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Piers Torday, Author
Tim Smart, Illustrator
Imprint: Orchard Books
Publication date: October 22, 2026
Category: Picture books, activity books & early learning material
ISBN: 9781444986396
A beautiful celebration of the joy of reading from bestselling children’s author Piers Torday.
“Perhaps the greatest gift is reading itself.”
Join Girl, her loyal companion Dog, and new arrival Baby Brother on a magical journey to discover books. Together, they explore the many joys of reading: for happiness, adventure, empathy and even future success. From the quiet magic of libraries to the warmth of sharing stories at home, their world, reflections, adventures and questions celebrate the beauty of a childhood shaped by books.
But when the world feels full of distractions and the magic of books starts to fade, the arrival of the Story Owl reminds them – and us all – of the extraordinary power of reading . . .
Bestselling and award-winning author Piers Torday combines lyrical storytelling with real insights into the benefits of reading. Beautifully brought to life with Tim Smart’s illustrations, this is a heartfelt celebration for readers of all ages.
A truly special gift for young readers, to remind us all why reading is magic.
Piers Torday began his career in theatre and then television as a producer and writer. His first book for children, The Last Wild, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Award and nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. His second book, The Dark Wild, won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. There May Be A Castle was a People’s Book Award finalist and a Times Children’s Book of the Year. The Lost Magician was a Book of the Year in six national newspapers and won the Teach Primary Book Award. The follow up, The Frozen Sea, was published in 2019. Piers has also completed an unfinished novel by his late father Paul (author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Death of an Owl) and adapted The Box of Delights and A Christmas Carol for the stage.
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Photo credit: James Betts
Tim Smart is a children’s illustrator from the United Kingdom. Tim’s illustrations draw inspiration from his experiences growing up by the ocean and climbing trees in forests, from the music he makes with his family and friends, and the strong oral tradition of storytelling that has been around since childhood. He likes pulling faces in the mirror, drinking coffee, sitting by fires, climbing trees, rolling down hills, the smell of the ocean, chasing dogs, watching birds and singing.