Inch and Grub announced as the winner of the Bookbug Picture Book Prize.
The winner of The Bookbug Picture Book Prize 2022 is Inch and Grub (Walker Books) by Alastair Chisholm and David Roberts. Run by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, the winner of the prize has been selected by the children of Scotland. 45% of voters selected Inch and Grub as their favourite book on the list.
The Bookbug Picture Book Prize celebrates the very best picture books by authors or illustrators living in Scotland. Children and their families were able to cast their votes either through their class teacher, or online.
Books that were also shortlisted for the prize include Arlo the Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep by Catherine Rayner (Pam Macmillan) and My First Book of Woodland Animals by Zoe Ingram (Walker Books). A free copy of each of the three books on the shortlist was gifted to every Primary 1 child during Book Week Scotland (15-21 November 2021), in the Bookbug P1 Family Bag. 60,150 Bookbug bags were gifted to Primary 1 pupils across Scotland, plus 850 Gaelic bags.
Alastair Chisholm is an award-winning children’s author and puzzle creator. He is the author of the sci-fi middle-grade adventures Orion Lost and Adam-2, and children’s picture books The Prince and the Witch and the Thief and the Bears, as well as books of Sudoku, Kakuro and other puzzles, including the Kids’ Book of Sudoku and Kids’ Book of Kakuro series. Alastair lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two children.
Alastair Chisholm said: “It’s incredible to see Inch and Grub chosen as the Bookbug Picture Book Prize winner! The Bookbug Bag is a brilliant, important project, one my own daughters benefited from when they were younger, and I’ve loved seeing a new generation of readers enjoying all three books – and to be picked out of those awesome choices is just amazing. Huge thanks to Walker Books, and to everyone involved – I know David will be as pleased as I am!”
David Roberts is a children’s illustrator originally from Liverpool. He has illustrated a large number of books in both black and white and colour. He has worked with such well-known authors as Philip Ardagh, Peter Bently and Julia Donaldson. His sister Lynn Roberts is also a writer and the siblings have collaborated on several retellings of fairy stories, including Rapunzel: A Groovy Fairy Tale, which was shortlisted for a Blue Peter Book Award, and Little Red: A Fizzingly Good Yarn, which was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.
The winning book was announced in an exclusive video to schools and registered groups. View schools engaging with The Bookbug Picture Book Prize via this twitter moment.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Congratulations to Alastair Chisholm and David Roberts on winning the 2022 Bookbug Picture Book Prize. Inch and Grub has delighted families across Scotland through the Bookbug P1 Family bag. We hope children treasure the book for years to come.”
Viccy Adams, Literature Officer, Creative Scotland said: “Congratulations to Alastair Chisholm and David Roberts – Inch and Grub is a thoughtful and engaging read for young children and their caregivers and has clearly spoken to the children of Scotland in a year when we have been particularly confined to our homes and living spaces.”
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