The book by Ghilherme Karsten and published by Happy Yak, has been announced as BookTrust’s Storytime book of the year for children under the age of five.
The awards, which are voted for by librarians and families, are now in their fifth year.
Reflecting on the win for Are you a Monster?, Guilherme said, ‘Winning this award is like a dream come true. It's a celebration of the power that books have to be a source of learning, connection and fun – lots of fun.’
The awards form part of the charity’s Storytime programme, which is designed to support children experiencing disadvantage. It also aims to encourage families with young children to visit libraries and ‘begin their reading journey’. This year the programme was run in over 2,500 libraries in England and Northern Ireland.
Libraries who took part in the Storytime programme were provided with five specially shortlisted books for children under five and resources that enabled them to create their own interactive, memorable experiences for families to keep them returning to their local libraries.
The shortlisted books were:
- Zeki Rise And Shine by Anna McQuinn & Ruth Hearson (Alanna Max).
- The Perfect Present by Petr Horáček (Otter-Barry Books).
- Just Breathe, Bear by Christianne C. Jones & Oriol Vidal (Raintree Publishers).
- I Am Happy by Michael Rosen & Robert Starling (Walker Books).
Diana Gerald, chief executive of BookTrust, said, ‘We're committed to helping every child, no matter what their family background, become regular readers and reap the benefits which come from reading for pleasure. We know that reading is not only beneficial for a child's development but also provides joy through sparking imagination and encouraging bonding with adults.
