Announcing the winner: Bookbug Hero Award 2025

We are delighted to announce the winner of the Bookbug Hero Award 2025, sponsored by Walker Books(this link will open in a new window), is Susie Lovie, Early Years Practitioner at Turriff Primary School Nursery, Aberdeenshire. 

Susie is an enthusiastic and inspirational member of staff at Turriff Primary School Nursery who has transformed the nursery environment through her delivery of fun and inclusive Bookbug Sessions. She uses Bookbug to help children make the transition into nursery and later into primary school. 

Susie also delivers ‘Fella Friday’ Bookbug sessions, bringing dads, grandfathers, uncles and male carers together for storytelling around a campfire. The group members now feel comfortable participating in other activities with their children in the nursery. Susie is Makaton-trained and uses Makaton signs when delivering bespoke Bookbug Sessions to families with children with additional support needs and supporting parents in communicating with their children.

'Susie has made our community and children and parents become one! She’s amazing.' – Parent of nursery child

Susie encourages families who have English as a second language to read and share their favourite stories in their native tongue, in the Bookbug Sessions, helping them to feel supported and integrated into the local community. 

She uses Bookbug as a vehicle to bring together the community and embrace different cultures, making families feel valued and connected.

'We have always struggled to get dads involved but now we have them queueing at the door. This has made the fathers more involved in other parts of nursery; we even have a Dad on the Committee of the Support Group this year!' – Early Years Practitioner colleague 

On winning the award, Susie said:

'Winning the award really means the world to me. I didn't quite realise how much the sessions mean to the families in our nursery. I do the sessions for enjoyment – seeing the parents have uninterrupted time with their children and enjoy songs and stories is a wonderful thing to experience.

'I’m truly humbled to have been nominated for the Bookbug Hero Award, let alone become the winner! I have lovely parents, families and staff behind me.'

Ian Lamb, Head of Publicity, Walker Books said:

'Bookbug is an essential programme that brings much-deserved attention to those practitioners who champion reading, and work hard to change lives through stories. To be able to continue our appreciation and support for the heroes who run the programme is an honour for Walker Books. We are so pleased to continue our sponsorship of the award and celebrate Susie Lovie’s deserved win.' 

Highly commended

Janice Wilson, Equity and Excellence Lead, Inverness, Highland

Janice has a huge impact on the children and families she works with, and gives opportunities to children to open up their world beyond the four walls of their community. She has enhanced families’ home learning environment by delivering Bookbug Sessions at bedtime and producing story sacks for families to use at home. Janice supports families with English as an additional language by sourcing bilingual books that allow them to feel valued within the local community and at Bookbug Sessions.   

Louise Lennox, Health Visitor, Tayview Medical Practice, NHS Tayside

Louise has been supporting refugees from Afghanistan through Bookbug and has been gifting Bookbug bags which have supported and encouraged an established family relationship. Louise has accessed sensory books through Bookbug that have supported a child with complex medical needs and developmental delay. The family is on a low income and the gifting of the sensory books has facilitated conversations around the importance of early reading for language development. 

Louise has also sourced an additional supply of books to support parents-to-be at the antenatal visit, which has specifically helped fathers to improve their attachment to their unborn child.

Lorna Barry, Lead Early Years Practitioner, Orkney; Louise Brewer and Leigh Dowie, Health Visitors, NHS Orkney

As Health Visitors, Louise and Leigh work together supporting families in Orkney. Louise delivers Bookbug for the Home to families who may struggle with mental health issues and prefer sessions at home. Leigh has set up intergenerational Bookbug Sessions at a local care home, bringing the local community together from young to old. Louise and Leigh work in partnership with Lorna Barry, who, as an Early Years Practitioner, provides nurture groups for families who have additional support needs and find accessing universal provision difficult. Lorna creates resources for families who face challenges accessing education through nursery settings. Working together, Louise, Leigh and Lorna have demonstrated a highly effective partnership that warranted a joint Highly Commended award. 

Pauline Smeaton, Project Support Worker, Young People & Families, Fife

Before retiring in April, Pauline worked for Fife Libraries for almost 44 years, delivering Bookbug Sessions across the North East Fife that include libraries and primary schools in rural settings. Families love Pauline’s sessions so much that they follow her around Fife. Pauline is regularly stopped in the streets by former Bookbug children, some of whom are now at university, or parents themselves who still remember her. 'There is no bigger honour as a literacy professional than to be remembered as the person who introduced you to books and to the library'. The panel felt that Pauline deserved to be awarded a Special Recognition instead of Highly Commended to acknowledge her ‘lifetime’ of work with Bookbug.

About Walker Books

Scottish Book Trust would like to thank Walker Books(this link will open in a new window), who kindly sponsor the Bookbug Hero Award.

Home to books for all ages, Walker Books publishes many award-winning authors, illustrators, and literary franchises including Anthony Horowitz, Angie Thomas, Cassandra Clare, Lucy Cousins, Anthony Browne, Patrick Ness, Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram, We'e Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, and Where's Wally? by Martin Handford. Walker Books is part of the vibrant international Walker Books Group that includes Walker Books Australia, Candlewick Press in America and its new division, Walker Books US; and Walker Productions.