The Little Peeps Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Children’s Books and Early Readers. The Grand Prize Winner, Ruth Amanda’s book, Island Moon will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Little Peeps contest page year ’round!
The best part about being a Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Winner is the love and attention you get all year ‘round!
The 2024 Little Peeps Winners were announced at the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference in April, and you can see the official winners post here!
Join us in celebrating the 2024 First Place Little Peeps Winners!
Kristen J Anderson – Lorelei the Lorelei: The First of Many Firsts
Illustrated by Audrey Suau
Seven-year-old Lorelei doesn’t know what she is more excited about for her upcoming first day of first grade, making a new best friend or finding her “uniquely special thing” that Mee-maw says every child has that makes them stand out. It’s hard to leave her parents, three-year-old brother, and their sasquatch-hunting behind, but after donning the perfect outfit (brightly colored leggings, a tie-dyed tutu, sparkly gold Mary Janes and the perfect headband), she is all bubbly inside with anticipation.
Things at school start off great when Lorelei enters Miss Grim’s room which is as bright and cheery as the teacher herself, and Lorelei is asked by a girl named Adeline to play at recess. Could this be her new best friend? But her optimism is soon darkened by a confrontation with the braggy “superstar” of the classroom, Emily, a.k.a. “Hands,” who always needs to be the center of attention. As the day closes, Lorelei isn’t sure that she’s found this “uniquely special thing,” but she is buoyed by her budding new friendships and all she’s learned about herself.
Lovable, mischievous, and imaginative, Lorelei brings a refreshing twist of kindness and emotional intelligence to the page. Her witty humor, hilarious honesty, and upbeat mindset of life are sure to engage even the most reluctant of young readers.
From Chanticleer:
Lorelei the Lorelei seeks a best friend and to figure out what makes her truly special, all on her first day of public school. In Lorelei the Lorelei: The First of Many Firsts by Kristen J. Anderson, young Lorelei finds that not everything is as she expected.
After anxiously waiting for her dad and baby brother J.J. to get ready, and armed with the wisdom of her Mee-maw, Lorelei strides into Hillside Elementary School. She shows off her eclectic fashion and discovers that even a teacher named ‘Miss Grim’ can be welcoming. At first, Lorelei’s plans are coming together. She’s certain that Adeline, a girl who shares her exuberant nature, will be her best friend.
But Lorelei butts heads with Emily, aka “Hands” given her impatience to be called on. As a student of ballet and future sugary-cereal-advertisement star, Emily has little patience for Lorelei taking the spotlight.
As a newcomer to public school, Lorelei has to navigate this conflict while learning new schedules, rules, and terms. But she keeps her heart and mind open, even when she doesn’t quite understand all of her new classmates.
Raven Howell – Keep Trucking
Illustrated by Carina Povarchik
Share the joy of the truck community as children awaken their curiosity about how transportation works. Learn where things belong, various modes of truck use, and the concept of distance as playful animals demonstrate cooperation in our cities and countries.
Julie Lomax (JuJu) – Melissa Moo Moo’s Special Lesson
Melissa Moo Moo is a little cow with big brown eyes and a bigger heart. One day when she overhears the other cows gossiping about why she doesn’t have a lot of milk, Moo Moo feels sad. While crying herself to sleep, Moo Moo worries about what the other cows think of her.
The next morning, Moo Moo hides behind a berry bush and watches the other cows. She thinks that if she is special, then Farmer Jack will love her and the other cows will not talk mean about her. But when Moo Moo eats a few of the berries that have fallen onto the ground, she has no idea that everything is about to change as she learns to love herself and be confident.
Melissa Moo Moo’s Special Lesson is the charming tale of a little cow who learns the importance of just being herself.
Dr. Gerry Haller – Will’s Adventure to Candy Mountain
Illustrated by YM Cho
Will’s Grandmother has told Will about the Candy Mountain since he was a small child. One night Will is awakened by the Conductor of a train. He is told to hurry to catch the train. “What train?” “The train to the Candy Mountain, of course.” On the train, he meets a boy named Quinn and they decide to go on the adventure together. He can hardly believe he is going to the Candy Mountain. Together there are many decisions they have to make, each more mysterious than the other. What will they find?
