Indies offered discount on Alligator’s Mouth Award longlist

Gardners is offering independent bookshops at least 50% off the books longlisted for the inaugural Alligator’s Mouth Award, including titles by Alex T Smith, Nick Sharratt and Katie & Kevin Tsang.

The Alligator’s Mouth Award was created last year by Richmond-based children’s bookshop The Alligator’s Mouth, in partnership with illustration and literary agency The Bright Agency, to champion young, illustrated fiction for readers aged six to eight.

This year 10 titles have made the longlist, including two from Simon & Schuster (Lyttle Lies: The Stinky Truth by Joe Berger and Nothing to See Here Hotel written by Steven Butler and illustrated by Steven Lenton); and two from Hachette Children’s Books (Mr Penguin and the Fortress of Secrets by Alex T Smith and Rabbit and Bear: Attack of the Snack written by Julian Gough and illustrated by Jim Field).

Gardners, supported by the publishers under the Gardners Independent Booksellers Affiliate Programme, is offering independent bookshops in UK a 50-60% discount on all of the longlisted titles in March, April and May.

Tony West and Margaret Wallace-Jones, co-owners of The Alligator's Mouth, said: “We have been delighted by the range and quality of submissions for the award and we've hugely enjoyed discovering new authors and illustrators. Every book on the longlist has earned its place and will help children become readers. We look forward to a lively discussion about the shortlist.”

West and Wallace-Jones will judge the longlist alongside illustrator Axel Scheffler, poet Joseph Coelho, literature expert Andrea Reece, teacher and blogger Ben Cooper and Arabella Stein of The Bright Agency.

The shortlist will be announced on 8th May and the winning book will be revealed at an awards ceremony in London on 13th June. The winning author and illustrator will each receive a trophy and an original signed piece of children’s illustration artwork.

The longlist in full:

Dave Pigeon (Racer!) written by Swapna Haddow and illustrated by Sheena Dempsey (Faber & Faber)

Knights and Bikes written by Gabrielle Kent and illustrated by Rex Crowle & Luke Newell (Knights of)

Lyttle Lies: The Stinky Truth written and illustrated by Joe Berger (Simon & Schuster)

Mr Penguin and the Fortress of Secrets written and illustrated by Alex T. Smith (Hachette Children’s Books)

Nice Work for the Cat and the King written and illustrated by Nick Sharratt (Scholastic Children’s Books)

Nothing to See Here Hotel written by Steven Butler and illustrated by Steven Lenton (Simon & Schuster)

Rabbit and Bear: Attack of the Snack written by Julian Gough and illustrated by Jim Field (Hachette Children’s Books)

Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of Sharks! written by Katie & Kevin Tsang and illustrated by Nathan Reed (Egmont)

The Legend of Kevin written by Philip Reeve and illustrated by Sarah McIntyre (Oxford University Press)

Trouble in New York: The Travels of Ermine (who is very determined) written by Jennifer Gray and illustrated by Elisa Paganelli (Usborne Children’s Books)