​Inch and Grub,​ written by Alastair Chisholm ​and ​illustrated by ​David Roberts​, has been hailed the ​winner of the Bookbug Picture Book Prize​, which celebrates the best picture books by authors or illustrators living in Scotland .

The titular Inch and Grub are cavemen who want the best of everything. But will their competitive nature make them happy?

Grub’s cave is bigger. He says that makes him the best. So Inch adds a water feature to his cave. But Grub made fire. So Inch makes a chair. And a house. And a car. Grub, meanwhile, has hoarded a castle, a train, and a radio…and so the contest circles around until they finally realize what’s most precious of all, their friendship.

One of three books shortlisted for the prize, the other two were Arlo the Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep by Catherine Rayner and My First Book of Woodland Animals by Zoe Ingram, a free copy of each was given away to every child in the primary school during Book Week Scotland last November as part of the Scottish Book Trust’s Bookbug P1 Family Bag project.

Father-of-two ​Chisholm​ says, “It’s amazing to see Inch and Grub chosen as the winners of the Bookbug Picture Book Prize.

“​The Bookbug Bag is a brilliant and important project, which my own daughters benefited from when they were younger, and I loved seeing a new generation of female readers enjoying all three books -​ and being chosen from these awesome choices is simply amazing.

“A big thank you to Walker Books and everyone involved – ​I know David will be as happy as I am​.”

Scottish Book Trust, a national charity that changes lives through reading and writing, has distributed 60,150 Bookbug bags to P1 pupils across Scotland. Each book chosen for the Family Bag and the Bookbug Picture Book Prize has undergone a rigorous review process with a panel of experts from educational backgrounds, libraries and the Scottish Book Trust.

A panel of independent experts then selected the shortlisted books, after which teachers, librarians and book group leaders registered their groups for children to read and vote for their favourite. Grub won the prize with 45% of the votes.

​Award-winning author and puzzle maker, Chisholm’s other books include the young science fiction novels Orion Lost and Adam-2 and the children’s picture books The Prince and the Witch and The Thief and the Bears. He is also responsible for the Kids’ Book of Sudoku and Kids’ Book of Kakuro series.

Children’s illustrator ​Roberts​ ​has illustrated a large number of books ​working with authors such as ​Philip Ardagh, Peter Bently and Julia Donaldson.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Congratulations to Alastair Chisholm and David Roberts for winning the 2022 Bookbug Picture Book Prize. Inch and Grub have delighted families across Scotland. We hope children will cherish the book for years to come.

Viccy Adams, Head of Literature, Creative Scotland​ adds: “Inch and Grub is thoughtful and engaging reading for young children and their carers and has clearly spoken to children in Scotland in a year when we have been particularly confined to our homes and our lives”. the spaces.”