a curious question for every day of the year

Everything Under the Sun

"The only thing better than the questions, in this delightful and informative book, is the answers." - Neil Gaiman 
"This book is GLORIOUS. It's heart-and-soul fabulous, page after page." - Stephen Fry 
"One of the best kids books I have ever had the pleasure of reading" - Pandora Sykes 
"This book is heaven on a stick" - Sophie Dahl 
 
A wonderful new paperback edition of 366 curious questions asked by children from around the world, based on the award-winning podcast by original QI Elf, Molly Oldfield. 
 
How much bamboo can a giant panda eat? 
Do aliens exist? 
What we would do if we didn't have a prime minister? 
Why do hammerhead sharks have such strange-shaped heads? 
 
Find out the answers to these curious questions and much, much more! 
Ponder where ideas come from with award-winning illustrator, Rob Biddulph. Find out why you taste things differently when you have a cold with Michelin star chef, Heston Blumenthal. Learn about everything from how astronauts see in the dark to what the biggest dinosaur was with experts from the Natural History Museum. 
 
Fascinating facts are accompanied by gorgeous illustrations making the perfect gift for Christmas. Whether you read a question a day, or dip into it whenever you are feeling curious, this is a book to treasure and share all year round. 
 
Illustrated by Momoko Abe, Kelsey Buzzell, Beatrice Cerocchi, Alice Courtley, Sandra de la Prada, Grace Easton, Manuela Montoya Escobar, Richard Jones, Lisa Koesterke, Gwen Millward, Sally Mullaney, and Laurie Stansfield. 
 
Praise for Everything Under the Sun: 
 
"Trivia fans will relish Everything Under the Sun" - The Guardian 
"A brilliant book for any child, but particularly those who don't love reading stories" - David Walliams 
"A wonderful gift for families" - Evening Standard 
"A wonderful collection of 366 curious questions about everything from science to nature, dinosaurs to space" - Scottish Sun 
"Simply mesmerising compendium" - Waterstones 
"As cute as it is educational" - Babyccino Kids 
"This is a book to treasure all year round" - My Baba 
"An absolute delight" - David Walliams

Molly Oldfield (Author) Molly Oldfield is the host of 'Everything Under the Sun', a weekly podcast answering questions from children all around the world. The podcast went straight to Number 1 on the 'kids and family' Apple podcasts chart, when it launched in November 2018 and it won Bronze for 'Best Family Podcast' at the British Podcast Awards 2019. Molly is full of unusual facts and knowledge. She is known as The Original QI Elf and spent twelve years researching and writing questions for the BBC quiz show. She is also the author of several other children's books - The Secret Museum, Wonders of the World's Museums and Natural Wonders of the World. 
 
