Grandad's Camper
Posted on the 27th October, 2025
Where it came from
Harry Woodgate is a children’s writer and illustrator, who enjoys writing and illustrating diverse and exciting stories for children, inspiring their audience to be curious, creative, kind and loving.
Inspiration for the story came from many places, in particular from Woodgate’s dissertation on LGBTQ+ representation in illustrated children’s literature (where they found that there was a strong focus on ‘coming out’ stories and a lack of representation of older members of the community), as well as their personal experiences and relationships, such as Woodgate’s male role models. Woodgate was not able to grow up with his grandad, so relied on stories about him from family members.
Grandad’s Camper won the 2022 Waterstones Children’s Prize for Best Illustrated Book and the 2023 British Book Awards Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year. It was shortlisted for the 2022 Polari Children’s and YA Prize, nominated for the 2022 Cilip Kate Greenway Award, and was an honouree at the 2022 American Library Association Stonewall Book Awards
Where it went next
A second book about Grandad and Milly followed. Grandad’s Pride follows Milly’s idea to rally the local community and bring Pride to Grandad after she discovers Grandad and Gramps’ Pride flag in the attic.
Associated Stories
Other books by Harry Woodgate include Timid and The Butterfly House
Other picture books with themes of loss include Grandad’s Island by Benji Davies and If All the World Were by Joseph Coelho and Allison Colpoys.