Author Nick Sharratt has been announced as the winner of the very first Bookbug Picture Book Prize for his picture book Shark in the Park on a Windy Day, published by Picture Corgi.
Nick beat off stiff competition from the other two shortlisted authors, Ross Collins and Alison Murray, to win £3,000 and the coveted Bookbug Picture Book Prize trophy, which this year has been produced by Scottish paper artist Emily Hogarth.
The prize, voted for exclusively by 19,000 Scottish children aged 3-7, was set up in 2016 to celebrate the most popular picture books by Scottish authors or illustrators, and is run by Scottish Book Trust with support from Creative Scotland.
Commenting on his award, Nick said: “I am absolutely delighted that ‘Shark in the Park on a Windy Day’ has won the 2017 Bookbug Picture Book Prize. It was wonderful to have my book included in the Bookbug bag as part of Scottish Book Trust’s brilliant Bookbug project and to win this award really is the icing on the cake.
“I’ve had the pleasure of going into scores of Scottish schools, nurseries and libraries to work with hundreds of children over the past few years, so the fact that the voting was decided upon by the country’s young readers makes the prize all the more special.”
Shark in the Park on a Windy Day is the third book in the best-selling Shark in the Park series, where little Timothy Pope is blown this way and that as readers join him in peeping through his telescope. Nick has worked as an illustrator and author of children’s books since the late 1980s and has created illustrations for close to two hundred and fifty books. As well as producing around sixty of his own books (which have been translated into more than a dozen languages) he’s worked with numerous writers including Julia Donaldson, Michael Rosen and Giles Andreae. His most famous collaboration is with Jacqueline Wilson, for whom he has illustrated more than forty fiction titles.
Heather Collins, Schools Programme Manager, said: “It’s fantastic to see our brand new Bookbug Picture Book prize get off to such a strong start, with tens of thousands of children up and down the country reading, sharing and voting for their favourite title. This is in no small part due to the enthusiasm and hard work of teachers, parents and librarians, and their commitment to ensuring that Scottish children grow up surrounded by books and cuddles.”
Aly Barr, Acting Head of Literature, Languages and Publishing at Creative Scotland, added: “This award, more than many others, is one that really counts for authors. It’s not only a chance for young readers to make their own minds up and vote for their favourites; it’s a way to reverse the polarity and have the readers connect with the writer.”
A free copy of each of the three books on the shortlist, There’s a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins, Hare and Tortoise, The Favourite Aesop’s Fable by Alison Murray and Shark in the Park on a Windy Day by Nick Sharratt was given to every Primary 1 child during Book Week Scotland 2016, in the Bookbug P1 Family Bag.
Q and A with Nick Sharratt on winning the 2017 Bookbug Picture Book Prize
How do you feel about winning this award?
‘Fin’tastic!
You have won lots of awards before – what makes this one particularly special?
A couple of things make this award special. It’s the creation of Scottish Book Trust, an amazing organisation whose work I really admire. And the way the award is administrated, a huge number of children get a terrific opportunity to experience new books, enjoy loads of related activities and be at the heart of the voting process. I think it’s terrific that it’s children who are the decision makers with this prize.
You have a huge back catalogue of books – which is your personal favourite?
The Shark in the Park books are genuine favourites because they’re always great fun to read to an audience, plus I just love drawing Timothy Pope and his Dad.
What inspired the original Shark in the Park book?
The first book came out quite a few years ago and was inspired by the fact that whenever I asked children at that time what they’d like to be when they grew up, marine biologist was always one of the most popular career choices. It gave me the idea to do a book with a sea creature in it!
https://youtu.be/R2RwvAHUAdc
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