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The Weirdest Thing of All by Michael Rosen ill. Ed Vere

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 26 Aug 2026

I hear the Town Crier a-ringing of his bell:
NEW POEMS! NEW POEMS! New poems from Michael!

It is indeed a special event. A 300pp hardback collection of new poems from Michael Rosen, illustrated by Ed Vere.

In this beautiful, funny, and moving collection of brand new poems, beloved writer and former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen shares an unforgettable series of stories, experiences and memories of his own childhood.

Beautifully illustrated throughout by acclaimed artist Ed Vere, this is a book to treasure and share – a perfect introduction to poetry for readers of all ages.

Follow the book’s illustrator on

Impossible Creatures: The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell ill. Tomislav Tomic

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 22 Sep 2025

Waterstones
Bookshop

See also:
Impossible Creatures [ACHUKA Book of the Day 30 Nov 2023, Waterstones Book of the Year 2023]

“A spectacular return to a magical world.” KIRKUS
“A perfect children’s book: it’s a thrilling adventure, it sparkles with imagination and creativity, is easy to read, but also full of deep philosophy and wisdom. It is truly wonderful.” BookTrust

Return to the magic of the Archipelago… The Poisoned King is the dazzling second book in Katherine Rundell’s epic and bestselling Impossible Creatures series.

The dragons call out, and the ratatoskas tell of murder. Come with us now. There is justice to be done.

When Christopher Forrester is unexpectedly woken by a miniature dragon chewing on his face, his heart leaps for joy. For months he’s dreamed of returning to the Archipelago – the secret islands where all the creatures of myth still live. But he did not know it would involve a rescue mission on the back of a sphinx, or a plan to enter a dragon’s lair. Nor did he imagine it would involve a girl with a flock of birds at her side, a new-hatched chick in her pocket and a ravenous hunger for justice…

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Traditional books on paper open a new chapter of success

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Another piece celebrating the bouyancy of print and slowdown in ebook expansion:

Observer

Public affection for print runs deeper than some had thought. On the eve of the London Book Fair, a three-day trade extravaganza that starts on Tuesday, optimism is rippling through the industry that it can weather the digital age. The idea that the ebook will kill the paperback seems increasingly like a tall tale.

Total spending on print and electronic books increased by 4% to £2.2bn in 2014, according to market data firm Nielsen. Ebooks now account for around 30% of all books published, including almost 50% of adult fiction. But the decline in print is levelling off as migration to ebooks declines. For some in the industry, it is a sign the dust is beginning to settle after the great digital shake-up.

“Ebooks will continue to grow, but the speed of growth has started to slow and perhaps we are getting close to saturation in some areas,” said Steve Bohme, consumer director at Nielsen.

Millennials, the generation supposed to be glued to their screens, still buy paperbacks. Sales of children’s literature in print rose by 9% in 2014, largely driven by teens, twenty- and thirtysomethings buying fiction marketed as young adult, such as the Hunger Games series or The Fault in Our Stars, John Green’s love story about a teenager with cancer. The mood has also been buoyed by the resurgence of Waterstones, which reported a 5% rise in physical sales in December.

via Traditional books on paper open a new chapter of success | Books | The Guardian.