Walthamstow illustrator Laura Hughes has been shortlisted for the Oscar’s Book Prize. The award, now in its fifth year, was set up in honour of Oscar Ashton, a boy who passed away at the age of three and a half from an undetected heart condition, and looks for literary excellence in books for those aged five and under.

Commenting on the shortlist, panel judge Katie Derham says: “I was most drawn to the books where the message wasn’t necessarily obvious – but might have been presented in a slightly quirky way. I was also looking for the books that I thought parents would enjoy as well as children. That’s often overlooked.”

The winner will be announced on May 14 at St James’s Palace, with royal patron Princess Beatrice awarding the £5,000 prize.

The prize’s 2018 judging panel, comprising TV and radio presenter Katie Derham, Julia Eccleshare, Children’s Director of the Hay Festival, Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, UK Director of Books at Amazon, and Oscar’s parents, James Ashton and Viveka Alvestrand, has searched for the best in children’s stories and stories Oscar himself would have loved.

Of Laura’s book, There’s a Pig Up My Nose, co-written with John Dougherty, judge Julia Eccleshare says: “The surprise comes right at the start and what a wonderfully dotty premise to begin a story with, about problem-solving in the classroom. Brilliantly structured too.”

Julia Eccleshare said, “I was bowled over by the incredibly high overall standard of the submissions. While some were especially strong on graphic design, layout and production values, others had charming rhymes and great stories.”

For more information about the prize visit: oscarsbookprize.co.uk.