Forest Xiao wins 2026 Klaus Flugge Prize for ‘Seven Babies’

Illustrator Forest Xiao has been awarded the 2026 Klaus Flugge Prize for her work on the children’s picture book ‘Seven Babies’, published by Walker Books. The award recognizes the most exciting and promising newcomer to children’s picture book illustration.

Inspired by her own experiences with new parenthood, Xiao used sketchbooks filled with observations from playgroups and parks to create a visual database for the book. The story follows two adults tasked with caring for seven babies that arrive unannounced at their doorstep.

Judges described the artwork as bold, playful, and full of feeling, noting that the choice of materials and color palette enhanced the heartwarming and chaotic adventure. Xiao, an alumna of Camberwell College of Art and the Cambridge School of Art, described the book as a celebration of the discoveries and exhaustion inherent in new parenthood.