DANZ Children’s Book Award Longlist

Following on from last month’s awards news, with my longlisted entry to the Paperbirds competition, I’m delighted to annouce that my book, Train of Thought has been longlisted for the DANZ Award, down under.

According to their website, “The DANZ Children’s Book Award, launched in 2024, stands for The Diversity in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand Children's Book Award and has been created to recognise, award, and celebrate diverse children’s literature. This means a children’s book published in Australia or New Zealand which pushes boundaries, challenges stereotypes, and celebrates diverse and marginalised people and communities.”

While I’m not Australian, I have worked with a few Australian publishers and my books seem to be reasonably popular over there. It also feels very special to be included in this award, because I make such a deliberate, conscious effort to include authentic, diverse characters in my books. And, as a neurodivergent, queer person, I appreciate the importance of visibility and representation on a very personal level, too.

Train of Thought follows Andy, who struggles to manage his daily life alongside his big imagination. With the love and support of his family, and inspiration from a real life train journey, Andy find ways to navigate his daily tasks whilst still embracing his creative mind.

So, congratulations to Jess Horn, Train of Thought’s lovely author, and all the other authors and illustrators who have been longlisted. The shortlist will be announced in May so keep your fingers crossed for us!