‘Arabella Pepper, The Wild Detective’ longlisted for 2025 Wainwright Prize

3rd of July 2025

Choosing the right book for your child isn’t always easy, especially with so many options on the shelves. Sometimes the author, the story, the illustrations, or the design help guide the decision. And sometimes, it’s worth paying attention to the awards lists — after all, if a panel of experts has taken notice, there’s usually a good reason :)

🌟‘Arabella Pepper, The Wild Detective’ written by E.R. Murray, illustrated by Monika Pollak, copy-edited by Gina McCrudden, and designed by Monika Pollak (cover) and Natural World Publishing (all the rest), has been longlisted for the 2025 Wainwright Prize in the children's fiction category. It’s the first time we’ve submitted a book for this award, so it was great to hear that this, and one more title from our offer (see the previous post), has been appreciated.

‘The Children’s Wainwright Prize celebrates the books that encourage young readers to fall in love with the natural world. In a time of climate crisis and biodiversity loss, these stories play a vital role in nurturing curiosity, empathy and action in the next generation.

Through fiction, non-fiction and beautifully illustrated picture books, this strand of the prize recognises authors and illustrators who spark wonder and empower children to explore, understand and protect the planet they call home.’ (@wainwrightprize / https://wainwrightprize.com/)

‘Arabella Pepper, The Wild Detective’ can be found in bookstores, or you can buy it in our online shop here (buying directly from us will be really appreciated).

💚Congratulations to the author, illustrator, and everyone else involved in this book’s making process, including the Arts Council in Ireland, and our amazing printers – Walsh Colour Print (Ireland) and Gutenberg (Malta).

And, of course, congratulations to all other longlisted storytellers, picture makers, and publishers – we can't wait to read these books :) You can see the full list of longlisted titles here.