Inside Story: How the News Works by Jane Marlow and Terri Po scooped two awards, including Judge’s Overall winner, whilst Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Jason Lyon took home the Children’s Choice Award for Amazing Asia.
The School Library Association’s Information Book Award, an annual celebration of information books, sponsored by Hachette Children’s Group and supported by Peters, saw four titles celebrated at a central London ceremony on Thursday 27th November. The ceremony was hosted by author, historian and podcast host, Greg Jenner.
A panel of judges, made up of a range of experts from the school library sector, crowned Inside Story: How the News Works (Templar, 2024) written by Jane Marlow for ITN Productions, and illustrated by Terri Po, their Overall and Ages 8-12 winner, with books about art and black history awarded top prizes in the other age categories.
Jane Marlow is a filmmaker and scriptwriter, who has won awards for her short films and written and story-lined for some of the UK’s most-watched TV dramas. Jane has also enjoyed a long freelance career as a print journalist and feature writer. Inside Story: How the News Works is her first non-fiction book for a young audience, which she has written as part of ITN’s Communications Team. The book is designed as a no-nonsense guide to the increasingly relevant topic of where our news comes from, who makes it, and how to know which news to trust.
The judges described How the News Works as a fantastic deep dive into the nuts and bolts of news and a powerful tool for information literacy.
In his opening address, host Greg Jenner celebrated the power of information books: “Information books are beautifully transformative in how they can introduce subjects that might never have occurred to a child, or, instead, answer questions a young reader has been obsessing over for months. They are brilliant because they are full of facts and wisdom. But they can also be full of “don’t knows” – Information books celebrate current states of knowledge, but they also sow the seeds for the next generation to come along and overturn that knowledge! Teaching kids to know things also means teaching them to think for themselves, to be flexible and open-minded.”
Across the three age categories, the Judges’ Choice winners were:
Age 0-7: This Book Will Make You an Artist, Ruth Millington, illustrated by Ellen Surrey (Nosy Crow)
Age 8-12: Inside Story: How the News Works, ITN Productions, illustrated by Terri Po (Templar Books)
Age 13-16: Black History for Every Day of the Year, David, Yinka and Kemi Olusoga (Macmillan Children’s Books)
Children from across the country came together and selected their best information books from the shortlist too. This year saw the largest ever participation in the Information Book Award Book Club, which is supported by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society.
Over 1,600 pupils across the UK took part in the voting process. The overall Children’s Choice winner was Amazing Asia, written by Rashmi Sirdeshpande and illustrated by Jason Lyon (Quarto, 2024). This stunningly illustrated and fact-filled encyclopaedia looks at the vast continent of Asia from various perspectives, including its incredible past, fascinating present, and exciting future.
Across the three age categories, the Children’s Choice winners were:
Age 0-7: This Book Will Make You an Artist, Ruth Millington, illustrated by Ellen Surrey (Nosy Crow)
Age 8-12: Amazing Asia, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, illustrated by Jason Lyon (Quarto)
Age 13-16: Black History for Every Day of the Year, David, Yinka and Kemi Olusoga (Macmillan Children’s Books)
Chair of the judges, Helen Cleaves, said: “From ancient philosophy to artificial intelligence, the IBA showcases the fantastic breadth of information books being written for children today and offers a compelling glimpse into what matters to us right now.
Both the overall winners provide a much-needed alternative perspective. The judges were particularly impressed by the rich detail, bold illustrations and diversity of roles behind the scenes showcased in How the New Works, which combined to highlight the scale of the news machine and hopefully serve as a much-needed antidote to fake news and clickbait.
What I love about judging this award is seeing the skill with which these vital topics are brought to life for the next generation. I’ve been delighted, shocked, amazed: as the design and artwork combine to deliver an unforgettable reading experience, showing what an impact the best information books can have.”
Victoria Dilly, CEO of the School Library Association said: “The Information Book Award celebrates the quality, diversity and creativity of children’s publishing, as evidenced by our brilliant shortlist and deserved winners. We know that information books offer a powerful route into reading for many young readers – giving them an opportunity to build on their natural curiosity and interest in the world around them.
The recognition this award brings acknowledges the important role titles like these have in enabling school librarians to encourage young people to read about their interests, to look at books as engaging sources of information, and to think critically about the information they are consuming and sharing. In today’s changing world these are incredibly important skills to build.
What makes this award particularly special is the pupil book club. By participating in the book club discussions and voting process, children and young people aren’t just choosing their favourite books, they’re also developing essential critical thinking skills. They’re learning to share their opinions, listen to different perspectives, and to engage in meaningful debate with their peers. These are the stepping stones to becoming responsible citizens and we are delighted to provide a framework to embed these skills through the school library, with over 1600 children taking part in this year’s vote. There is a real accolade to gaining a Children’s Choice title and I was thrilled to see Amazing Asia receive the overall winner award from this year’s book club pupils.”
Claire Bowles, CEO of Peters said: “Peters was delighted to once again support the Information Book Awards. Information books are a brilliant way to engage readers and bring information alive. It is wonderful to hear directly from the pupils who have been reading these books, and to see firsthand the opportunity they provide to explore new areas of interest and build on existing areas of knowledge. Having any of the books from this year’s shortlist in your school library will have a significant impact.”
The Information Book Award was founded to help school libraries highlight the amazing quality of information books available for children and young people.
To discover more about the awards, or register for future updates, visit www.sla.org.uk/awards
