The shortlists for the English 4-11 Picture Book Awards have been announced. Established in 1995, the awards are presented by the English Association to the best picture books of the year. There are four award categories:

• Fiction aged 4-7
• Non-Fiction aged 4-7
• Fiction aged 7-11
• Non-Fiction aged 7-11

The shortlist was selected by a panel of judges made of up teachers and Primary specialists and the winners will be chosen by the editorial board of English 4-11, the journal for primary teachers.

One of the books submitted to the English 4-11 Picture Book Awards will also be selected as the recipient of the Margaret Mallet Prize for Children’s Non-Fiction, a prize set up by the English Association in memory of Margaret Mallet, a Fellow of the English Association and a passionate advocate of high-quality books for children, in particular non-fiction texts.

Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors and illustrators!

Fiction 4-7

Pencil’s Best Story Ever by Carly Gledhill (Post Wave Children’s Books)

Taking the Long Way Home by Jake Hope, illustrated by Brian Fitzgerald (Scallywag Press)

To Activate Space Portal Lift Here by Antoinette Portis (Scallywag Press)

A Winter’s Morning by Angélique Leone, illustrated by Grégoire Solotareff (Post Wave Children’s Books)

 

Non-Fiction 4-7

The Great Pollination Investigation by Deborah Hocking (Templar Books)

This Book is too Quiet by Cristina Cubells, illustrated by Joana Casals (What on Earth Books)

Tuck Me In by Nathan W. Pyle (Hodder Children’s Books)

Weirdosaurus: Prehistory’s Most Peculiar Dinosaurs by Philip Bunting (Happy Yak)

 

Fiction 7-11

The Great Bear by Annie Booker (Two Hoots)

Boss of the Underworld: Shirley vs The Green Menace by Tor Freeman (Hodder Children’s Books)

Leave the Trees, Please by Benjamin Zephaniah, illustrated by Melissa Castrillon (Magic Cat Publishing)

Hupo and the Wonder Thief  by Billy Partridge (Flying Eye Books)

 

Non-Fiction 7-11

How to Save Your Granny from a Runaway Train by Swapna Haddow, illutrated by Jess Bradley (Red Shed)

A Tree is a Time Machine by Rob Sears and Tom Sears (Laurence King Publishing)

Comic Strip Adventures: Amazing Inventions by Paul Mason, illustrated by Jess Bradley (Wayland)

Life (as we know it) by Ziggy Hanaor, illustrated by Cristóbal Schmal (Cicada)

The winners in each category, plus the winner of this year’s Margaret Mallett Award for Children’s Non-Fiction, will be announced on Monday 27 April 2026.

For more children’s book awards, click here.