The Bookseller, Children’s Previews, December 2025
When I opened my copy of the Bookseller today, I discovered that The Adventures of Portly the Otter was being recommended as one of the ten titles not to miss in March 2026 by journalist Charlotte Eyre.
The review is lovely and I’m very grateful as I cannot wait for readers to meet Portly. Every author hopes their stories will find their readers, and reviews like this really help.
Roald Dahl with his dogs
I was delighted to be invited onto Tony LIvesey’s Radio show, on BBC 5LIve, to talk about Roald Dahl with Jenny Worton (Artistic Director of the Roald Dahl Story Company). We discussed the evergreen appeal of Roald Dahl’s stories and his greatest books, as well as celebrating the opening of the new Roald Dahl theatre show, The BFG at the RSC.
illustration from George’s Marvellous Medicine by Quentin Blake
Did you love The Wind in the Willows growing up? It was one of my favourite stories, and has become a talisman for me throughout my life. That is why I was delighted to be invited to write a story set on the riverbank. There was only one story I wanted to tell, and that was the story of Portly, Otter’s son, who goes missing in Chapter Seven: Piper at the Gates of Dawn. 🦦
I’ve been working with the wonderful artist Polly Dunbar who has beautifully reimagined E. H. Shepard’s illustrations to bring little Portly and other characters from The Wind in the Willows to life for a new generation. 🌳
As well as the standard edition, there will be two special limited editions with sprayed edges. The edition with insects on the sprayed edge will only be available through independent bookshops. The edition with the willow tress on the sprayed edge will be exclusively available through Waterstones. If you want to be certain of grabbing one of these beautiful editions, then you’ll need to pre-order as they’ll disappear fast. 🦦
Here are some kind things other authors have said about the book:
"A magical tale of one mischievous otter bursting with charm, wit and wonder" — Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear
“This magical retelling bubbles with wonder, joy and love.” — Piers Torday, author of The Last Wild
“A glorious future classic” — Alexander Armstrong, author of Evenfall
"Marvellous tales, full of sparkle and charm” — Sophie Anderson, author of The Girl Who Speaks Bear
"One of the loveliest books I've read in a long time” — Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars
"A story that ripples with the gentleness of childhood wonder and friendship.” — Leah Lane, @mymulberryhouse
The Adventures of Portly the Otter will be out on 26th March 2026 in hardback, but it is available to pre-order now! So please do!🦦📚
I am thrilled to reveal the third book in the Time Keys series, The Impossible Gladiator, fantastically illustrated by Manuel Sumberac, coming 12 February 2026. Pre-order your copy now from Waterstones or Bookshop.org
After travelling back to Ancient Egypt. and Viking Times , the Time Keys are journeying to the deadly Roman Colosseum.
THE BLURB: Sim, Jeopardy and Nelson are enjoying an amazing holiday in Rome, until they they are swept up in the mysterious disappearance of world-famous illusionist Kinetic. He vanished during a live broadcast from the Colosseum, but he never reappeared. When Kinetic’s sister finds a strange description in a history book of a gladiator who sounds uncannily like her brother, the friends are determined to help.
Hunt for the Golden Scarab is a Waterstones paperback of the year!
This is such fabulous news! I’m delighted and feel lucky to have the first Time Keys book on this list. Waterstones have championed my books ever since Beetle Boy and I’ll forever be eternally grateful.
What does it mean for you? Well, it means that if you haven’t read Hunt for the Golden Scarab, then you can pick it up in Waterstones in person or online for upto 20% off retail price. This is particularly handy if you’re doing a spot of Christmas shopping. Especially because paperback fit very nicely into a stocking!
Long gone are the days when the publishing industry was all about long lunches and cocktail parties.
Thank goodness, Harper Collins still throws one star-studded author party every summer. This year, because of my coming book The Adventures of Portly the Otter, I received an invite to join them at the V&A on the hottest day of this year so far.
I had a wonderful time seeing friends and splashing about in the fountain as a children’s author should. Here are some pictures of the fun in which I am being gloriously silly. If you’ve read my books, this won’t surprise you at all.
Last year, when The Adventures of Portly the Otter was top secret, I took a research trip to Cookham Dean - the place that inspired The Wind in the Willows. I visited the original Wild Wood, which is called Bisham Wood and walked along the banks of the Thames.
While I was there, I was visited by actor, podcaster and friend, David Oakes. We recorded an episode of his Trees A Crowd podcast which was published last year, but I had to ask him to cut out all chat of my top secret project because it hadn’t been announced or written yet.
Now that the world knows about my business with the riverbank, David has compiled that conversation into a ten minute bonus listen to charm your ears.
Fun Fact about David, he once played Otter in a stage show of The Wind in the Willows (see pic in gallery).
So come with us to the home of the water rat and listen to a riverside conversation about untold tales from The Wind in the Willows.
I’ve been keeping this project secret for a long time now...
