Jarvis and Alan MacDonald shortlisted for Alligator’s Mouth Award 2024

Jarvis, Alan MacDonald and Elissa Elwick are among the authors and illustrators shortlisted for The Alligator’s Mouth Award 2024.

Now in its sixth year, the prize celebrates authors and illustrators of highly illustrated children’s fiction for six to eight-year-olds. It was founded by The Alligator’s Mouth children’s bookshop in Surrey and The Bright Agency.

A five-strong shortlist was selected this year by a judging panel of children’s book experts, including Alison Leach, the founder of BooksForTopics. “On the shortlist readers will be met with animal adventures, mythical creatures, journeys across the sea, science experiments and fairy tale quests,” Leach said. “These stories have been imaginatively brought to life through a vibrant balance of text and illustration – a hallmark of this important genre for newly independent readers.”

Jarvis is on the list for Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories (Walker Books), alongside MacDonald and Francesca Gambatesa’s Huxley and Flapjack: Race to the Rescue (Little Tiger). Sarah McIntyre and Philip Reeve’s Adventuremice: Otter Chaos (David Fickling Books) is also on the list, as well as Bibi and the Box of Fairy Tales by Vivian French, illustrated by Amy Grimes (Zephyr/Head of Zeus), and Izzy the Inventor and the Unexpected Unicorn, written by Zanna Davidson and illustrated by Elwick (Usborne Publishing).

Joining Leach on the judging panel is last year’s winner, author and illustrator Elys Dolan, author and illustrator Sam Usher, librarian and Bookseller Rising Star Zoey Dixon, and co-owners of The Alligator’s Mouth bookshop Margaret Wallace-Jones and Tony West.

National reading charity Coram Beanstalk has returned as a partner this year, running a competition that offers UK schools the chance to win the longlisted titles, and the competition will run until 2nd June. Moreover, books wholesaler Gardners will return as an official partner of the award, offering a discount of up to 50% on both longlisted and shortlisted titles until the end of July.

The winner will be announced at a special awards ceremony at the end of June 2024.