Dolan wins Alligator’s Mouth Award for ‘subversive’ and ‘warm-hearted’ book

Elys Dolan has won The Alligator’s Mouth Award 2023 for her book Rex: Dinosaur in Disguise, published by Walker Books.

Pippa Curnick, winner of the 2022 award, and a judge for the 2023 award, presented Dolan with the Alligator’s Mouth trophy during a ceremony on Thursday 6th July. The award was founded in 2018 by The Alligator’s Mouth Bookshop in partnership with the Bright Agency with the aim of championing and celebrating highly illustrated fiction for children aged six to eight years old.

Margaret Wallace-Jones and Tony West, co-owners of the Alligator’s Mouth Bookshop, commented: “It’s the fifth year of The Alligator’s Mouth Award and the thrills keep coming! We loved the shortlist this year — huge thanks to all the publishers, authors and illustrators involved. Elys’ inventive story of a dinosaur out of step with the modern world is subversive, warm-hearted and very funny, supported by brilliant illustrations. This joyous read will make children fall in love with reading.”

Dolan said: “I never thought my mad book about a lost dinosaur would do anything other than give people a laugh. I’m absolutely delighted. Thank you to my fabulous team at Walker books. Thank you very much to Alligator’s Mouth, thank you Bright Agency, I’m just so happy.”

It was also announced at the ceremony that the Alligator’s Mouth Award, in partnership with the Bright Agency, will be working with publisher DK to produce a collection of stories by award-winning writers and illustrators. World all- language rights for the anthology were acquired by DK’s Children’s publisher Francesca Young from Arabella Stein of the Bright Agency.

Wallace-Jones and West said of the anthology: “We’re incredibly lucky to be partnering with a publisher with such enthusiasm for bringing original, inventive, funny and exciting stories to children at this stage of their reading adventure. We started The Alligator’s Mouth Award to celebrate fantastic illustrated fiction, so this is an amazing moment for us. We’re hugely grateful to Bright and DK for making this dream happen.”

Young commented: “DK are honoured to be publishing this magical title which will be filled to the brim with tremendous stories, just like The Alligator’s Mouth Bookshop. We want this book to be like walking into an emporium of wonders and I cannot wait for readers, young and old, to open the pages of this special anthology and begin their reading journey. It’s a pinch me moment to be publishing this and we are all excited for what the collaboration with Bright, Alligator’s Mouth and DK will bring.”

Stein, head of children’s publishing at Bright, added: ‘We are so thrilled to have helped create this incredible creative partnership between the Alligator’s Mouth and DK, which will result in a prized anthology that champions the spirit of the award. To be able to announce the anthology in the fifth year of the award is such a fantastic moment, and we are excited to bring the award’s work to an even wider readership with the help of DK."  
Books wholesaler Gardners returned this year as an official partner of the award and is offering up to 50% discount on both longlisted and shortlisted titles until the end of July.