Children to vote for their top reads as part of exciting award

Thousands of Lancashire schoolchildren are set to cast their votes for their favourite books this spring.

The Brilliant Book Award 2024 has been launched, marking its fifth year of nurturing love of reading by celebrating recently published stories for children aged six to seven years.

Developed by Lancashire County Council’s School Library Service, the Brilliant Book Award aims to nurture a love of reading.

As part of it, thousands of children from across 120 primary schools will have fun during the spring term, sharing stories and voting for their favourite book.

The winning book will be picked in March and unveiled to primary schools in May this year.

This year’s exciting launch took place at Brockholes Visitor Centre on January 18, and was attended by best-selling children’s author Susanna Lloyd, who’s written picture books ‘Here Be Dragons’, ‘Oh Monty!’, ‘This Book Can Read Your Mind’, and ‘The Terribly Friendly Fox.’

She’s also written two picture books and a chapter book which will be out later this year, and had her books translated into no less than ten languages.

Susannah said: “I love reading stories, especially the ones you find in children’s books – libraries and book shops are my ‘happy place.’

“My favourite book from childhood was ‘Trubloff, The Mouse Who Wanted To Play The Balalaika’, by John Burningham,’ because it made me want to play the balalaika, a stringed musical instrument, but, alas, I still cannot!”

Susannah penned her first ever book when she was five, on her kitchen table, with the help of a large pot of felt tip pens and a stapler, about a fox, a wolf, a crow and a stolen balloon.

Her books are inspired by old black and white movies, dusty stuffed animals in museums and all things small in the world. She added: “My favourite words are ‘in cahoots’ and ‘hullabaloo.'”

County Councillor Peter Buckley, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for Community and Cultural Services, said: “I’m thrilled that the Brilliant Book Award for 2024 is once again up and running. This is a very exciting initiative, and I’m very pleased that so many school children across Lancashire are taking part again this year.”

County Councillor Jayne Rear, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for Education and Skills, said: “It’s wonderful to see so much enthusiasm and interest in books and reading generally in our primary schools. The Brilliant Book Award 2024 is a great way of helping to build high standards of literacy and build a love of reading among school children across Lancashire.”