Princes Don't Practise: A relatable rhyming tale about patience and perseverance! - Softcover

Simmonds, Kathryn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1035082470 ISBN 13: 9781035082476

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books, 2026

Synopsis

Meet a pompous young prince, who believes he can do anything – without ever needing to practise! That is until he meets a wise, retired witch who teaches him the most magical lesson . . .

Princes Don't Practise is an incredibly funny and relatable tale with an important message for all. Perfect for anyone who struggles with NOT being instantly perfect – which is most children!

Prince Lupin has jousted and feasted and now he's BORED. But when he decides to spend the afternoon 'helping' the gardener and the palace cook, he leaves a trail of chaos and destruction behind him.

After an embarrassing musical performance, Prince Lupin flees into the forest where he meets a retired witch with a passion for pottery. With her patience, perseverance and friendship Prince Lupin finally learns that practice makes magic . . . and that it helps to have manners too!

Fantastically warm and funny verse from award-winning poet and writer, Kathryn Simmonds, with richly detailed illustrations from Becky Colvin, the winner of the Macmillan Prize for Illustration 2023 and creator of The Great Green Island, which was shortlisted for The Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2026.

About this title

About the Authors

Kathryn Simmonds is an award-winning poet and author of picture books, including Princes Don't Practise, Trouble at the Bug Hotel and Twenty Bears. She has written all sorts of things – stories for radio, questions for quiz machines, a novel, books of poems, short plays . . . and now children's books! Kathryn lives with her family in Norfolk, where she likes visiting the beach, eating cake, and reading funny poems.

Becky Colvin studied illustration at The University of West England in Bristol and went on to win the prestigious Macmillan Prize for Illustration in 2023. Princes Don't Practise is the second work Becky has illustrated after her debut author-illustrated picture book, The Great Green Island, which was shortlisted for The Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2026.

Becky loves telling stories, capturing both the quiet and the not-so-quiet moments in life – her main personality trait is drawing, so it won’t surprise you to know that that’s what she spends most of her time doing. She also knows a freaky amount about clouds and is wildly mediocre at juggling. Becky lives in Bristol.

Edition details

• Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1035082470
• ISBN 13: 9781035082476
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Colvin Becky
• Number of pages: 32