1. A handful of - sometimes brilliant - authors hold a virtual monopoly over the sales of children's books. This is partly because - with a few valiant exceptions - there is virtually no reviewing of children's books in this country.

2. When it comes to the importance of critics you'd can't beat Anton Ego at the end of Ratatouille ... to be a friend to the new. We are at a point where we NEED new voices

3. Critics need to play their part. Step up to the plate. Make a space to review children's books.

4. There is nothing more important in publishing. Even commercially - these are the readers of the future. Neglect them and your neglect your future.

5. If you're a parent or a teacher looking for something new, you might like to look at my instagram where I have made space to recommend lots of other authors and have included clips of them reading their work. Eg. @PatienceAgbabi, @candygourlay and even @dannywallace

Not to mention @edgechristopher - they're all here ... https://www.instagram.com/frank_cottrell_boyce/

For clarity I am not saying anything against the writings of that handful of massive sellers. I'm saying we need more and different voices. This hs come about because children's fiction -

- despite its staggering financial muscle, and despite the fact that Paddington, Potter etc represent a huge part of what soft power we have left ...

... has ZERO cultural traction in the UK. I know this because I have two careers. The smallest, least commercial film I write will AUTOMATICALLY get

lengthy, considered reviews in every single newspaper. Even if it's obvious that it's going to open on Friday and close on Monday. Whereas the most dazzlingly brilliant

witty heart scalding life-changing children's book I write will be lucky to scrape a mention in a Summer round-up. That's me. It's sooo much worse for someone who doesn't have my track record and cheek.