(Credit: Kevin Wong)

Author-illustrator Thao Lam has won the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature for her picture book Everybelly.

Everybelly follows Maddie and her mom as they spend a sunny day at the local public pool, where she meets and greets friends and neighbours. Along the way, Maddie celebrates the bellies and bodies of all shapes and sizes she sees.

The Kirkus Prizes are presented annually to works of exceptional merit in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature.

“This joyful celebration of humanity springs to life through masterful, vibrant collages and text that’s both poignant and witty,” said the judges in the prize citation.

Everybelly was selected in the category of young readers’ literature from 497 children’s and young adult titles that received a starred review from Kirkus over the past year. The young readers’ literature category is divided into three subcategories, each featuring two books. The other finalist in picture book category was Island Storm, written by Brian Floca and illustrated by Canadian Sydney Smith.

“The last 24 hours have felt like I tumbled straight down a rabbit hole — a real Alice in Wonderland moment,” said Lam in a statement. “To say I didn’t see it coming is an understatement, especially given the amazing company I was in.”

The winners were announced on Oct. 8 at a ceremony in New York City. The winning authors each receive a custom trophy and a cash prize of $50,000 (U.S.).