THIS YEAR’S SHORTLISTS: REVEALED...

The selections have been made, and we are delighted to be able to share here the wonderful works that have been shortlisted for this year’s Teach Primary Book Awards - a superb collection of 32 titles, each of which has something special and unique to offer children, both in the classroom and at home.

DISCOVER THE SHORTLISTS

How did these books make the shortlist?

Each title has been chosen, not only for its outstanding aesthetic appeal and sheer enjoyability, but also because of its potential to support learning both inside the classroom and beyond. These are books that teachers will be able to recommend confidently to children and their parents, as well as use for inspirational classroom activities.

MEET THE JUDGES

Our judges - including Megan Smith of the National Literacy Trust; founder of Readathon Brough Girling; TV presenter, screenwriter and author Konnie Huq; Leah Chin, educational manager at Tales on Moon Lane; and authors Liz Flanagan and Dan Smith - now face the enjoyable but challenging task of assessing all of the shortlisted books according to a set of criteria that takes learning opportunities into account alongside excellent writing and superb illustration. The final results will be announced in Teach Reading & Writing magazine and Teach Primary magazine in November 2021.

Meet The
Judges

DISCOVER THE SHORTLISTS

Early years
  • Imagine!

    Patricia Forde (Little Island Books)

  • When the Sun goes home

    Momoko Abe (Hachette Children's Group)

  • The Great Paint

    Alex Willmore (Tate Publishing)

  • The Spots and the Dots

    Helen Baugh (Andersen Press)

  • National Trust: The Wide, Wide Sea

    Anna Wilson & Jenny Løvlie (Nosy Crow)

  • This is Crab

    Harriet Evans (Caterpillar Books, Little Tiger Group)

  • A Little Bit Worried

    Ciara Gavin and Tim Warnes (Little Tiger Press)

  • Bad Apple

    Huw Lewis Jones and Ben Sanders (Thames & Hudson)

Key Stage 1
  • Magnificent Mabel and the Egg and Spoon Race

    Ruth Quayle & Julia Christians (Nosy Crow)

  • An Alien in the Jam Factory

    Chrissie Sains (Walker Books)

  • Monster Max and the Bobble Hat of Forgetting

    Robin Bennett (Firefly Press)

  • Lottie Loves Nature: Bee-ware!

    Jane Clarke (Five Quills)

  • I Wish You More

    Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld (Chronicle Books)

  • Wild is the Wind

    Grahame Baker-Smith (Bonnier Books UK)

  • The Wanderer

    Peter Van Den Ende (Pushkin Children's Books)

  • Pizazz vs the New Kid

    Sophy Henn (Simon & Schuster Children's)

Key Stage 2
  • A Girl Called Joy

    Jenny Valentine (Simon & Schuster Children's)

  • Rumaysa: A Fairytale

    Radiya Hafiza (Macmillan Children's Books)

  • The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh

    Helen Rutter (Scholastic)

  • Between Sea and Sky

    Nicola Penfold (Stripes Publishing)

  • Crater Lake Evolution

    Jennifer Killick (Firefly Press)

  • The Life and Time of Lonny Quicke

    Kirsty Applebaum (Nosy Crow)

  • The Valley of Lost Secrets

    Lesley Parr (Bloomsbury)

  • When We Got Lost in Dreamland

    Ross Welford (HarperCollins Children's Books)

NON-FICTION
  • Wild Child: A Journey Through Nature

    Dara McAnulty (Macmillan Children's Books)

  • Is There Anybody Out There?

    Dara Ó Briain (Scholastic)

  • Queens: 3,000 Years of the Most Incredible Women in History

    Victoria Crossman (Scholastic)

  • Usborne Book of the Brain and How it Works

    Dr Betina Ip (Usborne)

  • This is Our World

    Tracey Turner (Kingfisher)

  • How to be an Art Rebel

    Ben Street (Thames & Hudson)

  • It's Her Story: Rosa Parks

    Lauren Burke (Sunbird Books)

  • On Your Marks, Get Set… Gold!

    Scott Allen (Nosy Crow)

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