The Book People's Bedtime Story Competition Winner 2017: There's a Boy Just Like Me

Congratulations to 10 year-old Frasier Cox, the winner of the Book People's Bedtime Story Competition 2017! 

The Book People's Bedtime Story competition is for children aged 5 to 11: this year they were asked to write a bedtime story between 200 and 800 words on the theme of friendship. From 1300 entries, Frasier won the competition with 'There's a Boy Just Like Me', a heart-warming story about the friendship between a boy in his country of birth and a refugee. 'There's a Boy Just Like Me' was published by Little Tiger and illustrated by our very own Alison Brown! It has been published today and is available to purchase exclusively at BookPeople.co.uk, where least 35% of the price of the book will be donated to Save the Children - a charity that fights for children's futures every single day. 

Alison Brown grew up in Bangor, Northern Ireland, and learned how to draw by copying images from Peanuts out of her Dad's newspaper! She has been a member of the Plum Pudding family since 2012, and was ecstatic to be chosen as a judge and the illustrator for the winning story:

"It’s quite unusual to be commissioned to illustrate a story without any hint of what it might be, but when I started to read the shortlisted entries, as one of the judges, I knew it was going to be good. Amongst a whole array of ingenious and potentially brilliant books, Frasier’s poem stood out. It has an immediacy and clarity that really touched all the judges, so the choice of winner was unanimous. 

It was a real privilege to illustrate it. I hope I’ve done it justice - Frasier loved the artwork, which is the most important thing. And I hope it raises loads of money for Save the Children!" 

When Frasier won the competition, he said:

"I'm really pleased and very excited to have won The Bedtime Story Competition and can't wait for my story to be made into a real book. I love reading and writing stories and to know that my book will be read by children all over the country makes me very proud."(https://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/article?articleId=bedtime-story-competition-the-winners).

You can watch Frasier read his award-winning story here: Watch Frasier Cox Read His Published Book: There’s a Boy Just Like Me | Book People

From TheBookPeople.co.uk, this is what the judges had to say about Frasier's winning story:

"Head Judge, Claudia Winkleman: 'I was blown away by the standard of the stories and writing from all the entries into Book People's Bedtime Story Competition. Frasier's story, is incredibly touching and thought provoking and it's absolutely remarkable a 9-year-old boy has written such a thoughtful story. Frasier is a very worthy overall winner and I can't wait to see the final version with Alison Brown's brilliant illustrations once it's been made into a real book next year.' 

Judge and Campaign Ambassador, Christian O'Connell: 'I really enjoyed reading the entries from this year's competition, but Frasier's story was my favourite. The fact a 9-year-old boy showed us what so many people and politicians forget, that we are all connected in this world. We have more in common than we think. Such a big-hearted idea and story all told in a beautifully moving poem. Frasier is a very, very special young man. This actually moved me to tears the first time I read it. This is just what we need in the world right now, we need to send Donald Trump a copy of this when it comes out!' 

Judge and Illustrator, Alison Brown: 'If a top adult author tried to write these sentiments in a child's voice, I don't think they could have done a better job! It just sounds like it comes from the heart, very authentic and moving. The imagined scenes make for lots of lovely images, too.' 

Judge and Group Buying and Merchandising Director, Sarah Walden: 'I was extremely impressed at the quality of the writing and imagination shown in this year's Bedtime Story competition. However, Frasier's story stood out from among the crowd. There's a Little Boy the Same as Me contains an incredibly considerate message which really struck a chord with me. We're delighted to be able to bring Frasier's story to life and celebrate his unique and compassionate perspective on one of the most pertinent social issues of our time.'" 

You can read the full article by The Book People at https://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/article?articleId=bedtime-story-competition-the-winners

A huge congratulations to Alison and Frasier from everyone at Plum Pudding!