Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2026 shortlist announced

Waterstones' children's booksellers have chosen the shortlist for the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2026, highlighting titles they believe are the very best in new children's writing and illustration, with input from participating school children. 

The prize has a strong focus on reading for pleasure, providing recommendations for parents and guardians wanting to select books that foster a love of stories. Previous winners have included Katherine Rundell, Rob Biddulph, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Elle McNicoll. Last year's winner, The Café at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please, was also named Waterstones' Children's Book of the Year 2025 at the end of the year. 

The shortlist includes twelve books across three categories. Four books will compete within each category to be crowned Category Winner, with the three category winners then vying for the overall title of Waterstones Children's Book Prize Winner 2026.

The winners will be announced at an evening ceremony on Thursday 26 March 2026. #WCBP26

Illustrated Books category shortlist 

The Illustrated Books category takes young readers through adventures ranging from the mountaintops, in Jamie Carroll's gentle tale of determination and friendship Milo and the Mountain, to the depths of the sea, in Becky Colvin's engaging mystery adventure The Great Green Island.

In the raucously funny My Rice is Best! by Selina Brown and Maxwell A. Oginni, a group of children explore each other's cultures through their favourite rice dishes, whilst Huw Aaron's imaginative and hilarious Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob introduces us to truly monstrous, yet strangely familiar bedtime routines.

Younger Readers category shortlist

In the Younger Readers category Huw Aaron's Unfairies, a zany, fast-paced and action-packed graphic novel following a plucky fairy on a madcap quest, is joined by Evie and Maryam's Family Tree by Janeen Hayat, a warm and human contemporary story with flashbacks to Evie and Maryam's families during Partition. Meanwhile, Ashley Thorpe's Spirit Warriors is a highly original fantasy adventure packed with Jamaican folklore, and Wildlands by Brogen Murphy is a pacy eco-adventure set 25 years in the future.

Older Readers category shortlist

The Older Readers shortlist offers a rich tapestry of genres from Korean folklore and epic fantasy to a verse novel and a crime thriller. A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson is a fantasy thriller set against the atmospheric backdrop of an alternate 1930s London where dragons are at war with humanity, whilst 'Til Death by Busayo Matuluko immerses readers in a chaotic, loving Nigerian family during preparations for a wedding whilst the true-crime obsessed protagonist attempts to find out who is blackmailing the bride. Gráinne O'Brien's Solo is a lyrical verse novel about the emotional ups and downs of heartbreak and the healing power of music, whereas And the River Drags Her Down by Jihyun Yun is a beautifully-written and original gothic horror, inspired by Korean folklore.

 Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2026