We’re so excited to see the launch of these brand-new awards by the charity Inclusive Books for Children. Recognising the best new inclusive books, these awards fit into Inclusive Books for Children’s wider aim to make mainstream books inclusive and to bring inclusive books into the mainstream.

We’re thrilled to see some of our favourite titles, authors and characters among the 13 shortlisted books, many of which feature on our lists of Best Diverse Children’s Books and our popular Year Group booklists.

Three books are shortlisted in the Baby and Toddler Books category: Too Green!, Zeki Goes to the Park and Zeki Hikes with Daddy. Zeki is a popular character among younger readers and we’re delighted to see him return.

The Picture Books for ages 3–7 category shortlist includes Dadaji’s Paintbrush and Faruq and the Wiri Wiri, which both feature on our Recommended Reads lists. The other titles shortlisted in this category are The Missing Piece, To the Other Side and You’re So Amazing!.

A host of our favourite characters feature in the Children’s Fiction for ages 5-9 category shortlist, and we’re excited by the return of Lizzie and Lucky in The Mystery of the Lost Chicken, Sona Sharma in Wish Me Luck, and Too Small Tola in Too Small Tola Makes It Count. Budgie and Meet the Maliks, Twin Detectives: The Cookie Culprit make up the rest of this category shortlist.

The esteemed judging panel will award £10,000 to the winning book in each category, with winners to be announced in February at a prestigious ceremony in London.

The IBC Awards 2024 Shortlists

The Inclusive Books for Children awards ceremony will take place on 28 February at the Barbican Centre in London. To find out more, visit inclusivebooksforchildren.org

For more of the best diverse children’s books, visit our Diverse & Inclusive Booklists.

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Where next?

> Visit our Reading for Pleasure Hub.

> Browse our Topic Booklists.

> See our Books of the Month.

> View our Year Group booklists