Little Rebels Award

Social Justice Children's Book Fair — Ronnie's Awesome List This year marks the ninth annual Social Justice Children's Book Fair.  The popular book fair will be back in Oakland, marking its annual return on December 6, 2025, at Emerson Elementary School.

In N America they have a Social Justice Children’s Book Fair.

If you’re that side of the pond 🦆it’s Dec 6th in Oakland.

If you’re this side 🦆, we need one!
#KidLitUK

www.ronniesawesomelist.com/blog/social-...

And this, my friends, is a happy motion picture 😉of our #LittleRebelsAward materials being mailed out to some lucky schools/libraries after @theclpe.bsky.social ran a giveaway last month.

5 additional luckies are getting a set of the 6 shortlisted books for FREE.

#KidLitUK

🪧❤️A REBELLIOUS CIRCLE OF LOVE❤️🪧

In addition to the winner’s prize, every year, former #LittleRebelsAward recipient, @gill-lewis.bsky.social , gives a donation to the most recent winner to pass on to a charity of their choice.

This year, @sarahhaggerholt.bsky.social donated to ….
#KidLitUK

Arts Emergency We help young people get a fair start in the arts and humanities

… @artsemergency.bsky.social a charity which helps young people “get a fair start in the arts and humanities”.

Find out more about their work here: www.arts-emergency.org

🪧❤️A REBELLIOUS CIRCLE OF LOVE❤️🪧

In addition to the winner’s prize, every year, former #LittleRebelsAward recipient, @gill-lewis.bsky.social , gives a donation to the most recent winner to pass on to a charity of their choice.

This year, @sarahhaggerholt.bsky.social donated to ….
#KidLitUK

Az Dassu, left, stands smiling with Patrice Lawrence. Patrice holds up two copies of Wild Journey. In a bookshop, surrounded by bookshelves.

Author Zanib Mian stands smiling, holding a copy of Wild Journey. Behind her is a tall bookshelf full of copies of the book. Just off to the right, in the background, we can see Az Dassu.

Fabulous to see the 2021 Winner of #littlerebelsaward @amdassu.bsky.social at the launch of her new MG book Wild Journey published by @zephyrbooks.bsky.social

Oooh- and two other winners in attendance!
Pic 1- with @lawrencepatrice.bsky.social (2023 winner)
Pic 2- Zanib Mian (2018 winner)
#KidLitUK

Plenty more #LittleRebelsAward 2025 Shortlistee Catchup (they’re all so busy!) Except this one is also our 2025 Winner.

@sarahhaggerholt.bsky.social is in the middle of @empathylabuk.bsky.social’s Empathy Action Month. The #littlerebelsaward winning title is in perfect synch!
#KidLitUK

Background image taken from the picture book Kende! Kende! Kende! Superimposed are extracts from author Kirsten Cappy’s quote. Reads: “Imagine a country bereft of Lillie’s living family. Imagine a country without Lolie’s future contribution as, perhaps, an engineer. Imagine the co-authors’ community without the actual men and women who gave their love and voice to this book. It is unacceptable and, thus, we rebel. May KENDE! KENDE! KENDE! make little rebels of all its readers”

More of our #LittleRebelsAward 2025 Shortlistee Catchup…

The creatives behind the wonderful Kende! Kende! Kende! couldn’t attend our award night but Kirsten Cappy sent such a lovely message, packed with rebelliousness!

Extract below.

#KidLitUK
#UKKidLit
@childsplayusa.bsky.social

A section in the book called “About the Author”. This lists all of the author’s award credits including The Little Rebels Award.

The cover of Az Dassu’s new book. Orange/black/white palette. 5 small illustrations depict each of the 5 chapters: An injured starling being cradled in 2 hands 2 camel riders linked with a rope A prowling wolf A child runs with homemade ‘wings’ An artist’s sketch book The 5 pictures are linked by a curving swirl- a starling murmuration Subtitle reads, “a flight of stories across deserts & forests, cities & seas”

We blush proudly whenever we see our name in #LittleRebelsAward winners’ subsequent works.

Here we are, listed in @amdassu.bsky.social ‘s brand new illustrated middle grade: Wild Journey.😊
@headofzeus.bsky.social
#UKKidLit #KidLitUK

A screenshot from Instagram. Cover images of Mayowa & the Sea of Words and Ghostlines . Text details how both Bloomsbury titles have been chosen for the Waterstones Paperback list for 2025.

Continuing our #LittleRebelsAward 2025 Shortlistee Catchup…

Chibundu Onuzo’s Mayowa & the Sea of Words was chosen for Waterstones’ Paperback list for 2025.👏👏👏
@bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social
#KidLitUK #UKKidLit

A graphic showing the cover of Cottonopolis on the left (one white girl and one Black girl in 1800s dress against a background of stars in the colours of the lesbian pride flag). On the right is some descriptive text: Little Rebels Award 2025 shortlist, a magical middlegrade full of marvel and mischief

A graphic showing an orange cobweb and bats on a black backgrouns. In the bottom right is the Northodox Press logo. The text reads: 15% off this spooky season. Use the code HALLOWEEN25

My books are in a Halloween sale til 1 Nov! 👻🏳️‍🌈

Cottonopolis is a queer historical novel. Shortlisted for the 2025 #LittleRebelsAward 🎪
www.northodox.co.uk/product-page...

The Ballad of the Fen Violets combines history, folklore & adventure. Coming out in 2026 🦢
www.northodox.co.uk/product-page...

A screenshot from a post by @ChildrensLFest on Twitter. Reads: “CONGRATULATIONS Winner of our #clfbookawards in the Independent & Small Publishers Young Reader category - chosen by children from 30 schools and 5 libraries: Cathy Jenkins & Monique Steel. #NationalYearofReading every year #readingforpleasure” Beneath text is a visual asset declaring the same with the cover of the book, “Zac & Jac”.

