The 2022 James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation shortlist
Now in its ninth year, former CBeebies TV presenter, Gemma Hunt, chairs the new Children’s Prize.
The winners will be announced on Wednesday 7th September at a ceremony at The London Wetland Centre.
The 2022 James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation shortlist is:
- Around the World in 80 Trees, Ben Lerwill, illustrated by Kaja Kajfež (Welbeck)
- By Rowan and Yew, Melissa Harrison (Chicken House)
- Julia and the Shark, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, illustrated by Tom de Freston (Orion Children’s Books)
- October, October, Katya Balen, illustrated by Angela Harding (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
- One World: 24 Hours on Planet Earth, Nicola Davies, illustrated by Jenni Desmond (Walker Books)
- The Biggest Footprint: Eight billion humans. One clumsy giant, Rob Sears, illustrated by Tom Sears (Canongate)
- Wild Child: A Journey Through Nature, Dara McAnulty, illustrated by Barry Falls (Macmillan Children’s Books)
The joy of being wild is celebrated by many of this category’s shortlisted books – which include both fiction and non-fiction titles – including young naturalist Dara McAnulty’s Wild Child, a family friendly guide to exploring the natural world on our doorsteps, beautifully illustrated by Barry Falls. Katya Balen’s 2022 Yoto Carnegie Medal winning novel October, October, illustrated by Angela Harding, is the life affirming story of a girl who fights to find the space to be wild in the whirling chaos of the world beyond her beloved woods. The lure and healing wonder of wild places is lyrically explored by multi award-winning novelist Kiran Millwood Hargrave and her illustrator partner Tom de Freston in the couple’s first collaborative work, Julia and the Shark.
Complex environmental issues are tackled in highly original and imaginative ways in The Biggest Footprint by writer/illustrator brothers Rob and Tom Sears, who re-imagine the whole of humanity as one massive giant to personalise the issue of climate change for younger readers and show how humans can do a better job of looking after our planet. Acclaimed nature writer Melissa Harrison’s By Rowan and Yew is a magical tale of a disappearing wilderness and the three tiny, funny, eternal beings – the hidden folk – who are fighting for survival.
Beautiful artwork designed to inspire children’s imaginations features in all of the shortlisted titles, including Around the World in 80 Trees, a stunning visual celebration of trees both familiar and unfamiliar, highlighting their importance and how we can help them have a healthy future, by travel writer Ben Lerwill and illustrator Kaja Kajfež. One World: 24 Hours on Planet Earth by Nicola Davies is a spectacular tour of Planet Earth and a powerfully rallying cry against climate change, with delightful illustrations by Jenni Desmond.
