Klaus Flugge Prize 2021 shortlist announced

Posted on Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Category: Book Awards

A counter to COVID: the year's best new picture book illustrators bring children love, warmth and reassurance

The Klaus Flugge Award highlights the most promising and exciting newcomers to picture book illustration.

From a longlist of twenty picture books by debut illustrators, the panel of judges comprising award-winning illustrator Posy Simmonds; Eva Eland, 2020 Klaus Flugge Prize winner; Darryl Clifton from Camberwell College of Arts; Fleur Sinclair, owner of Sevenoaks Bookshop; and Mat Tobin of Oxford Brookes University, have chosen five to shortlist.

The five books couldn't be more different in illustration style but, countering our experiences of the past year, find creative ways to portray love and friendship, security and comfort to the very young. The five shortlisted books are:

Child of Galaxies illustrated by Charlotte Ager, written by Blake Nuto (Flying Eye Books)
What the judges said: 'an impressive interpretation of really big, abstract ideas; the images leap off the page to stimulate young imaginations; beautiful use of colour and pace'. Charlotte Ager uses painterly, full-bleed spreads to give children a sense of the world, the universe and their place within it, her bold brushwork clearly visible across images of sea, sky and fields.

While You're Sleeping illustrated by John Broadley, written by Mick Jackson (Pavilion)
What the judges said: 'Original and interesting; the details are so comforting; his handling of sea and sky is excellent, very muscular and with lots of theatrics; he's had fun creating this!' John Broadley uses intricate, detailed pen and ink illustrations, reminiscent of Edward Bawden's work, to open the curtains on the teeming night-time world, where busy people go about their jobs and foxes, owls and hares come out in the countryside while a child sleeps soundly, tucked up in bed.

Gustavo the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z Drago (Walker Books)
What the judges said: 'A visual treat and the text and illustrations work very well together; it's full of detail but never cluttered; pace is cleverly controlled; just the right balance of fun and fright!'. Flavia Z. Drago introduces us to Gustavo, a gorgeous little ghost who is so shy he's literally invisible. Her folk-art style with its palette of orange and Rosa Mexicana creates a distinctive playground for Gustavo as he suddenly and unexpectedly makes new friends.

I'm Sticking with You illustrated by Steve Small, written by Smriti Halls (Simon and Schuster)
What the judges said: 'Really well crafted, particularly in the relationship between the characters; lovely deadpan humour with lots of clever touches in the illustrations; love the pace and the way the story moves.' Already an award-winning animator, Steve Small's debut picture book celebrates an unusual and enduring friendship, and his illustrations bring odd couple Bear and Squirrely vividly and comically to life, images perfectly placed on clean white pages for maximum impact.

My Red Hat illustrated by Rachel Stubbs (Walker Books)
What the judges said: 'Really impressive use of colour and the characters are really alive; the hand-lettered typography works very well as do the compositions; there's a wonderful sense of looseness to the pictures, which is very hard to accomplish; there's a special tension in the final pages before a happy ending.' Rachel Stubbs celebrates another special relationship, that between grandparent and child. With fluid, elegant line, a delicate limited palette and hand drawn typography, she conveys an extraordinary depth of emotion and love.

The winner will be announced in September.