Wednesday 16th February 2022: The UK’s longest running and best-loved book awards for children and young people, the Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards, today announced the longlists for 2022.
33 books have been selected in total – 18 for the Yoto Carnegie Medal and 15 for the Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal – with themes of community and connection, shared humanity and friendship all explored in the titles.
The lists include:
9 debut children’s books, including two novels from teachers: the hard-hitting YA novel Grow by secondary school teacher Luke Palmer and enthralling historical middle-grade mystery The Valley of Lost Secrets by primary school teacher Lesley Parr
Danica Novgorodoff’s astonishing graphic novel edition of 2019 Carnegie-shortlisted Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (Carnegie Medal winner 2021 for Look Both Ways) – her first for young people published in the UK
A first-time longlisting for award-winning author Patrice Lawrence, who after three previous nominations is recognised with Rat, her insightful story of loneliness, community and unexpected friendships
Two double Kate Greenaway winners: Sydney Smith (2018 & 2021) for I Talk Like A River, a moving picture book about a boy who stutters, inspired by poet Jordan Scott’s own experience; and Emily Gravett (2005 and 2008) with Too Much Stuff!, a vibrant, rhyming tale of two magpies and their warning about the perils of over-consumption
Two Carnegie winners: Manjeet Mann (Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice, 2021) for her second trailblazing novel, The Crossing, which explores the refugee crisis in verse; and Angie Thomas (Carnegie Amnesty CILIP Honour, 2018) with Concrete Rose, the searing prequel to The Hate U Give, about Black boyhood and manhood, and the responsibility of becoming a young father
The Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in children’s writing and illustration respectively and are unique in being judged by children’s librarians, with the Shadowers’ Choice Award voted for by children and young people. The longlists were chosen from 148 nominations by the judging panel, which includes 14 children’s and youth librarians from CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group.
The 2022 Yoto Carnegie Medal longlist is (alphabetical by author surname):
October, October by Katya Balen, illustrated by Angela Harding (Bloomsbury)
Musical Truth by Jeffrey Boakye, illustrated by Ngadi Smart (Faber)
We Were Wolves by Jason Cockcroft (Andersen Press)
Guard Your Heart by Sue Divin (Macmillan Children’s Books)
When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle (Andersen Press)
When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten (Pushkin Children’s Books)
The Climbers by Keith Gray (Barrington Stoke)
Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock (Faber)
The Wolf Road by Richard Lambert (Everything With Words)
Rat by Patrice Lawrence (Oxford University Press)
The Crossing by Manjeet Mann (Penguin Children’s Books)
Grow by Luke Palmer (Firefly Press)
The Valley of Lost Secrets by Lesley Parr (Bloomsbury)
Tsunami Girl by Julian Sedgwick, illustrated by Chie Kutsuwada (Guppy Books)
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas (Walker Books)
Cane Warriors by Alex Wheatle (Andersen Press)
In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner (Andersen Press)
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
The 2022 Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal longlist is (alphabetical by illustrator surname):
While You’re Sleeping illustrated by John Broadley, written by Mick Jackson (Pavilion Books)
Drawn Across Borders illustrated and written by George Butler (Walker Books)
The Midnight Fair illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio, written by Gideon Sterer (Walker Books)
Wild Child illustrated by Barry Falls, written by Dara McAnulty (Macmillan Children’s Books)
A Cat Called Waverley illustrated and written by Debi Gliori (Otter-Barry Books)
Too Much Stuff illustrated and written by Emily Gravett (Two Hoots)
Diamonds illustrated and written by Armin Greder (Allen & Unwin Children’s Books)
Over the Shop illustrated by Qin Leng, written by JonArno Lawson (Walker Books)
Long Way Down illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff, written by Jason Reynolds (Faber)
The Invisible illustrated and written by Tom Percival (Simon & Schuster)
Milo Imagines the World illustrated by Christian Robinson, written by Matt de la Pena (Macmillan Children’s Books)
Shu Lin’s Grandpa illustrated by Yu Rong, written by Matt Goodfellow (Otter-Barry Books)
I Talk Like a River illustrated by Sydney Smith, written by Jordan Scott (Walker Books)
The House by the Lake illustrated by Britta Teckentrup, written by Thomas Harding (Walker Books)
The Wanderer illustrated and written by Peter Van den Ende (Pushkin Children’s Books)
Jennifer Horan, Chair of Judges for the Yoto Carnegie and Greenaway Awards 2022, comments:
“It is a real privilege to be chairing the judging panel during what has been an exceptional year for children’s publishing. We were transported and moved by evocative and lyrical prose; taken on fantastical journeys and invited into new worlds through powerful illustration; and given real hope by the messages of humanity, connection and community that so many of this year’s longlisted books share. I congratulate all the authors and illustrators on their outstanding work, which will bring young readers so much pleasure and reassurance in these times of worry.”
