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Event Assets - Nibbies

Book of the Year - Children's Illustrated

Supported by Lovereadingforkids

Graphic novels make their stamp on this year’s shortlist with Alice Oseman’s heart-warming Heartstopper series making a return alongside the latest Bunny vs Monkey adventure from Jamie Smart. The shortlist is rounded off with a seasonal tale, the debut from George Webster and a celebration of King Charles III.

Winner

Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-Up!

Jamie Smart

David Fickling Books

Jamie Smart's "phenomenal" graphic novel Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-Up! claimed top spot in this category. Smart enjoyed a personal best in 2023, ending the year as one of the UK's top-selling graphic novelists with his best annual sales ever. One judge called the anarchic Bunny vs Monkey series a "game changer". It is "undiluted reading for pleasure", added another.

David Fickling Books' investment in Smart impressed our judges, with the supermarket support for Mix-Up! declared a "major coup". "This is what happens when you nurture an author to the point where they go 'boom'," our panel agreed. DFB's "bold" and "admirable" campaign utilised its resources effectively to make Multiverse Mix-Up! the breakout title of the Bunny vs Monkey series and push Smart to a new level of sales.

The Shortlist

Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-up

Written and illustrated by Jamie Smart

David Fickling Books

Jamie Smart saw off 2023 as the year’s top-selling graphic novelist and David Fickling Books aimed to cement him as a market leader with Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-Up!. DFB’s fun and interactive campaign strategy, which included a large installation at Waterstones Piccadilly over February half-term and a “Laugh Yourself Silly” initiative with supermarkets, made this the bestselling Bunny vs Monkey publication yet.

Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea

Written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey

Scholastic

Dubbed the “godfather of the children’s graphic novel”, the 11th instalment in Dav Pilkey’s hilarious series marked a 27% increase in year-on-year sales for the author-illustrator, despite a two-year hiatus. Scholastic managed a supermarket sweep and support from W H Smith and Waterstones to produce a slew of kid-safe and family targeted advertising to make Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea the second-bestselling graphic novel of 2023 in the UK.

Heartstopper: Volume 5

Written and illustrated by Alice Oseman

Hodder Children’s Books

The fifth instalment in Alice Oseman’s iconic series celebrating queer love and friendship became the fastest-selling graphic novel ever in a globally orchestrated publication. Not only did Heartstopper rack up the highest pre-order sales of any Hodder Children’s Book title, but the Waterstones exclusive edition also sold out in under an hour. A cover reveal with Cosmopolitan and a takeover at Hay Festival helped bring readers old and new to the series.

The King's Pants

Written and illustrated by Nicholas Allan

Andersen Press

In celebration of King Charles III’s coronation, Nicholas Allan’s funny picture book The King’s Pants benefited from an award-winning marketing campaign and pant-tastic advertising with a coronation activity pack, bunting artwork and a window installation at Waterstones Piccadilly. Andersen Press also ran a fundraiser, asking artists to create their own “Coronation Pants” artwork for auction, and donated more than £10,000 to charity in aid of people affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

This is Me

George Webster and Claire Taylor, illustrated by Tim Budgen

Scholastic

George Webster’s joyful picture book based on his life celebrates representation and inclusion. Co-written with Claire Taylor and illustrated by Tim Budgen, This Is Me was treated with the utmost care in-house, with Webster’s comfort prioritised at every moment of the campaign. Scholastic secured a spread of national newspaper and broadcast opportunities, including interviews on “The One Show” and “BBC Breakfast”, to help launch the CBeebies presenter as a new voice in children’s literature.

We're Going on a Ghost Hunt

Martha Mumford, illustrated by Cherie Zamazing

Bloomsbury Children's Books

This spooky lift-the-flap Halloween adventure marks the latest instalment in Martha Mumford and Cherie Zamazing’s Bunny Adventures series. Despite running an author-less campaign, Bloomsbury was determined to make this book a seasonal moment, creating a bewitching foil-accented cover and obtaining prime positioning across supermarkets to make We’re Going on a Ghost Hunt a number one Sunday Times bestseller for eight consecutive weeks.