Sunderland author's debut book beats Gruffalo creator Julia Donaldson to win prestigious award

Former Sunderland Echo journalist David Crosby has clinched the Bishop’s Stortford Picture Book Award ahead of writing royalty such as The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson.

His debut picture book, Pirates vs. Monsters – complete with its own Mackem twist – finished ahead of the former Children’s Laureate’s latest work, The Hospital Dog, in a public vote.

Speaking after he and the book’s illustrator, Lee Cosgrove, were crowned winners at a virtual ceremony on February 10, David, 40, from Ryhope, said: “I still can’t believe it.

“When I saw the other names on the shortlist my first reaction was to feel very proud to be in such esteemed company and my second reaction was that I didn’t fancy our chances of winning.

“As well as Julia I was up against the likes of Rob Biddulph, Tom Percival and Michelle Robinson.

"It’s only a few years since I was reading their books to my son so it was an honour to even be on the same shortlist as them.

“They’re all giants of the picture book world with many thousands of followers on social media and I joked at the time that it was a bit like Carlisle United drawing Liverpool at Anfield in the FA Cup.

"Fortunately, giant-killings do still happen.

“A book called Oi Frog won this award a few years ago and that’s now part of a million-plus selling series.

"If Pirates vs. Monsters book can sell even a fraction of those numbers I’ll be very happy indeed. It’s due for release in America in April.”

Voting for the award is usually restricted to primary schools in Bishop’s Stortford.

But, due to the pandemic, organisers opened it up nationwide.

“I had to make a little video reading of the book and it was shown to children in the all the participating schools alongside readings of the other eight books so they could vote for their favourite,” said David, a former Southmoor and St Paul’s C of E Primary School pupil.

“But it wasn’t just schools, anyone could vote, and to everyone who voted for me, I’d like to say a huge thank you.

"I’d also like to thank the staff at Sunderland Waterstones, especially the manager Hayley Metcalfe, for all their support.”

Pirates vs. Monsters is a comic tale of three pirates down the pub bragging about the ingenious methods they’ve used to get the better of three fearsome monsters.

One of the beasts – the Mackem-inspired Hockler – is a flying fiend with an uncanny knack of spitting globs of poison in pirates’ eyes.

The grog is flowing and it gradually becomes clear they may not be being entirely honest.

The book has enjoyed positive reviews from children’s book bloggers with one describing it as “an absolute stonker” and another saying it left her four-year-old “in stitches”.

David worked for South Tyneside Council after leaving the Echo and is now media manager at Stockton Borough Council.

His second book, Which Nose for Witch? is due for release in September this year.

Pirates vs. Monsters, published by Maverick Publishing, is out now priced £7.99 in paperback from the Waterstones website.

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