Children’s Book Award 2026

Gozzle written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Sara Ogilvie, published by Macmillan

Pablo and Splash: Roman Holiday written and illustrated by Sheena Dempsey, published by Bloombury

My Name is Samim by Fidan Meikle, published by Floris Books

The full shortlist is as follows:

Creepy Pair of Underwear!, written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown, published by Simon & Schuster

Gozzle, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Sara Ogilvie, published by Macmillan

The Tortosaurus, written and illustrated by Katie Cottle, published by Little Tiger

There’s a Shark in my Pants!, written by Michelle Harrison and illustrated by David Tazzyman, published by Simon & Schuster

Murray and Bun: Murray the Pirate, written illustrated by Adam Stower, published by HarperCollins

Pablo and Splash: Roman Holiday, written and illustrated by Sheena Dempsey, published by Bloomsbury

Supa Nova, written and illustrated by Chanté Timothy, published by Nosy Crow

Fear Files: Hide and Seek, written by Christopher Edge and illustrated by Mathias Ball, published by Walker Books

My Name is Samim, written by Fidan Meikel, published by Floris Books

The Last Dragon on Mars, written by Scott Reintgen, published by Rock the Boat

Once again we have partnered with Heath’s Books to offer a discount on all of the Pick of the Year books including the Top Ten.

To buy any of the books click here