Author Cottrell-Boyce is the new children's winner

12 hours ago

By Steven McIntosh, Entertainment Reporter

Novelist and screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce announced like the new children's film. winner.

He will take on this role, which consists of defending children's reading and books, from this year until 2026.

Cottrell-Boyce said he was "very proud" to be the new children's laureate, adding: "Writing and reading have transformed my life."

He succeeds Joseph Coelho, known for his picture books Luna Loves and Fairy Tales Gone Bad, who held this position for two years.

Other previous holders of this role include Julia Donaldson, Quentin Blake, Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Rosen, Anne Fine, Malorie Blackman and Michael Morpurgo.

Cottrell-Boyce was Coelho presented with the bespoke silver medal at a ceremony at the Howard Assembly Room in Leeds on Tuesday.

Reading is 'transformative'

“I write children’s books because I believe they help build the happiness apparatus within us,” Cottrell-Boyce said in a statement.

"I have the privilege of being able to be part of these intimate, crucial and formative moments, where people share stories with the children in their lives."

But he also warned the benefits of reading for children had not been taken seriously enough, adding: "We risk losing a generation if we do not act."

Liverpool-based Cottrell-Boyce said his mandate as winner would be on "urgency", with the intention of "tackle invisible privilege and inequality."

"This will be about the growing number of children in poverty who find themselves even more and further behind", he declared.

"It will be a question of calling for national measures so that each child – from a young age – have access to books, reading and the transformative ways in which they improve long-term life chances. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/53c7/live/347928e0-2d94-11ef-8900-6f6987843028.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news / 320/cpsprodpb/53c7/live/347928e0-2d94-11ef-8900-6f6987843028.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/53c7/live/347928e0-2d94- 11ef -8900-6f6987843028.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/53c7/live/347928e0-2d94-11ef-8900-6f6987843028.jpg.webp 640w,https: / /ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/53c7/live/347928e0-2d94-11ef-8900-6f6987843028.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024 /cpsprodpb/53c7/live/347928e0-2d94-11ef-8900-6f6987843028.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/53c7/live/347928e0-2d94-11ef- 8900 -6f6987843028.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/53c7/live/347928e0-2d94-11ef-8900-6f6987843028.jpg.webp" loading= " lazy" alt="David Bebber Frank Cottrell-Boyce" class="sc-13b8515c-0 hbOWRP"/>David Bebber

Waterstones children's winner is renowned every two years to a renowned writer or illustrator.

Managed by BookTrust – the aim of the role is to celebrate creativity and storytelling, to promote reading and children's literature, and to defend the right of all children to enjoy a life enriched by books.

Cottrell-Boyce won the Carnegie Medal for his first novel Millions, published in 2004, which was also released into a film directed by Danny Boyle.

His other novels include Cosmic, Framed, The Astounding Broccoli B...