Little Digger big winner

An Auckland husband and wife have won an award for their popular New Zealand children's picture book, The Little Yellow Digger.

Betty Gilderdale wrote and husband Alan illustrated the book which won the 2003 Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-loved Book.

The Children's Literature Foundation said its annual award was granted to a book that had not won a major prize, but had been in print for at least five years and proved itself a favourite with readers.

The book, the first of a series of Little Digger books, has sold more than 125,000 copies in hardcover and paperback since being published by Scholastic New Zealand in December 1993.