The five brilliant books shortlisted for the 2025 BookTrust Storytime prize have been unveiled. They are:
- Look Out! Hungry Snake written and illustrated by Paul Delaney (Kumusha Books)
- Ten Little Ducklings written by Lucy Rowland and illustrated by Aki (Bloomsbury)
- Whisper, Shout: Let It Out! written by Madhvi Ramani and illustrated by Anuska Allepuz (Two Hoots)
- Into the Wild written and illustrated by Thomas Docherty (Oxford)
- Roarr! written by Sam Taplin and illustrated by Ailie Busby (Usborne)
The prize, which aims to find the best book for sharing with 0–5s, was part of the BookTrust Storytime pilot to encourage families to visit their local library.
An expert panel chose the shortlisted books with insights from librarians and families, and the nominees faced a public vote from children, families and librarians for the £5,000 prize.
Copies of all the shortlisted books will be delivered to libraries taking part in the pilot, while some libraries will also receive activities and resources to help them encourage families to get involved.