Hannah Gold's debut novel The Last Bear has been named the overall winner of the prestigious Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2022, after also winning the Young Readers category, bagging her a £5000 prize fund. Beautifully illustrated by the award-winning Levi Pinfold, The Last Bear invites readers to care about the science behind the fate of an endangered species and to believe in one girl’s magical solution to the problem. 

The book tells the story of a very special relationship between a child and a polar bear which will inspire readers of all ages to realise that they, like April, can make a difference in the battle against climate change. When animal loving April arrives on Bear Island in the Arctic Circle where she will live for the next six months while her father runs the scientific operations, she is told that, despite the island’s name, there are no bears on it. The melting ice caps mean that the polar bears can no longer arrive from the nearest mainland near Svalbard. But April soon finds out that there is one bear left. And April needs to do everything she can to keep him alive. Confident of her ability to communicate with the bear and to feed him, April nourishes the bear and even plans his return to safety. 

Hannah said “The character of Bear came to me first. I can’t remember when or how, but suddenly he was gazing at me with his dark chocolate eyes and a forlorn, pleading expression on his face. I’ve always found it impossible to ignore animals, particularly ones as magnificent, regal and bighearted as Bear. There was a story he had to tell, and I, apparently, was the one to tell it.  When I wrote this book, most of the children’s books about climate change were dystopian. But I believe it’s not too late and that’s why I was keen to tell a story that showed how one girl, even a very little one, could create a huge impact. You don’t need to single-handedly rescue a polar bear like April (I wouldn’t advise that!), but I hope this book encourages every reader to believe that he or she can help.  And if, like me, you’ve fallen in love with Bear, then the best way to help polar bears and protect our beautiful planet is to do everything you can to fight climate change. With a loud enough roar, I know we can make a difference.”

Hannah Gold worked in the film and magazine industries before taking time out to pursue her dream of writing. The Last Bear was her middle grade debut which became an inspirational, international bestseller on release in 2021. Her new book The Lost Whale has just been released.

In other categories, the award for Best Illustrated Book went to Grandad's Camper written and illustrated by Harry Woodgate. This beautifully told story of love, and the importance of adventures and memories was inspired by the writer's dissertation which revealed a lack of representation for older LGBT characters in children's books. The picture book for young readers follows a grandad and grandaughter on their adventures in a campervan.

Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth came out top in the Best Book for Older Readers. This outrageously funny YA novel, with a lesbian heroine at its centre, tells of Aideen, who can fix anyone’s problem – just not her own.