S2 E1: Children's Books with Greg James and Chris Smith
Ask Penguin
Penguin Books UK
4.1 • 550 Ratings
🗓️ 10 April 2025
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week on the Penguin Podcast we jump into the exciting world of children's books and chat to Greg James and Chris Smith about their new book The Kid Who Fell Through Time. Plus we explore why there is a reading for pleasure crisis and the ways we can encourage kids to read, and we provide plenty of recommendations for children, whatever their age.
Explore the full list of the books discussed on this episode and read the transcript by visiting: Season 2, Episode 1: Children's Books
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome back to a brand new series of the Penguin podcast and Ask Penguin. |
| 0:10.4 | I'm Rihanna Dylan and I am so thrilled to be back in our book-filled studio right at the heart |
| 0:15.7 | of Penguin's offices in London. Now lots of you listening will have hopefully heard an episode or two before, |
| 0:21.7 | but for anyone joining us for the first time, we're so pleased to have you. Thank you for coming |
| 0:26.0 | along. This podcast is the place for anyone who really loves books and reading and wants to find out |
| 0:32.2 | more about all sorts of different authors and the people who work with them, all while picking up a book |
| 0:38.2 | recommendation or two or 20. Across the next few weeks, we'll be covering everything, from the |
| 0:45.0 | best summer reads for balmy days in the sun to the best books to read at book clubs. But today, |
| 0:51.1 | we're diving into the subgenre that I've been desperate to dig into since we first started the podcast, the fantastical world of children's books. |
| 0:59.0 | Penguin has always been a home to some of the most loved children's authors and their creations. |
| 1:04.4 | Through their dedicated children's publishing imprints, puffin and Ladybird, they've sparked the imaginations of millions of young readers worldwide |
| 1:12.8 | and help children understand the world around them. And this year is extra special as Puffin turns 85, |
| 1:20.0 | but more on that later. From The Very Hungry Caterpillar to literature's favourite bookworm, |
| 1:26.4 | Matilda, to Mallory Blackman's |
| 1:28.6 | groundbreaking series Nauts and Crosses to the laugh-out-loud adventures of Jeff Kinney's |
| 1:33.6 | Wimpy Kid. The chances are that there's a little puffin or ladybird adorning the cover |
| 1:38.3 | of your favourite childhood books. I fell in love with Ina Blyton when I was tiny. I was always |
| 1:43.8 | pivoting between wanting |
| 1:44.9 | to be George and Timmy the dog. And even now as an adult, there are books from my childhood |
| 1:49.7 | that I return to time and again. If you've listened to the podcast before, you might remember |
| 1:54.2 | my Just William obsession, which will never fade. And I'm not alone in this love for children's books. |
| 2:00.4 | Joining me in the studio today |
... |
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