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Age Group: KS1

An enchanting and heart-warming story between a father and son, that will make you want to reach for stars.

Joe wants to find a way to the stars. With the help of his dad, he builds a ladder, a tower, even a rocket to go up, up, up… Oh no! Crash, bang, wallop! What next?

Together, the pair jump on pogo sticks and build sheds to paint their dreams and find a way. An uplifting and magical tale of sky-high courage, imagination and the bond between father and son that will make your heart soar. Written by internationally acclaimed author David Almond and brought to glorious life by award-winning illustrator Gill Smith in their first collaboration.

Picturebook

With colourful pages thronging with modern city life, Mooncat and Me tells the story of Pearl as she overcomes the anxiety of moving house and starting a new school, with the help of a giant white cat.

We can all empathise with Pearl’s fear that ‘I won’t know anyone, and no one will know me’ but as we watch her grow in confidence, we will learn that with a bit of imagination and determination, there’s nothing we can’t do.

The gorgeous, brightly coloured illustrations are full of busy people filling pavements and buses and cars, or seen through the windows of their homes, leading their different lives. Mooncat’s own calm and reassuring presence encourages Pearl to explore the vibrant city with her mother, and to face school, where she soon finds there are friends to be made.

Picturebook

Flora, the smallest dormouse, is going on a grand adventure . . . The other dormice just want to sleep, but there’s a wide world outside, and Flora can’t wait to go exploring.

She’s brave. She’s full of questions. And she’s not sleepy at all!

Flora finds there’s so much to discover, from tadpoles wriggling in a pond to bees buzzing from flower to flower.

But when winter comes, even Flora needs to sleep. She curls up in a cosy burrow . . . and doesn’t realise she’s fallen asleep on the back of a fox! Will the other dormice dare to come to Flora’s rescue?

Children will love discovering the natural world with Flora in this gorgeously illustrated celebration of nature through the seasons.

The sweet, funny story is fabulously illustrated by acclaimed illustrator Raahat Kaduji.

Extra non-fiction facts at the end of the book explain about the creatures Flora finds, and encourages children to look out for the wildlife around them.

Picturebook

A poptastic tale perfect for fans of SUPERTATO and Ten Fat Sausages! One rainy afternoon a saucepan was put on the hob.

Everything was ready for a very special job.

Follow Dave and his friends as they dance their way into becoming popcorn and go on the adventure of their lives in this explosively funny tale.

But is the world outside the packet all it’s cracked up to be…?

Brought to life with bright, colourful illustrations and brilliantly fun rhyming text from Matt Carr, this is a laugh-out-loud romp to be remembered!

Packed with counting fun and limitless laughs for the whole family

Perfect for fans of Sue Hendra and Paul Linnett

Check out Matt Carr’s other fabulous books, Spyder, Superbat, Rocketmole, Dave and Greta Make the World Better, Wash Your Hands and Go To Sleep!

Picturebook

With vivid illustrations and a heartwarming story, this picture book is the perfect Eid gift!

It’s the evening before Eid, and Hana is helping her mum lay the table. Hana loves the colourful decorations they’ve arranged around the house! But there is still much to do, so when Hana’s mum asks her to get the Eid presents ready to take to Nani’s house the next day, Hana is at the ready to help!

There’s just one problem: where are the Eid presents?

With a gentle search-and-find element running alongside the story, this gorgeous picture book is a wonderful introduction to Eid.

Written by award-winning author of Boy, Everywhere, AM Dassu and with heartfelt illustrations by Junissa Bianda

Picturebook

A silly, funny book from debut author Kael Tudor filled with hilarious and bright illustrations from Nicola Slater, the bestselling illustrator of The Leaf Thief.

Welcome to the ice cream shop, where there’s a goose line, a moose line and a slightly bossy goose who wants everyone to be in the right line. But it is not as easy as it sounds!

This mix-up picture book perfectly captures the chaos of queueing up, and features a fun counting element too. Witty and original first book in a brand-new series.

 

Picturebook

You probably know it’s good manners to always say ‘please’ when asking for something. But when Bill forgets this very simple rule, the consequences are wackier than he could ever have imagined.

This is a laugh-out-loud adventure featuring spaceships, jungle tigers, mountain yaks, fairytale castles and a whole host of alien toads. Saying ‘please’ has never been so important!

From the bestselling, award-winning author of You Must Bring a Hat and I Really Want the Cake (shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize), and the illustrator of Think Big by Kes Grey.

Chapter book

Mysterious miaowing from the empty flat upstairs sets Liam and Sav on a quest to find the ghost cat in this charming gem from award-winning author Pamela Butchart.

The flat upstairs from Sav is empty, so who or what is making the strange yowling noises she can hear at night? Could it be a ghost cat?!

Sav and her best friend Liam decide to investigate, but their ghost hunt takes a very strange turn when Liam gets stuck in the stinky bin room of the flat and it’s a new feline friend who helps to get him out.

Nothing is quite as it seems in this brilliant new addition to the Little Gems list.

PicturebookPoetry

An uplifting celebration of nature and the wonder of the world around us by legendary poet and performer Benjamin Zephaniah, one of The Times’ top 50 British post-war writers.

At the bottom of my garden, there’s a hedgehog and a frog,
And a lot of creepy-crawlies living underneath a log . . .

All around us, from parks to gardens and flowerpots to pavements, there’s a world of wonder just waiting to be discovered. Why not look a little closer and see what you find?

This joyful celebration of nature reminds us all to take a closer look at the world around us, and enjoy the wonder of nature wherever we find it. Packed with animals and minibeasts galore, this imaginative rhyming text is perfect for reading aloud.

Returning for its sixth year, the Alligator’s Mouth Award celebrates the best in highly illustrated children’s fiction.  We’re thrilled to see plenty of our favourite illustrated titles among the 10 longlisted books, including Bear and Bird, Adventuremice: Otter Chaos and Tiny, the Secret Adventurer and we are delighted that our founder, Alison Leach, is joining the judging panel this year.

The Alligator’s Mouth Award recognises a key part of children’s fiction. Young illustrated fiction plays a special role in many children’s reading journeys, bridging the gap between picture books and longer chapter books. Finding the right book at this stage can be a magical experience that sparks a lifelong love of reading. The Alligator’s Mouth Award provides a brilliant platform for showcasing the most exciting and imaginative offerings that authors and illustrators bring to the table for this age group.

The shortlist will be announced in May, and the winner will be revealed in July.

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