Playing #LittleRebelsAward 2025 Shortlistee Catchup…

How did we fail to notice that Cathy Jenkins won the Children’s Lit Fests 2025’s Indie & Small Publisher Young Reader Award?

Such a lovely win as children’s votes carry huge weight.

Congrats Cathy! @graffegbooks.bsky.social
#KidLitUK

Playing #LittleRebelsAward 2025 Shortlistee Catchup…

And @sflayzell.bsky.social marked #BookshopDay with a visit to one of the award organisers: glorious @housmansbookshop.bsky.social a happy hive of radical bookishness.

Pick up your copy of Cottonopolis when you’re next there, folk!
#KidLitUK

Now playing #LittleRebelsAward 2025 Shortlistee Catchup…

@ellemcnicoll.bsky.social ‘s Role Model was published this year and it’s going down a proper storm.
@knightsofbooks.bsky.social
#KidLitUK

An amazing night celebrating such talented writers! So much heart in the room ❤️

So happy you were part of the party!

6th November. Former #LittleRebelsAward Champion, @amdassu.bsky.social , is sharing her latest book at a totally FREE event for schools.
#KidLitUK

Something for all you Big Rebels to get behind!

A callout to UK indie booksellers to amplify Day of the Imprisoned Writer / 15th November.

Where Are the Big Political Ideas in Children’s Books?

A blog written by organisers @letterboxlibrary.bsky.social in the inaugural year of #LittleRebelsAward.

www.letterboxlibrary.com/post/where-a...
#KidLitUK

Former Winner Patrice Lawrence stands, posing and smiling. She’s taken off her glasses which she holds down in her right hand. Wears a black tank top & check trousers. To her left is Varsha Shah. She wears dark trousers and a glittery silver shirt/jacket. She too has a broad smile. There are bookshelves either side.

A black and white head & shoulders portrait. On the left is author JT Williams.she smiles. Wears a bold patterned shirt. To her left is one of the award organisers - she wears a black suit jacket; smiling. Bookshelves either side.

Our award night brings together a whole community of rebels, little and big. Former award winners and Big Rebels, @lawrencepatrice.bsky.social (left) ⬇️ & JT Williams ⬇️ (right), joined us this year.

And we spotted Patrice talking to a former shortlistee: Varsha Shah (right of Patrice)!
#KidLitUK

Wonderful to see our award merch featured in the @sla.org.uk newsletter back in September.
#KidLitUK

And we still want to big up all of our shortlistees. Now and always!
🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

Kende! Kende! Kende! had a coveted place as the only picture book on this year’s shortlist.
#KidsLitUK

Shows a screenshot of author Sarah Hager Holt’s website which shows the cover of book The Fights That Make Us and then text reads, “Warm-hearted and powerful story of friendship, family and standing up for what you believe in for 10+ readers. Set now and the 1980s. Winner of the Polari Prize for Children & Young Adult books 2024 and the Little Rebels Award 2025, shortlisted for the Brilliant Books Award, the Young Quills Award for historical…”

⚡️Newsflash:

Author adds all correct award info. to their website.
#KidLitUK
#LittleRebelsAward

Just adoring-again-these words from the 2025 @littlerebsprize.bsky.social Winner, @sarahhaggerholt.bsky.social
💜💜💜⬇️

Tagging here those with some of the biggest smiles in the album…
@darrenchetty.bsky.social
@sarahhaggerholt.bsky.social
@chrishaughton.bsky.social
@lawrencepatrice.bsky.social
@savitakalhan.bsky.social
@sflayzell.bsky.social
@ellemcnicoll.bsky.social
@mayowrites.bsky.social
@okayjane.bsky.social

Photos from the 2025 Little Rebels Award Ceremony Our 2025 award ceremony was held on October 1st at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education in London. We were delighted to welcome shortlisted authors Elle McNicoll, Sarah Hagger-Holt, Cathy J…

THE Rad. Children’s Book Party of 2025😉

For those of you who were there- and those of you who weren’t, you can now see an album of happy faces from the recent #LittleRebelsAward Award Ceremony here:
littlerebels.org/2025/10/10/p...
@housmansbookshop.bsky.social
#KidLitUK

@sarahhaggerholt.bsky.social
@housmansbookshop.bsky.social
Great photo tip @darrenchetty.bsky.social 😉

A photo of a large group of people, standing. Most are mid-whooping! Smiles & laughter. At the centre is this years’s Little Rebels Award Winner, Sarah Hagger-Holt, holding a framed picture of 3 toddlers (one of whom is holding a ‘Take Action’ placard). To her left is Ken Wilson Max, the artist who created the picture. They stand in a space surrounded on all sides by bookshelves.

Hi #LittleRebelsAward Folk!
10 days on and we’re still absolutely buzzing 🐝from our award evening.

A huge thank you to @theclpe.bsky.social for allowing us to host in their glorious Literacy Library.

For your weekend, we leave you with this JOYFUL moment below…
#KidsLitUK
#UKKidsLit

Cover of AM Dassau's Fight Back, illustration showing students of different religions and backgrounds standing together

In my local area, faith groups have supported each other after last week's attack in Manchester. This is how we stay strong. Fellow @littlerebsprize.bsky.social winner AM Dassu's 'Fight Back' shows this in action. DM me if you know a school/youth group who could use a copy, I'd love to buy them one.

FYI
@sflayzell.bsky.social
@ellemcnicoll.bsky.social
@sarahhaggerholt.bsky.social
@darrenchetty.bsky.social
@knightsofbooks.bsky.social
@graffegbooks.bsky.social
@northodoxpress.bsky.social