Flower Block with illo's by Hoang Giang has WON the Derby Picture Book Award!
In 2018 the Derby Book Festival launched the Derby Children’s Picture Book Award to mark the fifth anniversary of the Festival. The Award is chosen by 1673 children from 61 city schools in Derby from Years 2 & 3.
Derby Book Festival believe it is vitally important for children to read books which reflect themselves, their lives and the world around them. Derby is a diverse city with a significantly higher number of BAME people than the national average (19.7% compared to 14.6%) and the second-largest population of D/deaf people in the UK.
Each year they invite publishers to submit books that meet the criteria. The children read the books in class in the Spring term and then vote for their favourite. The winner is announced in March after the children have voted.
The winning book for 2025 is Flower Block from talented debut author Lanisha Butterfield and illustrated by Illo’s marvel; Hoang Giang!!
Here’s a little about the book…
When Jeremiah plants a packet of sunflower seeds, the very last thing he expects is for the vines and leaves to grow overnight and burst through the ceiling of his apartment! As Jeremiah and his brother chase the magical plant up through the floors of their tower block home, they discover an array of curious neighbours who join in the adventure. But what could be waiting for them at the top of the building? And will Jeremiah find his voice to help the neighbours discover the true magic hidden within these sunflower seeds? A glorious celebration of the power of nature to bring communities together.
Here's a quote from their publisher; specifically Keren Greenfeld, Art Director, Puffin Picture Books
'Congratulations to Giang for creating such beautiful artwork for Flower Block - we're so happy that this wonderful book is receiving the love and recognition it deserves.'
Alongside this award, this book has also been selected to be submitted for the 2024 Reflecting Disability: Representation of disabled people in UK. This amazing book has also been selected to be part of Dollywood Foundations’ amazing 2025 scheme and is currently on the Jhalak C&YA Prize 2025 longlist.
Hoang Giang was born in Dalat, a small highland city in Vietnam before moving to Ho Chi Minh City to pursue a career in illustration. Her strength is that she always has fun while working. She tends to make the characters as lively as possible because to her, after all, the story belongs to the characters themselves.
If you’d like more info, please contact: [email protected]
At Illo Agency, we pride ourselves in representing a collation of global illustrators, distinctly diverse in creativity and uniquely celebrated by like-minded clients across a range of commercial markets.