIZE Deadly Animals by Sophy Henn
The reader’s attention is grabbed by the title and the front cover image of a great white shark baring its teeth. This is followed by a title page where the lifesize talons of a harpy eagle are going to literally hook into you.  However, you also can’t resist laying your hands over them – just how much bigger are they?  This is the fourth group of animals that Sophy Henn has considered within a large format picturebook with many opportunities and much encouragement for young readers to see how they and their significant adults measure up to them.  Whilst you could predict some of the chosen predators, others such as dragonflies, the Vietnamese centipede and Bengal slow loris are likely to surprise.  The textured, bold illustrations and conversational text beg for this book to be read aloud.  Young readers are promised an adventure and won’t be disappointed.  There are plenty of interesting facts (including some to make you squirm) interspersed with fun questions.   Ones such as “Can you lick your own armpit?” and “Is your tongue as long as this lion’s?” guarantee readers will explore and compare.  At the end, even the book itself becomes a non-standard unit of measurement enabling the length of a selection of the animals to be explained.

Fiction 4-7
Holey Moley by Bethan Clarke and Anders Frang
If you delight in the hilarious and revel in the ridiculous, you’re going to love this romp in rhyme. Gus the Goat, who enjoys guessing games, meets Mavis Mole and immediately imagines Mavis as a moley in a holey. When Mavis objects, Gus persists and before long Mavis is characterised as a ‘rock n’ rolly, roly-poly, guacamole, sausage rolly, poley, bowley, in a holey, moley!’ Children soon pick up on the playful theme and you can expect a chorus of voices as everyone joins in with the fun, puns and strung-together rhymes. This is a debut book by Bethan Clarke and the pairing with Anders Frang is a perfect match. Frang uses whole double-page spreads to show each complete scene that Gus imagines for Mavis as they walk through the woods guessing where Mavis might live. The illustrations are bold and colourful with eye-catching simplicity. The words are playful, poetic and laugh-out-loud funny. Expect your classroom to reverberate with nonsense rhymes after reading this book and get ready to read it again and again.

Non-fiction 7-11
Brilliant Black British History by Atinuke and Kingsley Nebechi
Brilliant Black British History is one of the most powerful children’s non-fiction books that has been published over the past few years. Everything about it is of the highest quality, from the eye-catching front cover to the way that the information is organised so effectively in chronological order. The book begins by talking about how many of the first Britons were originally Black, before exploring Black Roman Britain, the rise of Christianity and Islam, and the beginning of the British Empire. It then addresses the Triangular Slave Trade, the role of Black Britons in the First and Second World Wars, and the Windrush Generation, going into detail about some of the challenges that Black Britons have faced in the UK over the past few decades. The final page talks about Black Lives Matter, pointing out that there is still a lot of work to do in fighting racism and prejudice, and almost provides a rallying cry for readers. Although the book touches on challenging and difficult issues throughout, it explains them clearly and empathetically, using language that children will understand. It’s a book that will certainly make children think and reflect, as well as providing a fantastic springboard to further reading and learning. It links beautifully to history and geography topics that are taught in primary schools and will help ensure that Black History is embedded throughout the entire school year and not just for a month in October.

Fiction 7-11
The Panda’s Child by Jackie Morris and Cathy Fisher
A baby is lost for seven days and miraculously found in the care of a panda deep in the forest. A strong bond is formed between the villages and the bear. When the child is nine years old, exotic strangers arrive with hunting dogs and an empty bamboo cage to fill with a prize for their great ruler. They capture the Panda’s child and the villagers watched horrified at the boy’s betrayal of the huddled, terrified forest creature. The boy insists he will keep the panda’s child alive for the men, if allowed to return with them as they claim their reward. Ashamed, his mother and village turn their backs on the boy. As they travel back, the boy tricks the men and frees horses, elephants and cuts the cords of the cage to take the Panda’s child away, trusting the forest to keep them safe. Waking angry and feeling foolish, the men set off on their trail driven with murderous vengeance.  This tale explores themes of love, loyalty and connections with nature. The story is recounted through lyrical prose in three engaging chapters, ending with a magical conclusion. An exciting plot pits a brave young hero against a group of cruel, mercenary strangers. The hero’s intelligence and care for the forest and its inhabitants outwit and overcome the wickedness of the men; a wonderful theme in a book which will appeal to readers 7+ years.

The Margaret Mallett Award for Children’s Non-Fiction
Saving H’Non: Chang and the Elephant by Trang Nguyen and Jeet Zdung
Following the success of their first collaboration, Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear (Winner of the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration), Vietnamese wildlife conservationist and writer, Trang Nguyen and award-winning manga artist Jeet Zoung have reunited to produce another stunning graphic adventure novel based on the real-life rescue of a sixty-year-old Asian elephant named H’Non. A young, female, wildlife conservationist, Chang (a younger version of Trang Nguyen herself) is working for an organisation called Animals Asia Foundation in Vietnam, when she encounters H’Non for the first time. H’Non has been cruelly treated and abused by humans and is suffering from a damaged spine and a broken leg and tail when Chang and her boss intervene. They discover that H’Non was taken from her mother when she was only four years old and, since then, has spent her entire life carrying heavy timber logs and concrete poles in the construction industry before being forced to carry tourists at local visitor attractions. The story follows H’Non’s astonishing journey back to health and freedom. This inspirational book is crammed with detail and incredible, jaw-dropping illustrations. Facts about elephants (in the form of Chang’s notes and sketches) are skilfully woven throughout the text which help the reader to appreciate the unique nature of the animal. The narrative surrounding H’Non’s rescue and recovery is enriched by these details. This is a beautiful and, ultimately, uplifting and empowering story, highlighting the vital importance of wildlife conservation. It also shows young readers how one individual and their perseverance, dedication and tenacity can change the world for the better.

You can find information on previous winners of the Picture Book Awards on their website: https://englishassociation.ac.uk/english-4-11-picture-book-awards/