You can find out information about how to send in questions to the podcast at: www.everythingunderthesun.co.uk Momoko Abe (Illustrator) Momoko Abe was born in Japan and has been drawing ever since she can remember. Aged 20, pursuing her passion for visual storytelling, she came to the UK to study filmmaking, and still works in the TV and film industry alongside her illustration work. Momoko is an AOI World Illustration Award Shortlist artist. She lives in London. Kelsey Buzzell (Illustrator) Kelsey Buzzell is a freelance illustrator living in Oregon, USA. Kelsey finds regular inspiration from the forests, rocky beaches and high desert and all the creatures that live in the Pacific Northwest. She especially loves vintage shopping, outdoor adventures with her family, and a good mystery novel. Beatrice Cerocchi (Illustrator) Beatrice Cerocchi was born in Rome in 1989 where she lives and works. She started to get interested in illustration when she went to her first Bologna children's book fair in 2004. During high school she attended two illustration courses at Ars in Fabula, in Macerata, Italy. She kept studying and after a master's degree in Architecture at Roma Tre University she went to Milan to take a postgraduate course at MiMaster, where she obtained a master's in editorial illustration. Her works have been featured in several magazines and picture books. She was selected at Bologna, Shanghai and Beijing Children's Book Fair. In 2021 she took part in the exhibition "Italian Excellence - The New Generation of Italian Children's Illustrators" organized by Bologna Children's Book Fair. Alice Courtley (Illustrator) Alice Courtley is an illustrator based in the UK. She creates playful images with a blend of people, animals and backgrounds inspired by real life. Her work has been recognised for prizes such as the Batsford Prize and featured in exhibitions such as the AOI's 'Inspired to Innovate' in London. She has been shortlisted for the Klaus Flugge Prize 2023. Sandra De La Prada (Illustrator) Sandra De La Prada was born in Barcelona, where she grew up and still currently lives. She comes from a family where drawing is a prominent hobby: her father drew, her aunt, her cousin, her grandmother, even her great-grandfather, so she spent many hours of her childhood drawing. It was something natural and enjoyable for the family. She grew up to study Fine Arts, although also enjoyed other artistic subjects such as Photography and Cinema. Sandra started working as an illustrator about eight years ago, when she finally made up her mind to go for it. She works under the supervision of her two cats, Chicho and Rudo, who advise her in moments of mental block. She loves listening to podcasts (all kind: pop culture, humour, news) whilst working, but when she needs great concentration, it only works with music or, even better, silence. Sandra dreams of working in a studio overlooking her garden, hopefully someday. Grace Easton (Illustrator) Grace Easton studied Illustration at Central Saint Martins, Brighton University and Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She is an author and illustrator now based in South London. Grace's debut picture book Cannonball Coralie and the Lion published with Lincoln Children's Book in 2018. Manuela Montoya Escobar (Illustrator) Manu Montoya was born in Medellín, Colombia, in 1990. She studied Graphic Design and Advertising in her hometown and Art Direction in Barcelona, where she actually lives. She grew up both in the city and the country and spent most of her childhood drawing, playing with plants, animals, and exploring the woods. Manu has worked for advertising agencies such as DDB and McCann Worldgroup and as an illustrator for SM editorial, Cruïlla, Penguin Random House, Usborne, Little Brown and others. Richard Jones (Illustrator) Richard Jones was born in Coventry, in the West Midlands and grew up in Leamington Spa, UK. After three years of painting, film making and art history at college he moved down to Devon, UK to study Illustration. After graduating, he worked in a busy city library for almost 15 years. He now writes and illustrates full time. Lisa Koesterke (Illustrator) Lisa Koesterke is a freelance illustrator and designer with a love for bold, bright colour palettes, fun patterns and quirky characters. With German roots, Lisa grew up in sunny Australia and is currently living by the Italian seaside where she dreams up new illustrations from her small studio. Gwen Millward (Illustrator) Gwen Millward is an artist and writer who lives in Bristol with her son. She has been creating children's books since she graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2002 and she loves illustrating the natural world (especially insects). Sally Mullaney (Illustrator) Sally Mullaney is an illustrator and people-watcher based in London. She studied at Manchester School of Art and Plymouth University, and now finds joy in drawing unsuspecting commuters or neighbours' cats with playful shapes, textures and an energetic line. Laurie Stansfield (Illustrator) Laurie Stansfield grew up in the beautiful city of Oxford before moving west to study illustration at the University of the West of England. She has worked as a freelance illustrator since graduating, and occasionally lectures back at UWE Bristol where she studied. 
 
Laurie creates her art digitally using loose line, lots of texture and a limited but punchy colour palette. She is inspired by nature and finds she has her best ideas when she's outside in the fresh air. She lives with her husband in Bristol, and works out of an inspiring studio space which she shares with a handful of up-beat creatives.

How much bamboo can a giant panda eat? 
Do aliens exist? 
What we would do if we didn't have a prime minister? 
Why do hammerhead sharks have such strange-shaped heads? 
 
Find out the answers to these curious questions and much, much more! 
Ponder where ideas come from with award-winning illustrator, Rob Biddulph. Find out why you taste things differently when you have a cold with Michelin star chef, Heston Blumenthal. Learn about everything from how astronauts see in the dark to what the biggest dinosaur was with experts from the Natural History Museum. 
 
Fascinating facts are accompanied by gorgeous illustrations making the perfect gift for Christmas. Whether you read a question a day, or dip into it whenever you are feeling curious, this is a book to treasure and share all year round. 
 
Illustrated by Momoko Abe, Kelsey Buzzell, Beatrice Cerocchi, Alice Courtley, Sandra de la Prada, Grace Easton, Manuela Montoya Escobar, Richard Jones, Lisa Koesterke, Gwen Millward, Sally Mullaney, and Laurie Stansfield.

Anna Kemp

Alice Courtley

On a frozen sea, where the snow falls fast, and the whirlwinds rage and storm, 
A rockhopper egg, in a stony nest, was lying safe and warm. 
Dad watched and waited, waited, watched, the night grew inky black, 
Then he fell into a sleep so deep, he didn't hear the . . . CRACK 
 
Daddy Penguin finds himself adrift in an unfamiliar world, and he must get home for his egg! 
 
From train to helicopter, hot-air balloon to limousine, Daddy Penguin hitches lifts with kindly folk - but will he be home in time? 
 
A race against time for Daddy Penguin in this rhyming delight

Alice Courtley

Books by Alice Courtley

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter