A Stroud author has been shortlisted for this year's Oscar’s Book Prize.

Tom Percival is in the running for the award with his book titled Ruby's Worry.

The literacy award recognises the best under-5's literature published in the past year and grants the winner with a £5,000 prize.

Tom lives in Stroud with his partner and their two small children, and writes and illustrates his own picture books.

Ruby’s Worry is Tom’s seventh picture book for Bloomsbury, following the likes of Herman’s Letter, By the Light of the Moon and Perfectly Norman.

Oscar’s Book Prize was created in honour of Oscar Ashton who passed away at the age of three and a half from an undetected heart condition, and the award is supported by Amazon and the National Literacy Trust.

Oscar’s mother, Viveka Alvestrand, praised the book, saying: “On an emotional level I loved Ruby’s Worry.

!The story is so originally and cleverly told.

"Before the worry appears the world is in colour, then it goes grey, then back into a rainbow burst of colour.

"As a born worrier, I wish I had had this book as a child.”

Oscar’s father, James Ashton, agreed, saying that it is a “mental health book for kids.”

The awards now in its sixth year saw 117 entries with submissions from across the country.

This year’s winner will be announced on May 9 at a party hosted by the May Fair Hotel in central London.