It is with a huge amount of delight that I can tell you that I have written a book about Portly the Otter, son of Otter from The Wind in the Willows. It is modelled on Kenneth Grahame’s original, as a series of riverbank stories, and features characters we all know and love, as well as introducing you to some new ones. The book is called The Adventures of Portly the Otter - Untold Tales from The Wind in the Willows and will answer a mystery I wondered about a lot as a child, which is - what really happened to Portly for him to be missing for so long, and end up - discovered by Ratty and Moley,- curled up between the cloven hooves of the god Pan?
The book is illustrated by the fabulous Polly Dunbar and will be printed as a four colour hardback gift book in March 2026 by Farshore.
I cannot tell you what a joy it has been to revisit the riverbank and spend time with the much beloved Ratty, Moley, Badger, and of course the mischievous Mr Toad, but the biggest delight of all has been spending a year researching and learning about otters.
I have inserted the full press release below, if you’re interested in more details.
This week I am a guest on Before the Applause, a podcast made by David Watson. We talk about my life before becoming an author, when I worked in the arts, the digital landscape and how I came to be a part of it, and how that has helped me as a self employed author now.
I have been lucky enough to call David a friend for over fifteen years. We met at the Royal Opera House, where we both worked as part of their digital team. We’ve been friends ever since.
David is Executive Director of Audiences & Media at National Museums Liverpool and has responsibility for Exhibitions, Marketing & Brand, Digital, PR & Communications, Development (Fundraising), Strategic & Creative Partnerships and Creative Studios (design and production) for the group which comprises of seven world-class museums and galleries. Prior to this he has worked for an assortment of high-profile organisations including Birmingham Royal Ballet, Hull UK City of Culture 2017, English National Ballet, London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Opening & Closing Ceremonies, Royal Opera House and Rambert Dance Company.
THE PODCAST BLURB: Before the Applause Podcast – hosted by David Watson – is your backstage pass to the creative industries. This audio deep dive uncovers the real stories behind the arts and cultural experiences we all enjoy but rarely think about before the curtain rises. Each episode brings you candid conversations with the people who make it happen—dancers, producers, designers, actors, DJs, photographers, costumers, marketers, publicists, data analysts, and many more. From the triumphs to the challenges, David lifts the lid on what it truly means to build a career in this dynamic and ever-evolving industry. Whether you’re an aspiring creative, a seasoned professional, or just curious about the work behind the magic, Before the Applause is here to celebrate the people who bring ideas to life.
M G Leonard at Hay Festival 2025
Hay Festival is always such a wonderful experience. Last year I did the schools programme, but this year I was on the public programme and accompanied by 40 mile and hour winds and lots of rain. Hopefully I warmed everyone up by taking them to Egypt in my Hunt for the Golden Scarab event.
I had such a great time talking to young readers about history and music, and was very impressed by how many Egyptologists came all the way to Hay to hang out and get their books signed. I was chatting and signing for well over two hours, and enjoyed every minute of it.
I wanted to thank everyone who made the long journey to come to my event. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.
I had the pleasure of talking to Dan Simpson for the Writer’s Routine podcast about my writing routine, and how it has evolved over the past decade.
I’ve been a fan of the Writer’s Routine podcast for a while. I’m incredibly nosy about how other writers create their books. I’ve learned a lot from other writers.
You can listen whereever you get your podcasts.
I am utterly overjoyed that Feather, which is based on a true crime, museum heist, has been shortlisted for the CrimeFest award. Twitch won this award back in 2022 and Spark was shortlisted the following year.
I’ve got all my fingers crossed that Feather might win this year as the wonderful CrimeFest have sadly announced that this will be the final year of the prize and the festival. I have enjoyed being a part of it and am pleased to be a part of the final festival celebrating crime fiction for all ages.
To my utter delight, this week The Bookseller, the publishing trade magazine, did a review of the bestselling Children’s books in the first quarter of 2025 and I learned that Hunt for the Golden Scarab is the twelfth bestselling book of the year so far. That’s incredible, especially as it wasn’t available in shops until February.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every person who has purchased, read, reviewed, or recommended my book. It really takes an enormous effort from a team of people to launch a book in such a way that people get to hear of it, especially as i”m not off the tele, and it’s super important when it’s the first story in a new series.
If you enjoyed book one, then the wait for book too is not long, The Legend of Viking Thunder will be sailing into bookshops in September and I’ve just finished writing the third book in the series which will be available from February 2026.
World Book Week 2025 has been quite dramatic for me. I broke my ankle, walking my dog, four days before the busiest week in a children’s author’s calendar! I’ve had to do my school visits on crutches and deliver events sat on chairs, which is not my usual style.
However, I have been greatly cheered by all the children who have dressed as characters from my books. I do love to see these pictures. Below is a gallery of all the costumes I’ve seen this year. I think they are all absolutely wonderful. I’m truly blown away.
Thank you to all who have sent them over social media or email. If your child would like to be added to this gallery, you can email a picture to info@mgleonard.com
