When it came to the children’s books that had been submitted, the panel fell to debating whether what the genre had to offer was not all too often determined by the tastes and beliefs of adults. ‘Responsible’ books, a politically correct message, getting down on one’s knees – isn’t it all rather boring and obvious? What do children themselves like, and how can you tell?

This square little block book of ‘boy and girl things’ departs agreeably from the norm. Apart from anything else, it isn’t a picture book full of drawings but a book of photos. This is rare – and at the same time the panel thought that children who saw these images with their concealed little jokes would appreciate them. A one-legged doll, a football in close proximity with shards of glass – they’re everyday things and situations, but they also make us ask questions and start speculating on the answers. At the same time it debunks clichés about boys and girls: take, for example, the pink toolkit and Spiderman’s tights.