Seven Babies by Forest Xiao awarded top picture book prize

Forest Xiao has been crowned the most exciting newcomer to picture book illustration after winning the prestigious Klaus Flugge Prize for Seven Babies (Walker Books), her comic, characterful story of seven babies causing mayhem!

Forest's experience as a new mum inspired the book, "a celebration of the discoveries, the busyness, and the exhaustion of new parenthood". Judges for the award included best-selling illustrator Rob Biddulph and 2025 Klaus Flugge Prize winner Emma Farrarons.

More about Seven Babies (Walker Books): Super cute and based on Forest's own experiences as a new mum, it's the story of the arrival, one Thursday morning, of a box containing seven babies and the chaos that ensues. Feeding, bathing and entertaining the babies exhausts the two adults in the house, who are left sound asleep at the end as the babies head out for more fun.

Spread from Seven Babies by Forest Xiao

Forest Xiao describes herself as 'an image maker, storyteller and treasure finder'. She studied at Camberwell College of Art which led her to the MA in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. Forest was mum to a small baby when she was creating the book and has said that although there was just one baby there, looking around her house felt like it had been invaded by a whole army of them. "My sketchbooks from that time are full of babies - playgroups, children's centres, playgrounds, parks, and all sorts of kids' activities. They became a visual database for me. 90% of what the babies do in the book is inspired by real baby life.

"For me, becoming a new parent has been the most unpredictable journey I have ever been on. It is a season of vulnerability, growth, and shifting identity - an ongoing lesson that is teaching me to be present, to embrace the beautiful chaos, and to accept my own limitations. It often feels impossible to balance it all: a constant see-saw between family life and my creative ambitions. And out of that came Seven Babies. It is a celebration of the discoveries, the busyness, and the exhaustion of new parenthood - and a celebration of these all-powerful, magical little humans who change our lives forever."

Watch Forest Xiao introduce Seven Babies

Teacher Comments

Commenting on how Seven Babies has been received by children at Lydgate Primary School in Sheffield, teacher Vikki said, "I was in school today (yes, on my day off) so I asked at playtime if any of the children would like to stay and read Seven Babies with me instead of going out? About 10 children wanted to, so we all huddled together on the carpet to read it. They loved it and there was lots of laughing, pointing and flicking back and forth to spot things in the illustrations. After they saw the babies in the box on the first page, one of the children giggled,"I think they are going to make trouble!"

"The children were excited to spot the behaviour patterns of each baby, and they were flicking back and forth through the book following one baby at a time. They were particularly engaged by the baby who wanted to bite/eat everything and the sleepy baby. They loved how the babies clambered over the man in particular and they related this to how they did this with their dads at home. They loved spotting the ladybird on each double spread and liked how the endpapers were the patterns of the babygro. There was a discussion about how the babies had different skin tones and they were comparing which baby was most like their own skin.

"At the end of playtime I said I would leave the book in the classroom for them if they would like me to. They all said they wanted to look at it again. One child said, 'I wish I had this book at home'. This was actually the best 20 minutes of the term so far - it was a delight to share this book with them, see how much they enjoyed it, hear them laugh and chat animatedly together and feel like we had come together as a little community of picturebook enthusiasts."

Klaus Flugge Prize Judges' Comments

The £5,000 Klaus Flugge Prize is the only prize specifically to recognise a published picture book by a debut illustrator and is one of the most important and influential awards thanks to its spotlight on exciting new talent. Previous winners include Mariajo Ilustrajo, Flavia Z Drago and Joseph Namara Hollis. It was established in 2016 to honour Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and a leading figure in the world of children's publishing and illustration.

Judge and 2025 Klaus Flugge Prize winner illustrator Emma Farrarons said, "As judges we were unanimous. It was love at first read of Seven Babies, and love all over again on the reread. Forest takes you on a heartwarming, original, tender and chaotic adventure with seven adorable babies, starting with a knock at the door.

"We found her artwork very exciting. It's bold, playful, and full of feeling. Her choice of art materials, balancing of line work and textures, and shapes all painted in a zingy colour palette enhance the drawings beautifully. The composition puts you right there, at eye level, as though you're inside the house watching the story unfold. We loved how the simplicity of the text works alongside art that's rich in narrative. You notice something new every time you read it. The words tell you one thing is happening, while the pictures are telling you something else entirely."

On winning the award, which includes a £5,000 prize, Forest Xiao said, "It is an absolute honour, and it feels deeply rewarding to be receiving the Klaus Flugge Prize. Thank you, Klaus Flugge, for such encouragement and recognition. It reminds me to stay authentic, to trust my own experiences, and never to underestimate the power of ordinary, everyday moments that may seem trivial, but are often the most significant of all."

This year's Klaus Flugge Prize shortlisted picture book also included illustrators Becky Colvin, Laila Ekboir, Thekla Priebst, Justin Worsley and Circle Yuen. Alongside Emma Farrarons and Rob Biddulph, this year's judges were Shelley Jackson, course director for the internationally renowned MA in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University; and Vanessa Lewis, co-owner of independent children's bookshop The Book Nook in Hove. Julia Eccleshare was chair of the judges.