I was interested to see some of the different responses online, whether praise or furore, to the news that McDonald’s were giving away Michael Morpurgo’s Mudpuddle Farm books with Happy Meals this month. Read the news here and here. and  Perhaps it’s the visualization of a book in the place where you more often find a cheap plastic toy that brought on so many sniffy comments, or was it the taint of our nation’s obesity problem that overshadowed the news?

Personally I think that this was a great coup on the part of HarperCollins because publishing cannot afford to be a rarefied beast not for the likes of those who grab a meal in a fast food joint. After all, those of us who have chosen to work in this (fantastic) industry too often take for granted that reading is not a first-choice activity for young people or, indeed, many adults. Books have to work hard to compete with hundreds of television channels, the internet and gaming for those who can afford ‘entertainment’.

So, let’s get some books into the, I’ll grant you, greasy fingers of nine million kids! How can it not pay off? I say, here’s to more side orders of books at McDonald’s in future. But how do you A&B followers feel about it?

Lesley-Anne Crooks, Sales & Digital Manager