Alligator's Mouth Award 2025 winning book announced

'Gordon the Meanest Goose on Earth' by Alex Latimer has been crowned the winner of the Alligator’s Mouth Award 2025, an award founded in 2018 by The Alligator's Mouth bookshop in partnership with The Bright Agency.

Margaret Wallace-Jones and Tony West, co-owners of The Alligator’s Mouth Bookshop, presented Latimer with the Alligator’s Mouth Award trophy during a ceremony on Thursday 3rd July at The Bright Agency's office in South London. The aim of the award is to champion and celebrate highly illustrated fiction for children aged six to eight years old and the shortlist was a joy to behold.

Alex Latimer, who was unable to attend the ceremony sent a video message (below) and said: “I am absolutely over the moon that Gordon the Meanest Goose has won The Alligator’s Mouth Award. I was blown away by the shortlist – all the amazing books and the incredible writers and illustrators on it. We really do have the best job in the world. I am so glad that this award celebrates the importance and the fun of highly illustrated books for children.”

"It was a fantastic shortlist – really strong. We both loved Gordon, it’s a very funny story, beautifully written and full of fantastic gags. The pictures work so well with it, bold and strong – they really make you laugh."

Judges Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre, who won the 2024 award with 'Adventuremice: Otter Chaos'

"We are so pleased to add Gordon to our pantheon of winners – he’s fantastically mean and grumpy, and his journey to redemption (via a flower) is marvellously entertaining and deeply satisfying. Children everywhere will be delighted by this funny, intelligent, inventive, subversive and beautifully designed book. Huge congratulations to Alex and the team at OUP – this book is a corker."

Margaret Wallace-Jones and Tony West of The Alligator's Mouth Book shop

Coram Beanstalk were proud to return as a partner to run the Longlist competition, which saw three schools each win a full set of the longlisted books. This year, head of Coram Beanstalk, Amy Lewis also joined the judging panel and commented: “It was important to judge based on what will appeal to a child, especially those who struggle with reading.”

Lady Joanna Thornill Primary in Wye, Worple Primary in Isleworth and Haylands Primary in Ryde were all the recipients of the ten longlisted books having been nominated by the public in the draw. 

Get involved with our reading programmes