Have you ever wanted to know the best day of the week to buy groceries or go out to dinnerHave you ever wondered about the best time of day to ask someone out on a date or for a raise?Buy Ketchup in May and Fly at Noon tells you the best time of the day, of the week, of the month or of the year to do almost anything. Do you know:The best time of day to be operated onThe best month to buy an iPodThe best day of the week to avoid lines at the LouvreThe best day of the month to make an offer on a houseGet more for your money, maximize your time, take better care of your health and be savvier about your career all by doing certain things at the right time. Remember: Timing is everything!

Some guides to a subject could more or less be written by any expert in that field, but a small minority are unique creations of a rare individual who has their own view. Unfortunately most of the latter types of guides fail to be good general guides. Verity's genius makes him the exception. This book is arranged in chronological chapters that trace the evolution of poetry as an art form. At the same time, each chapter gives a most practical explanation of how that aspect of poetry that it covers works and why. The book is immensely readable, hugely informative, and adds to the ability of the reader to enjoy and to create poetry. It is a classic.' "Epictetus" (Amazon review) 'The great merit of Verity's approach is that he quotes lavishly throughout, not only from the poems themselves, but also from a variety of critics' LIBRARY REVIEWS 'Of his first book of sonnets Kingsley Amis wrote ‘They belong within the corpus of English poetry’ Excerpts of Interview with Kenneth Verity on The Vanessa Phelps BBC Radio programme on June 2009 on the News Page (off the Home page) 'The amount of reading which underpins this book is breathtaking. The great merit of Verity's approach is that he quotes lavishly throughout, not only from the poems themselves, but also from a variety of critics ... The chapter on poetry's figurative element is a model of lucid definition and telling illustration, showing how many layers of meaning may lie behind a single word' LIBRARY REVIEWS The author writes:'The intention of this book is to examine and analyse the essential nature of the phenomenon we call poetry; to seek an understanding of the power this art form exerts over mind and heart; to comprehend its potency; and to explain its perennial ability to command the respect of mankind'. Almost a library in one volume, this unusual book, written by an accomplished poet, examines the 4000 years old phenomenon of poetry. Combining history, literature and philosophy, it explains the underlying power of this art form and how its effect is exerted over human hearts and understanding. Since the Greeks at least, poetry has been accorded pre-eminence in the arts. Poetry’s aesthetic supremacy and inhering mystery has made it the foremost form of expression when human beings need to say something important in a special way. Poetry has been defined as the best words in the best order. In poetry, the author suggests, the eternal intersects the everyday – it has been said that poetry is the language in which man explores his own amazement. He shows how poetry has provided a vehicle for inspiration and fresh ways of thinking and interpreting the perennial questions of the human race. The author makes clear that poetry ‘works’ because it acknowledges the universality of human psychology, and because it unites emotion with reason and tempers imagination with understanding. Over 200 poets from both East and West are quoted, and the work of 10 master poets is critically analysed and assessed. The major factors involved in translating poetry are discussed, particularly the difficulty of conveying the meaning without losing the spirit. The central features of inspiration and creativity are elucidated. The unbroken stream of poetry carries resonances of the growth and decay of civilisations, the vicissitudes of wars, the effects of migrations and trading, the influences of religious belief. The author considers, from his own experience, that poetry remains peerless in evaluating and articulating the riches of the human spirit.

Daniel Howarth is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. He lives near Exeter, with his wife and family, and works from his garden studio. www.danielhowarth.com

Michael Bond was born in Newbury, Berkshire on 13 January 1926 and educated at Presentation College, Reading. He served in the Royal Air Force and the British Army before working as a cameraman for BBC TV for 19 years. In 2015, Michael was awarded a CBE for his services to children’s literature, to add to the OBE he received in 1997. Michael died in 2017, leaving behind one of the great literary legacies of our time.

Judith Kerr was born in Berlin, but left Germany with her family in 1933 to escape the Nazis. They arrived in England in 1936, having spent the intervening years in Switzerland and France. She met her husband Nigel Kneale at the BBC and they had two children together; Judith wrote ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ for them, which has gone on to become a much-loved classic, in print for over forty years. She was awarded an OBE in 2012 for services to children’s literature and holocaust education, and celebrated her 90th birthday in 2013. She continues to write and illustrate children’s books at her home in London.

Daniel Howarth is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. He lives near Exeter, with his wife and family, and works from his garden studio. www.danielhowarth.com

Daniel Howarth is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. He lives near Exeter, with his wife and family, and works from his garden studio. www.danielhowarth.com

One Direction are: Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and, Niall Horan. Formed in The X Factor’s Bootcamp stage in 2010, they’ve since gone on to win over 140 awards, smash records in both the UK and the US and sell over 20 million records worldwide.

Little Mix are Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall. They began their X Factor journey as four individuals before being made into a group, then called ‘Rhythmix’. With Tulisa Contostavlos as their friend and mentor, Little Mix battled their way through to the final round and ultimately became the only group ever to win.

Oliver Jeffers graduated from The University of Ulster in 2001 with First Class honours. His outstanding talent has been recognised by several high-profile awards, including the Nestlé Children’s Book Prize Gold Award. ‘Lost and Found’ animation was broadcast on Channel 4. Oliver lives and works in Brookyln, New York.

Rob is an award-winning designer, and a full-time author and illustrator. By night he makes up silly stories for his three daughters, and draws pictures to go with them.He lives and works in London, and his first book was the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize-winning Blown Away, starring Penguin Blue. You can visit Rob, Penguin Blue and all their friends at www.robbiddulph.com.

Meet the Twirlywoos & Hello Chickedy, Hello Chick (Twirlywoos)

Gone & Upside Down (Twirlywoos)

By day Rob is the award-winning art director of the Observer Magazine. By night he makes up silly stories for his three daughters, and draws pictures to go with them.He lives and works in London, and his first book was the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize-winning Blown Away, starring Penguin Blue. You can visit Rob, Fred and Penguin Blue at www.robbiddulph.com.

Daniel Howarth is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. He lives near Exeter, with his wife and family, and works from his garden studio. www.danielhowarth.com

Birthday Present (Bing)

Ted Dewan has been a full-time illustrator and cartoonist since 1988. He was grew up in Massachusetts where he became a science teacher, but moved to London in 1988, making a living from drawing for various publications and playing the accordion. He married fellow author/illustrator Helen Cooper and they had their first child in 1998. His picture book, Crispin, the Pig Who Had It All, won the Blue Peter Award and was an Honour book for the Kate Greenaway Award. The Bing series of eight books were first published in 2003. Ted lives with his family in Oxford.

Paddling Pool (Bing)

Daniel Howarth is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. He lives near Exeter, with his wife and family, and works from his garden studio. www.danielhowarth.com

Daniel Howarth is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. He lives near Exeter, with his wife and family, and works from his garden studio. www.danielhowarth.com

Doreen Cronin is the author of the bestselling Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type and Giggle, Giggle, Quack.