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Award-winning animator and author nominated for Book of the Year prize
A BAFTA-winning animator and children’s books author has been nominated for a Waterstones award, after he bagged a prize for the same book earlier in 2025.
Mikey Please’s debut picture book, The Cafe at The Edge of the Woods, was named the Waterstones’ Children’s Book of the Year for 2025 and has now also been nominated for the Waterstones’ Book of the Year award.
Sharing the news on Instagram, the Bristol-based author said: “What the what? The Cafe at the Edge of the Woods is up for Waterstones Book of the Year! I’m touched to see Rene and Glumfoor are tucked among the wealth of brilliant books out there.”
Mikey Please’s illustration also features on the front cover of Bristol24/7’s September/October magazine
The first book traced the trials of cafe owner Rene and her wise waiter Glumfoot, as they tried to please a hungry ogre. In September, Mikey released his second picture book featuring the same characters called The Cave Downwind of the Cafe, which is now part of the author’s five-book deal with HarperCollins Children’s Books (HCCB).
Mikey continued: “This year has been a truly delightful ride. Seeing this little story work its way into the world, hearing the experiences of parents and kids gathered around the book, seeing the characters rendered in paint, pastry, papier-mache, milk froth, etc, has been an unparalleled life joy, largely due to the enthusiasm and passion of brilliant booksellers!
“Thanks, as always, to the dreamy team at HCCB – to Alice Blacker, Luke Ingram, and Candice Turvey – for making it all happen. After the Waterstones Children’s prize, anything else would seem downright greedy, but I’m thrilled to be in the running, plus stuffing one’s face is kind of on theme.
“Congrats to all the other brilliant books on this list, particularly stablemate Anna James for her wonder(land)ful Alice with a Why!”.
Main photo: Karen Johnson
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