Scholastic New Zealand Award
for Best Children’s Book 2026
Winner
Designer: Vida Kelly, with Giselle Clarkson
Title: Omnibird: An Avian Investigator’s Handbook
Publisher: Gecko Press
Format: 290 x 250 mm, 96pp, Hardback with sewn binding, spot gloss and emboss on case.
Typography: Adelle 11/15 pt
Main text was chosen as it is clear, works well for factual text and contrasts nicely with Giselle’s light-hearted hand lettering.
As the book is very full and busy it was important to have a clear grid in the background. We worked with a two column grid along with colourful fact boxes. So, even though every spread was very varied in content, there was a background grid giving some consistent structure.
Judges’ Comments
“There’s so much to celebrate with the design of this book. We love how this is full to the brim with funny and informative facts, but it’s really clearly laid out while still having a looseness that matches Giselle’s dynamic illustrations.
The large hardback format is perfect for the content and reader and allows for lots of useful information to be communicated in an engaging and playful way. The mix of hand-written and serif type makes it authoritative but also fun!”