Shaziya M. Jaffer, Jessica Alexanderson and Brad W. Rudover – A Recycling Adventure to the Scrapyard!
Illustrated by Adam Trask
In this new adventure, Ellie and her friends have already accomplished the incredible feat of recycling 1 million cans. But their quest for a cleaner environment doesn’t end there! Now, they have set their sights on tackling the problem of other metal items being needlessly thrown in the trash.
Determined to make a difference, they embark on a journey to collect everyone’s wires, Christmas lights, pots and pans, unicorn shoes and other metal items. They then take these treasures to their local scrapyard, turning them into valuable resources through recycling as metal can be recycled forever!
They also learn about the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals. With the help of Mr. Ferrous Magglio and Gallium the Unicorn, they set off on an unforgettable journey to the scrapyard. Get ready for a thrilling and educational experience!
We believe that your kids will not only enjoy this book but also discover that they can earn some extra cash for their piggy bank by participating in neighborhood clean-up efforts. It’s a fun and rewarding way to make a positive impact!
From Chanticleer:
See our review for Book 1 of this series, The Girl Who Recycled 1 Million Cans, the 2023 Little Peeps Grand Prize Winner, here!
The Girl Who Recycled 1 Million Cans, by Shaziya M. Jaffer, Brad W. Rudover, & Jessica Alexanderson, is perfectly written for children between three and eight years old.
Eye-catching colorful graphics by Adam Trask, fun characters, and a wonderfully lighthearted storyline uphold this book’s message of protecting the environment. Both children and adults will feel empowered to help our planet one can at a time.
An adventurous young girl named Ellie wants to buy a Unicorn. To earn the money she needs, Ellie plans to collect and recycle one million cans. But she soon realizes that her plans may need to take a different track. Together with her community of friends, who show great teamwork and perseverance, environmental lessons continue on with fantastic results.
Few books do such a fine job of combining so many life lessons while still keeping the learning lighthearted and fun.
Mike Mirabella and Lenny Lipton – I Used to Be Shy
Illustrated by Amy O’Hanlon
Meet Carla, our self-appointed social committee of one, who makes everyone at summer camp feel welcome. Carla spots a shy new boy who hides from others in his cabin, closing his curtain. Carla follows her heart and gathers a small group of fellow campers to coax him out to play games. With Carla’s encouragement, our new camper builds up his self-confidence, loses his fear, and learns to enjoy his new friends.
About the authors: Mike Mirabella, an established musician and publisher of children’s books—and Lenny Lipton, who wrote the folk song “Puff the Magic Dragon”—sat in their living rooms writing songs as they babysat their disabled daughters. The bonus song “Little Brown Pony” includes the lyrics and music notations as does “I Used to Be Shy.”
The outstanding illustrations were done by Amy O’Hanlon, an inspired artist in a family of musicians who does stage projection design for several San Francisco musicals, one of which was the Bay Area Children’s Theatre’s She Persisted, based on the book by Chelsea Clinton.
From Chanticleer:
In I Used to Be Shy, from the Carla Stories by Mike Mirabella and Lenny Lipton, Carla meets a nervous boy with physical disabilities at Camp Allbelong. Through their friendship, Carla helps him become confident enough to join in the camp games in this compassionate illustrated story about inclusion told through song.
We begin with Carla’s bright yellow light contrasting with the boy’s deep, lonely blue representation. As their friendship grows, those two colors begin to mix, becoming a vibrant green that paints the heartwarming, pastoral scenes of Camp Allbelong. When the boy joins his peers in the center of these illustrations, his blue color takes on a new tone that reflects the expansive sky in the background.
Amy O’Hanlon’s delightful illustrations show how one friendship can bloom to become a garden full of many relationships.
Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 2024 Little Peeps First Place Winners!
Your book can join the Tiers of Achievement, but only if you submit to the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards!
The 2025 Little Peeps Book Awards are open through the end of September!
