The shortlist for this year’s Oscar’s Book Prize has been announced, and we’re thrilled to see our picture book That Bear Can’t Babysit, written by Ruth Quayle and illustrated by Alison Friend, recognised as one of five books in the running for the award!
Now in its fifth year, Oscar’s Book Prize was established by the London Evening Standard in memory of Oscar Ashton, the son of the paper’s executive editor, James Ashton, who died in 2012 at the age of three-and-a-half. Supported by Amazon, the London Evening Standard, and the National Literacy Trust, the £5,000 prize seeks to recognise the best pre-school book of the year, and is intended to reward the brilliant creativity of early-years literature and highlight the importance of reading with children.
And we are delighted that That Bear Can’t Babysit has made the shortlist!
A charming and hilarious story of bunny mischief, with beautifully detailed illustrations, That Bear Can’t Babysit is perfect for all young children who’ve ever teased a babysitter or refused to go to bed.
When Mr and Mrs Burrow advertise for a babysitter, they are NOT expecting Bear. And Bear is NOT expecting seven little bunnies who are full of mischief. The bunnies persuade Bear to let them read a scary book, eat sweets and go crazy with the garden hose – with disastrous results! But when the bunnies find Bear getting ready to sail in a make-believe ship, maybe he isn’t such a bad babysitter after all. When Mr and Mrs Burrow return, the bunnies are peacefully tucked up in bed . . . Well, almost all of them!
Here’s a look inside the book:
You can find out more about Oscar’s Book Prize here. The winner of the prize will be announced at an awards ceremony at St James’s Palace in London on 14 May – congratulations, Ruth and Alison, and good luck!
