Alex T. Smith Wins the UKLA Book Award
Congratulations to Alex T. Smith for winning the 3-6 year old category of the UK Literacy Associations Book Award with his charming picture book, Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion, published by Scholastic.
The UKLA Book Awards are the only awards to be judged entirely by teachers. The criteria was for books that can "enhance all aspects of literacy learning" and their choice of winning books demonstrates the fresh perspective that class teachers bring to the judging because they discover what genuinely works with young readers by the reaction from their pupils. Here's what the judges thought:
"Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion is Little Red Riding Hood transposed to an African town setting where a lion is really no match for a clever small girl delighted the judges with its exuberant original twisting of the traditional story. The inventive layout of the text and its relationship to the witty, beautifully coloured illustrations really enhance the child friendly storytelling. The empowering portrayal of different cultures and a heroine who is not a naive victim ensure that this will become a classroom classic."
Alex T. Smith is represented by Arena Illustration