SLA Information Book Award winners announced!

November 25th 2021

The School Library Association are pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Information Book Award (IBA), in partnership with sponsors Hachette Children's Group and Peters. Now in its eleventh year, the IBA aims to emphasise the importance of non-fiction by highlighting and celebrating the high standard of children’s information books available, as well as ensuring that all school staff are equipped to support their students, through access to these important titles.

As well as the judges’ choices, this year children have also had the opportunity to vote for their favourite book, from the shortlist of eleven titles, in order to determine an additional Children’s Choice winner in each age category.

The winners are: 

• 0–7 age category (and overall winner) Why Do Things Die? by Katie Daynes, illustrated by Christine Pym (Usborne)
• 8–12 age category How Many Mice Make an Elephant? by Tracey Turner, illustrated by Aaron Cushley (Pan Macmillan)
• 13-16 age category Have Pride by Stella Caldwell and Sue Sanders (Welbeck Publishing)

In response to the difficult time schools have been going through over the past 18 months, the SLA were delighted to provide book packages of the shortlist to 24 schools in order to help more schools get involved in the award.

Following the votes from children across the UK, Why Do Things Die? secured its third win as the Children’s Choice Winner in the 0-7 category.

An ideal tool for broadening horizons and supporting the development of empathy, the Children’s Choice winner for both the 8-12 category and Overall Winner is I Am Not a Label by Cerrie Burnell, illustrated by Lauren 'Emel' Baldo (Wide Eyed Editions). And finally, This Book is Anti-Racist, a striking and heartfelt guide for teenagers to actively work against racism by Tiffany Jewell and illustrated by Aurélia Durand (Frances Lincoln), won the Children’s Choice for the 13-16 age category.

Find out more about the Information Book Award

See all IBA 2021 shortlisted books