Can You Tickle A Tiger? crowned BookTrust Storytime winner

Can You Tickle A Tiger? (Imagine That) by Bobbie Brooks and illustrated by Carrie Hennon has been crowned as the winner of the £5,000 BookTrust Storytime Prize.

It was voted for by librarians and families who participated in the nine-month long BookTrust Storytime project, and recognised as the best new book for sharing with young children.

The interactive jungle animal-themed book was written under the pen-name of Brooks by author Gemma Cooper. The prize money is awarded to the book, so in this instance it will be split between Cooper and Hennon.

Other shortlisted titles included Nature Trail by Benjamin Zephaniah and Nila Aye (Orchard Books), The Duck Who Didn’t Like Water by Steve Small (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books), The Horse That Jumped by Thomas Docherty (Farshore, Harper Collins), Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry by Michelle Robinson and Jez Tuya (Anderson Press) and Zoom: Farm Adventure by Susan Hayes and Aviel Basil (What on Earth Books). 

Now in its second year, BookTrust Storytime is designed to support libraries across England and Northern Ireland to inspire and engage families with children under the age of five to share stories and visit libraries as part of their family reading journeys. The programme has a particular focus on support for low-income backgrounds as children from these families face greater barriers at school, with their health and wellbeing, and later life chances.  

Through the scheme, BookTrust provided libraries with six specially shortlisted books suitable for sharing with babies and children in their early years and a specially designed suite of resources including activity sheets to accompany the shortlisted books, materials that encourage exploration of libraries and certificates and sticker books that librarians use to engage children.

BookTrust said: “This year the programme ran for nine months [last year it ran for six weeks], giving libraries the time to engage with families on different occasions and with a range of activities. It was designed in partnership with families, libraries and local authorities, aiming to deliver experiences for families which built up their confidence and enjoyment of sharing books with their children and inspired them to read outside of the library sessions.”

Diana Gerald, BookTrust c.e.o. said: “A fantastic storytime experience needs brilliant librarians who are experts in supporting children and families and a fabulous selection of books that capture the imagination and curiosity of even the youngest children. We’re incredibly grateful to all our library and local authority partners and all the shortlisted authors and illustrators for their continued support.   

“Congratulations to Gemma and Carrie on their wonderfully interactive book Can You Tickle A Tiger?, a truly deserving winner of the BookTrust 2023 Storytime Prize which children and families will want to keep enjoying together.”  

Cooper said: “Carrie and I had so much fun creating the book. When we were developing ideas, we both had the same idea at the same time and shouted ‘Tickle!’ at each other. That idea influenced the bright illustrations and the rhyming words, as well as the tactile felt trails on every page, and we had great fun imagining which animals children would love to tickle. So to learn that children and families have voted for the book in this way is just wonderful.   

“We are both delighted that Can You Tickle a Tiger? has won the BookTrust 2023 Storytime Prize, and we appreciate all the important work that BookTrust and libraries do to support children in accessing stories and books in their local libraries. We hope that this prize rightly shines a spotlight on the amazing work that librarians do in supporting their communities and encouraging a love of reading for all.”  

Last year’s prize went to Katrina Charman’s The Whales on the Bus, illustrated by Nick Sharratt (Bloomsbury Children’s).