Dazzlehands by Sacha Cotter, illustrated by Josh Morgan, wins the NZ Booklovers Award for Best Children’s Picture Book 2024, published by Huia Publishers. Sponsored by Duckling Publishing.

The judges say, ‘A cow goes moo, a chicken goes cluck, a pig goes… Dazzlehands? What the..? The latest from the author of The Bomb continues her riff on celebrating diversity and individuality. Dazzlehands dazzles from the get-go, with its bright pink and silver cover and the intrigue of a pair of bejewelled trotters thrust skywards. Whose hooves are these? And why are they so sparkly? Reminiscent of the stubborn back-and-forth in Green Eggs and Ham, this playful tale is funny and fun to read aloud; perfectly ludicrous and imaginative in the way that picture books should be. Morgan’s rainbow-bright illustrations are entertaining in their own right, with many of the pictures telling their own story. Great to see a Māori main character too (the farmer).’

Congratulations to Josh and we can't wait to see what is next!

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