The Lollies Awards (The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards) Shortlist

This is a wonderfully zany tongue-twister of a book that children will love. It is based on counting and a story of two (or is it three?) mixed-up queues of animals, and yet the whole premise is so wonderfully absurd I found myself chuckling out loud.

The reader knows what they are queueing for if you look and listen carefully at the beginning, and the moose and the geese are wonderfully portrayed; a huge amount of the story is also told in the pictures (just as amusing as the words).

It is essentially a story of that most British of things – queuing!   Simon, the goose who appears to be in charge, gets more and more irate and confused as everyone swaps lines and each of the characters who mess him about also has strong characteristics, as well as being fun to follow what they do on each page.  One goose even very sensibly brings a fold-up chair with him to sit and wait!

This is also a counting book, and the counting is part of the fun. I read it to a group of EYFS children, who loved it, particularly when I got my words muddled and said goose instead of moose and vice versa. This one will be asked for again and again and each time the children will get something new from it.

Huw Aaron’s book is a brilliantly offbeat addition to the bedtime genre, and an award-winning one at that.

The story follows a sleepy blob being tucked into bed in a normal suburban house, while its parent reflects on all the other monsters who are doing exactly the same routine.

The humour is spot on and captures the familiar back-and-forth of bedtime routines and parents trying to get a child to settle. The illustrations highlight the side-by-side nature of the weird and wonderful fantasy elements (monsters, brains-in-jars and slimy lairs) and the familiar, quotidian routines that will be recognisable to many readers. Beneath the slime and the fun, it’s a lovely, quirky way to show that no matter how different we look or feel, we share similarities.

This is a must-have for the classroom and a perfectly fun twist on the traditional bedtime story.

Shane loves his rice and peas, and it does look enticing, steaming hot with its scent wafting into his living room, and the most ultra-super-duper litany of adjectives to describe it. What’s wonderful is the careful insertion of family heritage – a recipe passed down through generations, with its own secret ingredient of pimento seeds. The illustrations take us from Shane’s domestic life, complete with notices on the fridge and a stash of tinned tomatoes behind proud mum, to his visions of grandiosity after eating the best rice in the world.

Until lunchtime at school, and Yinka’s claim that her Jollof rice is the best and the pair embark upon a stand off. But that’s not it. In this ultimate battle of food, everyone joins in, proclaiming their own rice is best – risotto, paella, pilau and more. The resolution, of course, is a tasting and sharing, but there’s also a beautiful little twist.

An absolute zinger of a picture book, vibrantly showing that food and culture and heritage is diverse, and is to be shared and celebrated.

Murray is a cat that loves his peace and quiet but sadly, living with a rather incompetent wizard means that his life is anything but. On occasion, a happy accidental spell provides something of value and for Murray this arrives in the form of a magic cat-flap and Bun, a bun turned bunny. What Bun lacks in vocabulary, he makes up for in enthusiasm, leading Murray on to adventure, whether he likes it or not.

Adam Stower is best known and loved for his illustrations (most notably for David Walliams), but a smidge of research reveals that he is also a prolific writer and, if this book is anything to go by, this latest series is set to put his writing on a par with his illustration.

The witty dialogue between our unlikely friends leads to a book that will appeal right from Year 2 to Year 6. In fact, my copy was in hot demand with my Year 6 class, accompanied by snorts of laughter and loud exclamations of “Bun!”. Granted it isn’t a text to challenge UKS2 (making it accessible to much younger age groups) but they loved the humour and for more reluctant readers, this could be just the sort of book that they will return to and enjoy time and again.

This is a fun school adventure which will appeal to fans of Pamela Butchart and Serena Patel. The story centres around Mina and her friends and their fears as they hear rumours of a spooky phantom that’s said to haunt the venue for their school camping trip.

The text is large, with wide-spaced lines and generous illustrations and some playful typesetting for emphasis, which all help with appealing to those children put off by extensive blocks of dense text. The authentic portrayal of Mina’s Bangladeshi family adds a layer of interest to the story.

This will be particularly popular with lower KS2 in a school library and will also be enjoyed by some of the older children looking for a lighter, entertaining read.

Cafe Chaos: My Family is Not a Piece of Cake is a fun, entertaining story which was exciting to read throughout. The book uses fun illustrations and fonts throughout the book, which makes the story seem like a diary and enables readers to relate to the characters.

The story follows Hope Crumble, who is about to start Year 7, The troubles and problems Hope runs into are very relatable, and there is a good variety of different characters, who all make the story more interesting. The small details, such as little splatters on the paper and the whisk next to each page number, help to draw together the story and themes. There are themes of friendships, families, the pressures of running a business and navigating the age where you are trying to find your own identity.

This book would be perfect to share with Year 6s or 7s to help transition into a new school and will appeal to fans of Lottie Brooks..

Sebastian and his two best friends, Lina and Étienne become stranded on a desert island and it’s all Sebastian’s fault. The three friends won a school competition to take part in an environmental summer camp where they would learn how to protect the planet. Sebastian became particularly competitive with the other children at the camp, and before they knew it, there they were, shipwrecked and alone on another island. Headstrong Lina soon takes charge, determined that they won’t make the same mistakes as the children in ‘The Lord of the Flies’ and Sebastian sets out to gain his military dad’s approval.

Told from Sebastian’s point of view, the chapter headings are a series of ‘survival tips’ based on things he’s learnt along the way. The story is full of humour, wit and several animal companions, but it also carries a lovely message about friendship and working together to overcome difficulties.

This is a great adventure story by popular children’s author Jenny Pearson, suitable for Year 4 and up. It will also be loved by fans of humorous stories.

Incredibly funny and really of the moment, written as group chat messages.

Contemporary, zingy, cringy, funny and snappy!

This is a super-fun, colour-illustrated chapter book that fans of Lottie Brooks, Dork Diaries or Tom Gates will enjoy.

Nina is an ordinary ten-year-old with dreams of social media stardom. When a viral cat-in-pants moment gives her a chance, Nina’s quest for likes leads to hilarious, disastrous results.

This brilliantly fun book, with appealing illustrations, is packed with wordplay and bonkers situations. It’s perfect for reluctant readers, subtly exploring friendship and self-awareness while delivering big laughs. It also covers the topic of online stardom, viral fame and navigating the online world.

This ‘out of this world’ graphic novel has lots to like and is a strong first offering from a brand new series of young graphic novels.

The story follows Nova, who is from a family of scientists and creative geniuses. Influenced by an environmental problem she sees on the news, Nova rushes to her secret lab to try to find a solution. After a few attempts, she succeeds, and all seems well until things get out of control and she is in a race against time to stop Chomp on his path of destruction. Nova soon realises that she cannot do this on her own and needs to enlist the help of her sister Cassi.

This short and easy-to-read graphic novel is fast-paced, fun and the perfect read for budding inventors or scientists. With bright colours, energetic characters and important themes like plastic pollution, girls in STEM and environmental problem-solving, this is pitched for 7-9 year olds and will surely appeal across primary schools.