Books by Barnes, Stowell and Adams win 2023 Information Book Awards

The School Library Association (SLA) has announced the winners of its 2023 Information Book Award (IBA), with children crowning different winners to the judges in every category.

The judges favoured titles touching on key parts of the curriculum, with their overall winner being ABC Pride by Dr Elly Barnes MBE and Louie Stowell, illustrated by Amy Phelps (DK Children). Pupils preferred books that "sparked their excitement and sense of fun" and their overall winner was The Big Book of Mysteries by Tom Adams, illustrated by Yas Imamura (Nosy Crow). 

ABC Pride was also selected by the judges as the winner in the age seven and under category. Meanhile, in the category for books aimed at readers aged eight to 12, the judges selected as the winner A World Full of Journeys and Migrations by Martin Howard, illustrated by Christopher Corr (The Quarto Group). For older readers aged 13 to 16, the judges crowned the winner as Medicine: A Magnificently Illustrated History by Briony Hudson, illustrated by Nick Taylor (Big Picture Press). 

In the Children’s Choice categories, pupils chose Do Bears Poop in the Woods? by Huw Lewis Jones, illustrated by Sam Caldwell (Thames & Hudson) for ages seven and under. Meanwhile, for ages eight to 12, the pupils also selected The Big Book of Mysteries by Tom Adams as the winner. In the category of books for ages 13-16, the pupils’ winner was An Illustrated History of Ghosts, written and illustrated by Adam Allsuch Boardman (Nobrow). 

The Children’s Choice saw its largest ever vote in the history of the IBA thanks to Book Club funding from the Foyle Foundation, which allowed the SLA to send almost 200 schools across the country free packs of the shortlisted books. This meant that schools that would otherwise not have been able to take part due to a lack of budget were given a new opportunity, and the SLA are actively seeking funding in order to continue this work. 

Nearly a hundred people packed the Hachette Children’s Group offices in London to celebrate the 13th year of the award and the breadth of information books published this year. The award has been sponsored by Hachette Children’s Group since its inception and is also supported by book supplier Peters. 

Children’s Choice winner Adams said: “It’s clear from this collection of books, and many more published this year that didn’t make it to the shortlist, that children’s non-fiction is an exciting and innovative place to be. The range of titles and styles is huge which is key as these books fill a different kind of gap to fiction. They are a really important way of discovering ourselves and the world around us."

School librarians commented on how much their pupils enjoyed being part of the judging process. Fran Fletcher, school librarian at Hampton College, said: “They spent a long time flicking through and reading pages of text that grabbed their attention. They loved the modern and sometimes unusual approach in these books, compared to the more standard non-fiction we have in the library.” 

Alison Tarrant, c.e.o. of the School Library Association, said: “It’s clear that information books play a key role in children reading for pleasure and I urge any schools thinking of ditching their non-fiction titles in favour of the internet, to reconsider and fully address the impact that reducing choice and breadth of reading material can have on reading journeys.” 

The SLA is now accepting submissions for the 2024 Information Book Award and interested publishers can visit its website to find out how to enter.