Sean Taylor and Zehra Hicks scoop £10,000 2024 Oscar’s Book Prize

Author Sean Taylor and illustrator Zehra Hicks have scooped the £10,000 Oscar’s Book Prize for When Dinosaurs Walked the Earth, published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books. 

The title is described as a "fun tale about the intrepid journey of a little dinosaur named Smallasaurus, who simply wants to enjoy her plant-based diet in peace, but goes on a big adventure along the way". The blurb continues: "This witty and vibrant children’s book brings the prehistoric period into the present day, complete with dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes." 

This year’s shortlist for included Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf by Craig Barr-Green and Francis Martin (Little Tiger), Geoffrey Gets The Jitters by Nadia Shireen (Puffin), Gigantic by Rob Biddulph (HarperCollins Children’s Books) and The Hare-Shaped Hole by John Dougherty and Thomas Docherty (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books).

On winning this year’s prize, Taylor said: “I’m honoured to receive this award and want to raise my hat to all on the shortlist – for the every-day creative wonders they do to keep bright-eyed reading alive. Many thanks to Zehra Hicks for her zingy and zany illustrations and to those who set-up, organised and judged Oscar’s Book Prize. What a great way to honour a boy who loved books. And here’s to giving children lots and lots of happy reading!”

Illustrator Hicks added: “It was an absolute delight to work with Sean on this story. It just jumped out at me and I knew immediately I had to work on it. The humorous storyline had me laughing through the illustration process, plus, it’s not every day you get to draw dinosaurs of all shapes, sizes and colours! I literally think I have the best job in the world! I am thrilled to have collaborated on this book, and thank you to Sean for inspiring me to bring Smallasaurus to life.”

The 2024 judging panel included Zoey Dixon, Librarian of the Year 2020 and The Bookseller Rising Star 2020, children’s author and Oscar’s Book Prize alumnus Chris Haughton, Viveka Alvestrand, who co-founded the literary award in memory of her son Oscar, and Lisa de Meyer, the UK Books Country Manager at Amazon.co.uk.

The award, now in its eleventh year, was set up by James Ashton and Viveka Alvestrand — named in memory of their son Oscar, who was three-and-a-half when he died from an undiagnosed heart condition — and celebrates the joy and magic picture books can bring to young children. In a new development for the prize, 2024 sees the launch of Oscar’s Book Club, which aims to reach children in areas with typically low engagement with the arts. 

Throughout April and May, Oscar’s Book Prize and award supporter, Amazon, will donate this year’s shortlisted books to schools and nurseries across the country via the Amazon Reading Volunteer network, who will also support on the ground with group reading sessions to inspire young children through the magic of reading.

Lisa de Meyer, Amazon UK Books Country Manager, said: “It was an incredibly difficult task to choose a winner from such a fantastic shortlist, but Smallasaurus and his big adventure really captured my heart. Both humorous and full of surprises, When Dinosaurs Walked the Earth truly is a memorable and page-turning picture book. The rhythmic language and colourful illustrations will make it a wonderful addition to Oscar’s Book Club, alongside the other magnificent shortlisted titles. We hope the schools up and down the country receiving these books via the Amazon Reading Volunteers enjoy them as much as us judges did!”