We are so pleased to share that Don’t Think of Tigers by Alex Latimer has won the 2026 UKLA Book Award for the 3-6+ category and Birdie by J.P. Rose has been crowned the UKLA Shadowers’ Choice Award for the 7-10+ category!
We were very proud to have six books shortlisted for the awards this year including Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat, Don’t Think of Tigers by Alex Latimer, Birdie by J.P. Rose, Black Star by Kwame Alexander, The Boy I Love by William Hussey and The Line They Drew Through Us by Hiba Noor Khan. Our titles made up 25% of the total shortlist, the most of any publisher.
The UKLA Book Awards are the only national children’s book awards judged by teachers, celebrating outstanding stories for children aged 3-14+. This year, there were 85 judges covering the four age categories, deciding on the titles they believe to be the highest quality children’s literature.
The winners were announced at the annual UKLA conference on Friday 3rd July at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. Big well done to Alex Latimer and J.P. Rose for their roaring success.
