2007
The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon by Mini Grey
published by Jonathan Cape

With many nods to 1920s film noir and other cinematic references throughout, this book offers so much to look at and contains great humour. There is real vitality in the drawings and the bold inky lines add drama. Grey gives amazing expression to the dish and the spoon without them having arms or mouths, and conveys beautifully the idea of villainous cutlery! There is so much to look at in this book; you see something new every time you open it.

2005 (awarded in 2006)
Wolves by Emily Gravett published by Macmillan

A real page-turner of a book. The style is spare, but at the same time there is so much in it, and the device whereby the book becomes the book within it is brilliantly employed. The illustrator’s style is totally unique, and the love and attention to detail here is obvious, even down to her having chewed the book herself to get the right effect.

2004 (awarded in 2005)
Jonathan Swift's “Gulliver” by Chris Riddell (Text by Martin Jenkins)

A modern day retelling of the four extraordinary voyages of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver. Riddell’s grotesque representation of Swift’s wacky worlds results in a perfect synthesis of words and pictures, and 144 pages of exuberant colour and matchless wit. A staggering achievement, beautifully produced. All this, and a memorable Tony Blair caricature too. 

2003 (awarded in 2004)
Ella's Big Chance by Shirley Hughes
published by The Bodley Head

Another inventive retelling of a traditional fairy tale: here Cinderella is transported into the 1920s, where we find talented dressmaker Ella, slaving over her sewing machine, whilst her stepsisters parade the latest fashions in her father's dress shop. Full of vibrant illustrations that leap from every page, Hughes' use of colour and brilliant expressions of body language enhance the text to give a graceful and balanced composition that is a perfect marriage of words and pictures.

2002 (awarded in 2003)
Jethro Byrde - Fairy Child by Bob Graham
published by Walker Books

Annabelle's dad says she'll never find fairies in cement and weeds, but he's about to be proved wrong. Wildly shifting perspectives, superb sense of scale and rainbow colour-washes transform urban landscapes, where fairies can be found in the most unlikely places if only we believe - or know where to look!

2001 (awarded in 2002)
Pirate Diary illustrated by Chris Riddell (author Richard Platt),
published by Walker Books

Riddell's meticulously researched illustrations, use of perspective and variety of design capture the different moods and tempos of this tale of pirate life. Every character's face is expressive and the pictures continue and extend the narrative making this book such fun, with a wealth of information and historical detail.

2000 (awarded in 2001)
I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child
published by Orchard Books

Child's innovative solution to the problem of fussy eating is mirrored in her equally innovative mixture of photography, collage and drawing. Every element of the design complements the deceptively simple story creating a totally integrated experience. A book with immediate impact.