Drawing on her experience with young learners and reading with her four grandchildren, English language teacher Helen Michael turns a struggle every family knows into a warm, funny story for children aged 3–7.
London, United Kingdom (PRUnderground) July 22nd, 2026
Getting a young child to eat dinner can feel like the longest negotiation of the day. That familiar struggle sits at the heart of The Tale of Alpha Betty, a new rhyming picture book from Grand Publishers and the debut title from English language teacher and grandmother Helen Michael. Written for children aged 3 to 7, it follows Betty — a spirited little girl who refuses almost everything her mum cooks — through a string of funny, all-too-recognisable mealtime adventures.
Betty cries over her spaghetti, turns her nose up at dinner after dinner, and sends her family on an ever-growing hunt for something — anything — she will actually eat. Her mum bakes a cake (which a hungry dad promptly devours), dashes out for fish and chips, and lays on feast after feast, until Betty discovers for herself that a little variety leaves her feeling her best. From rejected meals to the great hand-washing standoff, the story is built from the small, comic moments families know by heart.
Helen draws on years of working with young learners. An English language teacher who has taught in Cyprus and Dubai before settling in the Cotswolds, she has spent years helping young learners fall for language — a love of words that runs through the book’s bouncy rhyme and its playful journey through foods from A to Z. Inspired by reading with her four grandchildren, The Tale of Alpha Betty is her picture-book debut and the first title under the Helen Michael’s Stories banner.
“Anyone who has shared a table with a young child knows that mealtimes can become an adventure all of their own,” said Helen Michael. “I wanted to write something families could enjoy and laugh about together — a story for every child who has ever pushed a plate away, and every grown-up who has tried so hard to please.”
The book closes with a set of activity pages — colouring, word games and a food-themed word search — that carry the fun past the final page, making it as at home in the classroom and early-years settings as it is at bedtime.
The Tale of Alpha Betty is dedicated to Helen’s four grandchildren and, in her words, to “all the children out there who battle over food, and the amazing mums who try so hard to please.”
The Tale of Alpha Betty: One Little Girl’s Journey into Healthy Eating is available now in paperback and Kindle editions from Amazon, Waterstones and Barnes & Noble.
Helen Michael is an English language teacher who has taught in Cyprus and Dubai and now lives in the Cotswolds, where she continues to work with young learners. Inspired by reading to her four grandchildren, she writes stories that blend humour, rhyme and a quiet love of language for children and the adults reading alongside them. The Tale of Alpha Betty is her first children’s book.
For interview requests or review copies, contact details can be provided on request.
About Grand Publishers LLC
Grand Publishers is a specialised author-assistance firm that supports independent writers through every phase of the book-creation process, from manuscript refinement to global distribution. Their model has maintained a high 95% client satisfaction rate, with 75% of authors returning for subsequent projects, and their marketing strategies have helped elevate over 300 titles. Rated highly on Trustpilot, they are recognised for providing a transparent, professional alternative to the traditional ”Big Five” publishing route.
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Original Press Release.
