Whitley Bay writer Rob Walton's new book of poems for children is on pre-order at £8, with paperbacks delivered from 20 November. Here is what is inside it.

Rob Walton, a children’s writer and poet who lives in Whitley Bay, has a new collection of poems for children coming out next month. Little Things and Big Things: Poetry for Children is on pre-order now at £8 for the paperback, and copies are delivered from 20 November 2026.

It is his second standalone book for children. The first, Please Don’t Read the Footnotes Please, came out with The Emma Press in March 2025. Walton is a former primary school teacher and a Carnegie Medal-nominated poet.

What is in the book

The new collection is published by Lemon Jelly Press CIC, an independent publisher on the Isle of Wight set up as a community interest company. The press describes itself as dedicated to making literature accessible and to championing creative voices.

The poems cover school, friendship, family and feelings, and what the publisher calls “the extraordinary things hiding in everyday life”. Its own blurb opens with a question: “What do pet spiders, rubbish spies and 457 slices of toast have in common? They’ve all found their way into Rob Walton’s wonderfully playful and imaginative collection of poetry for children!”

Cover of Little Things and Big Things by Rob Walton: a drawn mouse looking through a telescope at a starry blue sky with a crescent moon
The cover of Little Things and Big Things. Image: supplied by Lemon Jelly Press CIC

The publisher says the book is “bursting with clever wordplay, unexpected twists, laugh-out-loud moments and a whole lot of heart”, and that the poems “celebrate kindness, confidence, curiosity and the magic of everyday life”. It pitches the collection as one for reading aloud, sharing in classrooms or reading alone, and for children who will “want to return to again and again”.

How to get a copy

The publisher says it can provide review copies and arrange interviews with Walton. Contact details are on the Lemon Jelly Press website.

What it means for you

A pre-order placed now arrives from 20 November, which leaves time before Christmas for anyone buying it as a present for a child. Teachers in Whitley Bay and across North Tyneside have a new book of poems written by a local former primary teacher.

Sponsored feature for Lemon Jelly Press CIC.