Huw Aaron's tale of a green blob reading to its child has won the overall Waterstones children's book prize. The book, titled Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob, features a parent blob tucking its child into bed while describing other creatures preparing for sleep, including a yeti, Medusa and a Minotaur.
Aaron, a Welsh author and illustrator from Swansea now living in Cardiff, was announced as the winner of the £5,000 prize at a ceremony on Thursday evening. His book first won the illustrated books category before being named overall winner. Booksellers praised his 'dreamy, painterly style and sweet rhyming text', according to Bea Carvalho, Waterstones head of books.
Aaron previously trained as an accountant but left public-sector accountancy in 2009 to become a freelance cartoonist, creating work for magazines including Private Eye and Prospect. His other book, Unfairies, was also nominated in the younger readers category, marking the first time an author has been shortlisted for two titles simultaneously in the award's history.
The younger readers category was won by Janeen Hayat for Evie and Maryam's Family Tree, in which two classmates discover a family connection dating back to the partition of India. The older readers category was won by SF Williamson for A Language of Dragons, set in an alternate Bletchley Park where the protagonist works as a codebreaker alongside dragons.
The Waterstones children's prize, first awarded in 2005, has previously recognised books such as The Hate U Give, Rooftoppers and Blown Away. Last year's winner was The Cafe at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please. Along with the cash prize, the winner receives ongoing commitment to their writing and illustrating career.
