1981 MR. MAGNOLIA Quentin Blake (Cape)

1982 FAIR'S FAIR Leon Garfield (Macdonald)

1983 THE BFG Roald Dahl (Cape)

1984 THE SAGA OF ERIC THE VIKING Terry Jones (Pavilion)

1985 BROTHER IN THE LAND Robert Swindells (OUP)

1986 ARTHUR Amanda Graham & Donna Gynell (Spindlewood)

1987 THE JOLLY POSTMAN Janet & Allan Ahlberg (Heinemann)

1988 WINNIE THE WITCH Valerie Thomas & Korky Paul (OUP)

1989 MATILDA Roald Dahl (Cape)

1990 ROOM 13 Robert Swindells (Doubleday)

1991 THREADBEAR Mick Inkpen (Hodder)