OUR annual Oscar’s Book Prize event is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the best in early-years literature and the magic of reading. In the last six years we have brought together talented authors, illustrators, publishers, reading charities, educators, celebrities, family and friends from across the UK in memorable locations such as St James’s Palace.
This year is different because of the Covid-19 outbreak, as every event organiser knows.
We took an early decision to announce our winner on the OBP website and via social media, even though our friends at the May Fair Hotel in central London were ready to host again as soon as lockdown ended. The big reveal is not far off now: Monday, May 25 at 12 noon.
The shift online left us with one more decision to make: what to do with the funds we had earmarked for our party?
Oscar’s Book Prize has evolved a lot since we first picked the best pre-school book of the year in 2014 in commemoration of our boy. We want to celebrate the best books in this vibrant category, but also inspire parents to spend vital book time with their children wherever that may be.
Thanks to the generosity of publishers, over several years we have been able to distribute books to children in schools and hospitals in collaboration with Read for Good, a brilliant charity whose professional storytellers encourage children to develop a love of reading.
As usual this year, we will offer 50 schools and nurseries the chance to receive our shortlisted books, but we’ll wait until autumn to do so.
In the meantime, we can go one better than before to get some fantastic books into kids’ hands just when they need something bright and imaginative to distract them from everyday life.
We are delighted that our decision to spend the event budget on our favourite books of the year has been met with the kind offer of even more free and discounted copies from the publishers of our six shortlisted titles - HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Flying Eye Books, Macmillan Children’s Books, Walker Books and Nosy Crow – plus many helping hands at Read for Good.
It means our Oscar’s Book Prize 2020 final six will be distributed to 150 children’s wards across the UK, just as soon as hospitals and delivery networks get back to something approaching normal.
Of course, this is a small gesture compared to some of the extraordinary acts of generosity we have witnessed in the last two months. But we hope every little helps, especially as books have such power to cheer and enthrall. One positive from lockdown is that there has never been a better time to read together.
James Ashton and Viveka Alvestrand
Oscar’s Book Prize
May 2020
