‘Wild Eyes’, a picture book written and illustrated by Bex Sheridan longlisted for 2025 Wainwright Prize

3rd of July 2025

Sometimes the books that resonate most with children are the ones that help them slow down and really see the world around them – the flicker of a tail in the hedgerow, the texture of moss on a tree, the feeling that something wild is watching.

🌟‘Wild Eyes’, a picture book written and illustrated by Bex Sheridan and published by Natural World Publishing, has been longlisted for the 2025 Children’s Wainwright Prize in the children’s picture books 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 next 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/)

You can find this very special children’s book in bookshops and in our online shop here.

💚 Congratulations to the author/illustrator Bex Sheridan, and a warm thanks to everyone else who helped bring this book to life, including the Arts Council Ireland, this book’s copy-editor Paula Elmore, and our amazing printers – Walsh Colour Print (Ireland).

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.