Wheatle, Balen and Earle make Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards shortlists

Alex Wheatle, Katya Balen and Phil Earle have been shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards for the first time.

They are joined on the shortlists by four debut children’s authors, with Sue Divin in the running for the Carnegie and George Butler, Danica Novgorodoff and Peter Van den Ende on the Kate Greenaway list. 

Second novels from 2021 Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice winner Manjeet Mann and 2017 Carnegie-shortlisted author Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock have also secured a place, while double Kate Greenaway Medal-winners Sydney Smith (2018 & 2021) and Emily Gravett (2005 & 2008) have a shot at a third.

On the Kate Greenaway list, Walker Books leads the way again, with Drawn Across Borders illustrated and written by George Butler, The Midnight Fair illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio and written by Gideon Sterer, and I Talk Like a River illustrated by Sydney Smith, written by Jordan Scott. 

Andersen Press claims two titles on the eight-strong Carnegie list, with Earle’s When the Sky Falls and Wheatle’s Cane Warriors.

The awards celebrate outstanding achievement in children’s writing and illustration respectively and are unique in being judged by children’s and youth librarians, with the Shadowers’ Choice Award voted for by children and young readers. The longlist was chosen by a team of volunteer judges, featuring 14 librarians from The Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals’ Youth Libraries Group, based across the UK.

Winners will be announced on 16th June at a lunchtime ceremony at the British Library, hosted by award-winning poet and novelist Dean Atta, who won the Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice for The Black Flamingo (Hachette Children’s) in 2020.

"My fellow judges and I are proud of our 16-strong shortlist of books for the Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards, which we hope will excite, move and empower the young readers who pick them up, including the thousands shadowing this year’s awards," chair Jennifer Horan said. "On a personal level, having a research interest in the link between children’s literature and empathy, I’m thrilled that our Yoto Carnegie shortlist showcases how friendship can help young people find the strength to navigate a path through challenging times. 

"We’re also delighted to celebrate the power of pictures, not only on the Yoto Kate Greenaway list but in a couple of Carnegie titles too. Many of our shortlisted books remind us that art can help us to communicate and connect with young people when words sometimes fail us. The shadowing groups and our young readers now share the judges’ difficult task of picking two winners from this rich pool of talent.”

Kate Greenaway shortlist:
Drawn Across Borders illustrated and written by George Butler (Walker Books)
The Midnight Fair illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio, written by Gideon Sterer (Walker Books)
Too Much Stuff illustrated and written by Emily Gravett (Two Hoots, Macmillan Children’s Books)
Long Way Down illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff, written by Jason Reynolds (Faber)
Milo Imagines the World illustrated by Christian Robinson, written by Matt de la Pena (Two Hoots, Macmillan Children’s Books)
Shu Lin’s Grandpa illustrated by Yu Rong, written by Matt Goodfellow (Otter-Barry Books)
I Talk Like a River illustrated by Sydney Smith, written by Jordan Scott (Walker Books)
The Wanderer illustrated and written by Peter Van den Ende (Pushkin Children’s Books)

Yoto Carnegie Shortlist:
October, October by Katya Balen, illustrated by Angela Harding (Bloomsbury)
Guard Your Heart by Sue Divin (Macmillan Children’s Books)
When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle (Andersen Press)
Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock (Faber)
The Crossing by Manjeet Mann (Penguin Children’s Books)
Tsunami Girl by Julian Sedgwick, illustrated by Chie Kutsuwada (Guppy Books)
Cane Warriors by Alex Wheatle (Andersen Press)
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam (HarperCollins Children’s Books)