‘Greenwild’ wins 2024 Waterstones Children’s Book of the Year

In the UK, Greenwild: The world behind the door (Pari Thomson, illus by Elisa Paganelli, Macmillan) is the overall winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, reports the Bookseller.

Now in its 20th year, the prize is voted for by Waterstones booksellers, with the winner receiving £5000 (A$9670) and the promise of ‘ongoing commitment’ to their career.

Greenwild was also the winner of the Books for Younger Readers category. The winner in the Illustrated category was The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish (Chloe Savage, Walker Books), which Waterstones children’s buyer Nick Campbell described as ‘a unique story about insatiable curiosity’; and the winner of the Older Readers category was Thieves’ Gambit (Kayvion Lewis, S&S), which Waterstones children’s team member Lucy Jakes called a ‘riotously fun action adventure’.

Waterstones head of books Bea Carvalho said Greenwild ‘enchanted our booksellers with its sweeping escapism and standard-setting lyrical world-building’.

‘At once a fast-paced adventure story and a heartfelt entreaty to care for the natural world, Greenwild is a timeless fantasy tale of friendship, mystery, and the magic and beauty to be found in nature.’

Thomson, who is also editorial director for picture books at Bloomsbury Children’s Books, said: ‘I am lucky enough to live near Kew Gardens in London, a place full of sparkling glasshouses and carnivorous plants and lily pads big enough to take a nap on. I have always felt that nature was a little bit magic—and Kew made me ask, what if it was true? What if the natural world all around us was brimming with magic? Greenwild is the answer to that question.’

Last year, the overall winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize was The Cats We Meet Along The Way by Nadia Mikail (Guppy Books).

Category: International news