Curnick wins The Alligator’s Mouth Award with 'glorious' children's book

Pippa Curnick has been crowned the winner of The Alligator’s Mouth Award for her illustrated children’s book Indigo Wilde and the Creatures at Jellybean Crescent (Hodder Children’s Books).

The award, which returned this year as a live ceremony after a two-year hiatus, celebrates highly illustrated children’s fiction and is organised by The Alligator’s Mouth bookshop and the Bright Agency, in association with Gardners.

Sophy Henn, winner of the 2021 award with Pizazz (Simon & Schuster Children’s UK), was a judge for the 2022 award, and commented: "It was super tough picking just one book from such a brilliant shortlist but in Indigo Wilde Pippa combines her brilliant text and glorious illustrations to such effect that you just can’t help but jump in and be swept along on this hilarious and fantastical adventure. A wonderful winner."

Alongside Henn, the panel of children’s book experts who picked the winning title included author Joseph Elliott, rapping teacher and literacy advocate MC Grammar, reading consultant and book blogger Jo Cummins and Alligator’s Mouth co-owners Margaret Wallace-Jones and Tony West.

Wallace-Jones and West expressed their gratitude to all the industry members who contributed to the longlist and shortlist. They added: "It was a strong field with a worthy winner which embodies everything we are looking for in The Alligator’s Mouth Award. Indigo Wilde is a wonderful, colourful bestiary of a book that children up and down the country will be thrilled to investigate. Indigo and her brother Quigley are funny, plucky and resourceful in a houseful of increasingly entertaining chaos. This is illustrated fiction at its brightest and best and we love it."

This year, the award partnered with Fun Kids, the UK’s only national radio station for six to 12-year-olds, and Coram Beanstalk, the national reading charity, to run a competition giving school libraries a chance to win the longlisted titles.