Adeola, Lacey and Soundar longlisted for £30k Inclusive Books for Children Awards

Dapo Adeola, Josh Lacey and Chitra Soundar are among the authors and illustrators whose books are on the 19-strong longlist for the £30,000 Inclusive Books for Children Awards.

The longlist celebrates the best books demonstrating inclusivity from the past year across two categories, comprising picture books for ages three to seven and children’s fiction for ages five to nine. Longlistees were chosen from nearly 200 submissions featuring protagonists that were either a racialised minority, disabled, neurodiverse or part of the LGBTQ+ community. The judges also considered the depictions of diverse family structures and casts of characters, as well as challenges to gender stereotypes.

Illustrator Adeola and author Nathan Bryon are in the running for Speak Up! (Puffin), while Lacey is on the list for The Pet Potato, illustrated by Momoko Abe (Andersen Press). Soundar is represented twice on the list with Nikhil and Jay: Off to India, illustrated by Soofiya (Otter-Barry Books) and Sona Sharma Wish Me Luck, illustrated by Jen Khatun (Walker Books).

Other titles on the longlist include My Brother is an Avocado by Tracy Darnton, illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail (Simon & Schuster Children’s UK) and To The Other Side written and illustrated by Erika Meza (Hachette Children’s Group). Joseph Coelho is also longlisted for the prize with Budgie, illustrated by David Barrow (Barrington Stoke), and Atinuke is on the list with Too Small Tola Makes It Count, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu (Walker Books).

The third category, books for babies and toddlers one to three years old, will go straight to shortlist and will be announced in January due to the low number of submissions.

Sarah Satha, co-founder of Inclusive Books for Children, said: "The longlisted books beautifully distil a broad vision of life and culture not just in the UK but around the world. The pages of each book are filled with the words and art of creatives with such immense talent and varied perspectives and experiences; reading them is a profoundly joyous experience.”

The longlist in full:

The ten titles in the picture book category for ages three to seven are:

• Dadaji’s Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane (Andersen Press)
• Faruq and the Wiri Wiri by Sophia Payne, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat (Templar Publishing)
• Lost in the City, by Alice Courtley, illustrated by Alice Courtley (Orchard Books)
• My Brother is an Avocado by Tracy Darnton, illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail (Simon & Schuster Children’s UK)
• Speak Up! by Nathan Bryon, illustrated by Dapo Adeola (Puffin)
• Stop! That’s Not My Story! by Smriti Halls, illustrated by Erika Meza (Simon & Schuster Children’s UK)
• To The Other Side written and illustrated by Erika Meza (Hachette Children’s Group)
• The Missing Piece by Jordan Stephens, illustrated by Beth Suzannah (Bloomsbury Publishing)
• The Pet Potato, by Josh Lacey, illustrated by Momoko Abe (Andersen Press)
• You’re So Amazing by James and Lucy Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George (Faber & Faber)

The nine titles in the children’s fiction category for ages five to nine are:

• Budgie by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by David Barrow (Barrington Stoke)
• Lizzie and Lucky: The Mystery of the Lost Chicken by Megan Rix, illustrated by Tim Budgen (Puffin)
• Marv and the Killer Plants by Alex Falase-Koya, illustrated by Paula Bowles (Oxford Children’s Books)
• Meet the Maliks Twin Detectives: The Cookie Culprit by Zanib Mian, illustrated by Kyan Cheng (Hodder Children’s Books)
• Nikhil and Jay: Off to India by Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Soofiya (Otter-Barry Books)
• Princess Minna: The Best Princess by Kirsty Applebaum, illustrated by Sahar Haghgoo (Nosy Crow)
• Sona Sharma Wish Me Luck by Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Jen Khatun (Walker Books)
• Secret Beast Club: The Dragons of Emerald Yard by Robin Birch, illustrated by Jobe Anderson (Puffin)
• Too Small Tola Makes It Count by Atinuke, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu (Walker Books)