'An exciting romp of an adventure story that would be wonderful to read aloud to children ... I don't think I need to introduce Martin Brown and his stunning illustrations elevate The Foolish King to the next level. As always, he really brings the story to life and helps to make this book a gorgeous entry onto anybody's bookshelves.' - Writing from the Tub; 'The Foolish King is a great story. I feel fortunate that the writer decided to share his creativity and write this book for all families to enjoy. Kids aged 8+ would not find a more interesting way to learn chess than reading through the storyline and solving the practice boards.' - Geekswithjuniors.com; 'With a unique angle The Foolish King introduces the world of chess to kids in fun, imaginative manner that is sure to spark up bundles of curiosity in this much loved game.' - My Book Corner; 'It's a great idea: I've occasionally tried to get my sons interested in chess, but I'm not the best teacher. Providing the basics through an engaging story seems like a good alternative. It may even help me brush up on the finer points that I never learned as a child!' - Apps Playground (Stuart Dredge, former digital editor at the Guardian); 'The story is fun and engaging, with a nice additional message about the importance of biodiversity...The illustrations are excellent, Martin Brown's brilliant and familiar wide-eyed and characterful figures jump off the page, bringing an otherwise quite obscure game to a new audience- the instructions are manageable and introduced at a pace that is not overwhelming, and examples of all the moves are included.' - My Thoughts About Books; 'I found myself fully absorbed in this book and concentrating not only on the story but trying to remember the moves and learn them all in the process ready for me to try the app out on a real game of chess. It amazed me how simple Mark Price made chess seem through the way he tells the story and the explanations. I always thought it was so complicated, but it felt understandable to me completely.' - Tales of Yesterday; 'This is a beautiful book to give as a gift to inspire novice chess players of all ages, and with a Foolish King ipadapp available too, you have everything you need to get going.' - Hellopipski; 'I loved the idea of going back and creating a new history for chess that both catches the imagination and is also an interesting standalone read. The story is perfectly accompanied by Martin Brown's illustrations and in addition to promoting playing chess (obviously!) it has an ecological theme running through it. This is a multifaceted book!' - Powered by Reading;'Definitely a must for anyone wanting to understand chess in a clear, fun way.' - Nayu's Reading Corner; '"The Foolish King" and its fairy take on the history of chess had me totally fascinated.' - La Chouett

MARK PRICE joined the John Lewis Partnership in 1982. He spent 17 years on the board of Waitrose, becoming Managing Director in 2007, holding this post until 2016. He was also Deputy Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership from 2013. Mark was appointed Chairman of Business in the Community in 2011 and Chairman of the Prince's Countryside Fund in 2010. In 2016, he was made Minister of State for Trade and Investment and a life peer. Mark will publish a number of books for children and adults during 2016 and beyond. MARTIN BROWN came to the UK in 1982 as a backpacking antipodean and never left. He is the illustrator of the hugely successful Horrible Histories, which have sold over 20 million copies. Martin has also illustrated Philip Pullman's New Cut Gang, and written and illustrated Lesser Spotted Animals.