Along with the former winners, this year’s Carnegie longlist includes eight previously longlisted authors: Katya Balen, Phil Earle, Keith Grey, Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, Julian Sedgwick, Alex Wheatle and Jeff Zentner.
In addition to Palmer and Parr’s titles, three other debut novels are recognised: When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten, which was shortlisted for both the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Jhalak Prize; Guard Your Heart by Sue Divin whose day job in community relations and peace building in Derry has informed her first YA novel about the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland; and The Wolf Road by poet Richard Lambert –his presence also represents a first longlisting for independent publisher Everything with Words.
Illustration is celebrated on this year’s Carnegie longlist, including in We Were Wolves by Jason Cockcroft, a darkly beautiful YA novel, which was also nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal; Julian Sedgwick’s Tsunami Girl, a part-manga, part-prose coming-of-age story, illustrated by Chie Kutsuwada, that explores identity and belonging, and was inspired by the author’s work as a therapist; Katya Balen’s feast for the senses, October, October, illustrated by Angela Harding; and Musical Truth: A Musical History of Modern Black Britain in 28 Songs, a non-fiction cultural history skilfully told by Jeffrey Boakye and illustrated by Ngadi Smart.
Books such as Boakye’s and Divin’s, which retell and reframe the past are well-represented in the Carnegie picks including Alex Wheatle’s Cane Warriors, which follows the real-life slave rebellion known as Tacky’s War in 18th century Jamaica and Phil Earle’s 20th book, When the Sky Falls, inspired by true events from World War II. Exploring more recent history, Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Dr Yusef Salaam, a member of ‘The Exonerated Five’, is a novel in verse that looks at the reality of the criminal justice system for young people of colour in America.
On the Kate Greenaway longlist, which features illustrators who live in nine different countries around the world including Italy, Belgium, USA, Canada, Peru, Germany, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England, two make a repeat appearance: Debi Gliori and Britta Teckentrup.
Alongside Novgorodoff, three illustrators make the list with their first children’s book: award-winning artist George Butler with his stunning Drawn Across Borders: True Stories of Migration; John Broadley for While You’re Sleeping, an enchanting look at the world of night-time work and wildlife, written by Mick Jackson; and Cayman Islands’ nature guide Peter Van den Ende with his wordless picture book The Wanderer, a gateway to a marine fantasy world.
The theme of encouraging readers to respect and enjoy nature continues in other longlisted books such as Wild Child: A Journey Through Nature by Dara McAnulty and illustrated by Barry Falls – a family friendly, fact-packed guide to exploring the natural world; and another wordless picture book The Midnight Fair, illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio, which is a spectacular and surreal look at the secret life of animals.
Friendship and connection, acceptance, and understanding were common themes across both lists, with Jeff Zentner’s In the Wild Light, a beautiful story of grief, found family and young love; Keith Gray’s The Climbers, an unflinching look at teenage boys desperate to both stand out and fit in; Tom Percival’s The Invisible, in which he sympathetically deals with the impact of poverty and the importance of community, inspired by his own childhood; and Over the Shop illustrated by Qin Leng, where a young girl and her grandparent open their home and hearts.
Key Dates:
The shortlists for the Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards 2022 will be announced on Wednesday 16th March. In addition to the publicity packs provided for schools and libraries, the Awards are expanding their reading campaign with shortlist POS packs being made available to retailers for the first time, including stickers, bookmarks and posters.
The winners will be announced and celebrated on Thursday 16th June at a ceremony at The British Library.
The winners will each receive £500 worth of books to donate to their local library, a specially commissioned golden medal and a £5,000 Colin Mears Award cash prize.
Now in its fourth year, the Shadowers’ Choice Award – voted for and awarded by the children and young people who shadow the Medals – will also be announced at the ceremony.
Yoto, the innovative, screen-free audio platform for children, is the headline sponsor for the Awards. The ambition of the recently announced three-year partnership is to increase the visibility, profile and reach of the Awards to inspire and empower a new generation of readers. The Awards are also sponsored by Peters, the official book supplier, and ALCS.
For media requests and interviews, please contact: Hannah Davies or Annabelle Wright at ed public relations on hannah@edpr.co.uk or annabelle@edpr.co.uk or 020 7732 4796
Notes to Editors
For all 33 author and illustrator biographies and images, book synopses and jackets, please click here.
About the Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards and Shadowing Scheme
The Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards and Shadowing Scheme are managed by CILIP, the library and information association. The Medals are awarded annually by CILIP and the Youth Libraries Group with longlists announced in February, shortlists in March and the winners announced at a ceremony in June.
The Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in writing and illustration for children and young people respectively and are unique in being judged by librarians. Alongside Yoto as the headline sponsor, the Awards are sponsored by Peters and ALCS.
The Yoto Carnegie Medal is awarded annually to an author whose writing creates an outstanding reading experience for children or young people. It was established in 1936 in memory of the Scottish-born philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919). The Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal, established in 1955, is named after the popular nineteenth century artist, known for her beautiful children’s illustrations and designs. The Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded annually to a book illustrator whose artwork creates an outstanding reading experience for children and young people.
Each year thousands of reading groups in schools and libraries in the UK and overseas get involved in the Awards, with children and young people ‘shadowing’ the judging process. They read, discuss and review the books on the shortlists, get involved in reading related activity in groups, and vote for their favourite books to win the Shadowers’ Choice Awards.
In 2021, the Carnegie Medal was won by Jason Reynolds for Look Both Ways, and the Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice was awarded to Manjeet Mann for Run, Rebel. The Kate Greenaway Medal was won by Sydney Smith for Small in the City and Sharon King-Chai was awarded the Greenaway Shadowers’ Choice for Starbird.
In additional to the publicity packs for schools and libraries, the Awards are expanding their reading campaign with shortlist POS packs being made available to retailers for the first time, including stickers, bookmarks and posters. Any booksellers who would like to be added to the list please contact: danielle@agile-ideas.com
About Yoto
Yoto is the audio platform that kids control. Our audio players let kids safely explore their favourite stories, music and more without a screen.
Inspired by Montessori principals, Ben Drury and Filip Denker founded Yoto in 2017. The very first Yoto Player launched on Kickstarter, then sold out in 2019. The second generation Yoto Player was designed with renowned design agency, Pentagram, and launched in early 2020.
Yoto Player has won awards and accolades from critics and toddlers alike. TIME Magazine even named it one of the Best Inventions of 2020.
Yoto Mini – our portable audio player – launched in late 2021.
Yoto’s platform features original content alongside audio licensed and co-created with partners. These include PRH, Macmillan, Sony, Disney, LEGO, Roald Dahl Story Company, HarperCollins, Hachette, Bonnier and Scholastic.
About CILIP, the library and information association
CILIP is the leading voice for the information, knowledge management and library profession. Our goal is to put information and library skills and professional values at the heart of a democratic, equal and prosperous society.
CILIP is a registered charity, no. 313014. The Youth Libraries Group (YLG) is a special interest group of CILIP who work to preserve and influence the provision of quality literature and library services for children and young people, both in public libraries and school library services.
YLG has 12 regional committees covering all of the UK, and each committee advertises and democratically recruits a judge to represent them on the panel of judges. Each judge serves a two-year term and each year the panel is a unique mix of new and experienced judges led by the Chair of Judges. Following the independent diversity review of the Awards, CILIP introduced a co-opting procedure so that if this recruitment process does not result in a sufficiently diverse and representative judging panel, up to two judges will be co-opted to join the panel.
In 2022, the judging panel includes 14 volunteer judges from CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group. Find out more about this year’s judges here.
About the CILIP Equality and Diversity Action Plan
An independent Diversity Review, chaired by Margaret Casely-Hayford, took place throughout the 2018 Medals cycle. CILIP announced the review of Medals – as part of the organisation’s wider Equality and Diversity Action Plan – following concerns raised about the lack of BAME representation on the 2017 Carnegie Medal longlist. The Review informed the annual evaluation process and long-term planning around the Awards and accompanying shadowing scheme. The annual reports pertaining to this review can be found here.
About CILIP’s Awards Partners
Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Calibre Audio Library will be producing the Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Medal shortlisted books in accessible formats (compatibility permitting), including braille, giant print and audio books.
Centre for Literacy in Primary Education and the English and Media Centre create expert teaching resources for the shortlisted books.
Amnesty International is the world’s leading human rights organisation with more than seven million supporters worldwide. Amnesty’s partnership with CILIP focuses on strengthening its educational and training offer around human rights awareness and learning for shadowers, group leaders and shortlisted authors and illustrators.
Launched in 2013, Inclusive Minds is a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion, diversity, equality and accessibility in children’s literature and are committed to changing the face of children’s books. In February 2020 Inclusive Minds became a Community Interest Company (CIC) with a team of Ambassadors with lived experience as directors. This year Inclusive Minds CIC is lending its expertise to the 2022 Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards. The panel of judges will have access to the Inclusive Minds Ambassador Network, who will help to bring a broad range of voices and perspectives on the books in contention for the Awards.
