• Longlist for The Alligator’s Mouth Award 2024 announced.​

• Jarvis, Philip Reeve & Sarah McIntyre among longlisted authors and illustrators.

• 10 books make the list, with two from both Usborne Publishing and Zephyr.

• “Expect fairy-tale lands, envelopes and invitations, maps, guitars, bank robbery, friendship and fireworks” – Tony West and Margaret Wallace-Jones on the longlist.

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Ten books have been longlisted for The Alligator’s Mouth Award 2024, which champions authors and illustrators of highly illustrated children’s fiction. Now in its sixth year, the children’s book prize created by The Alligator’s Mouth children’s bookshop and The Bright Agency, celebrates the best books for 6-8-year-olds.

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Librarian and Bookseller Rising Star Zoey Dixon joined the judging panel this year, alongside last year’s winner Elys Dolan. Elys won the 2023 award with Rex: Dinosaur in Disguise (Walker Books).

 

Zoey commented: “I'm so excited for the longlist to be revealed. There were so many amazing titles nominated that it was quite a tough job choosing these ten. The Alligator's Award is such a unique and special award, and this longlist really showcases the amazing range of books out there for this age range. There are stories of magic, myth, adventure and even poetry. I'm sure that they will be loved by everyone just as much as me and the judges loved them.”

 

The full longlist for The Alligator’s Mouth Award 2024:

• Adventuremice: Otter Chaos by Philip Reeve & Sarah McIntyre (David Fickling Books)

• Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories written & illustrated by Jarvis (Walker Books)

• Bibi and the Box of Fairy Tales written by Vivian French, illustrated by Amy Grimes (Zephyr)

• Blanksy the Street Cat written by Gavin Puckett, illustrated by Allen Fatimaharan (Faber)

• Huxley and Flapjack: Race to the Rescue written by Alan MacDonald, illustrated by Francesca Gambatesa (Little Tiger)

• Izzy the Inventor and the Unexpected Unicorn written by Zanna Davidson, illustrated by Elissa Elwick (Usborne Publishing)

• Kate on the Case: The Headline Hoax written & illustrated by Hannah Peck (Bonnier Books)

• Man-Man and the Tree of Memories written by Yaba Badoe, illustrated by Joelle Avelino, (Zephyr)

• Princess Minna: The Best Princess written by Kirsty Applebaum, illustrated by Sahar Haghgoo (Nosy Crow)

• Tiny, the Secret Adventurer written by Aisha Bushby, illustrated by Kübra Teber (Usborne Publishing)

 

Also on the 2024 judging panel is award winning author/illustrator Sam Usher; Founder of BooksForTopics Alison Leach; and co-owners of The Alligator’s Mouth children’s bookshop, Margaret Wallace-Jones and Tony West.

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Tony West and Margaret Wallace-Jones of The Alligator's Mouth said: “This is a joyous longlist – the last year has produced a bumper crop of brilliant books for budding bookworms and we're so happy to celebrate these original, creative and exciting stories. Expect fairy-tale lands, envelopes and invitations, maps, guitars, bank robbery, friendship and fireworks - written with panache and illustrated with gusto!”

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Books wholesaler Gardners returns as an official partner of the award and are offering independent bookshops across the UK up to 50% discount on all ten longlisted titles from the 6th March 2024 until the 31st July 2024.

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The award is also working with Coram Beanstalk, the UK’s first and longest serving children’s national reading charity to run a competition that gives readers the opportunity to win the longlisted books for their school library. 

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The shortlist will be announced in May 2024. The winner will be announced at the award party in June 2024.

Keep up to date with the awards at www.thealligatorsmouth.co.uk/award and on X by following #AlligatorsAward