Trio of Autumn's children books to be read on Channel 5’s

Rowena Blyth

Autumn Publishing, an imprint of Igloo, part of the Bonnier Books UK Group, has acquired three children’s picture books, which will be narrated on the Channel 5 Milkshake! Story Den segment in episodes throughout the next three years.

Publishing in time for Christmas 2025, this beautifully illustrated picture book series features Olive, written and illustrated by Rowena Blyth, When the Sky Was Too Low, written and illustrated by Adam Bestwick, and The Spider and the Whale by Lucy Moroney and Paul Brown, illustrated by Rowena Blyth.

These picture books celebrate the value of every individual and explore the plight of being small in worlds designed for the large, while gently touching on themes including imaginative problem-solving, daring to think differently, kindness, friendship and bravery. Each book has been created with characters children will love and identify with, and richly illustrated to support the development of a deep love of reading in the early years.

Adam Bestwick, author of When the Sky Was Too Low, said: “I am delighted that this book will be reaching new readers, and even more thrilled that it will be featuring on Story Den. A huge thanks to the brilliant team at Autumn and Igloo, who are experts at bringing stories to children all around the world.”

Rowena Blyth, creator of Olive and illustrator of The Spider and the Whale, added: "To see two books that mean so much to me being included on Autumn’s title list is such a privilege. The beautiful books which Autumn and Igloo bring to the market deliver such joy, and seeing your work being featured on Story Den is something you could never envisage during those early days of playing around with the nugget of a story. It’s a real pinch-me moment!"

Michelle Williams, Head of Publishing for Autumn Publishing, who acquired the World Rights directly from Jenny Johnstone at Fourth Wall, added: “We are so excited to be publishing these three standout picture books, which are visually stunning, empowering and designed to inspire a love of reading in young children. Aligning our publication with the sharing of these gorgeous books on Story Den creates a fantastic opportunity to reach children where they are and reinforces Autumn’s commitment to stories that educate, comfort and inspire.”

Olive, When the Sky Was Too Low and The Spider and the Whale will be published in paperback on 11 December 2025.

Autumn Publishing is Igloo’s learning and storytelling imprint.