Booktrust announces Early Years Awards shortlist

Booktrust announces the shortlist for their fifth annual Early Years Awards

Booktrust is pleased to announce the 2008 shortlist for their Early Years Awards. The shortlisted books all exemplify the remarkable creativity in words, design and illustration necessary to encourage young children to read.

The winner for each category will be announced at an awards ceremony to be held at BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London on the evening of 23 September 2008. Each winner will receive a cheque for £2,000.

Sets of posters promoting the 2008 Booktrust Early Years Awards are available to booksellers and libraries.

The shortlisted books are by category:

Baby Book Award

Baby’s Very First Book: Day illus. Angela Brooksbank (Campbell Books)

Baby Loves Peekaboo! by Dawn Sirett, designer Rachael Parfitt (Dorling Kindersley)

Daddy Hug by Tim Warnes, illus. Jane Chapman (HarperCollins Children’s Books)

Baby Touch: Playtime Book and DVD by Justine Smith, illus. Fiona Land (Ladybird)

Is This My Nose? illus. Georgie Birkett (Red Fox)

Amazing Baby: Rainbow Fun! by Emily Hawkins, illus. Emma Dodd (Templar)

Pre-School Award

It’s a George Thing! by David Bedford, illus. Russell Julian (Egmont Books)

Grizzly Dad by Joanna Harrison (David Fickling Books)

The Cow That Laid an Egg by Andy Cutbill, illus. Russell Ayto (HarperCollins Children’s Books)

Wendel’s Workshop by Chris Riddell (Macmillan Children’s Books)

The Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis, illus. Gwen Millward (Puffin Books)

There’s An Ouch in My Pouch! by Jeanne Willis, illus. Garry Parsons (Puffin Books)

Best Emerging Illustrator

That Yucky Love Thing by Michael Catchpool, illus. Victoria Ball (Gullane Children’s Books)

Here Comes Frankie! by Tim Hopgood (Macmillan Children’s Books)

Eliot Jones, Midnight Superhero by Anne Cottringer, illus. Alex T. Smith (Scholastic Children’s Books)

Bridget Fidget by Joe Berger (Puffin Books)

The Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis, illus. Gwen Millward (Puffin Books)

Ape by Martin Jenkins, illus. Vicky White (Walker Books)

The judges for the 2008 Early Years Awards are Wendy Cooling, children’s Book consultant (Chair); Andrew Clover, author, Sunday Times journalist and actor; John Berry, health visitor; Salma Barakat, librarian, and award winning illustrator Annie Kubler.

For more information on the awards visit www.booktrust.org.uk