ACHUKA Book of theDay 13 Nov 2026

Publisher: Barefoot Books
ISBN: 9798898591649

“Simple, engaging, and highly browsable, this book is an excellent tool for building vocabulary, strengthening observation skills, and inspiring a lifelong love of learning and language.” Booklist , starred review

”A rich compendium of items, some familiar, others potentially new.”
Kirkus Reviews

Visual dictionaries are so useful for building vocabulary and encouraging talk. Here’s a good one, reflecting the flair of a creator who teaches courses in illustration for Domestika. Recommended both for home and early years settings.

Explore the world around you through an illustrated guide of over 650 labeled things!

Whether you’re in the garden, at school, at the farmer’s market, or on the move, there are so many things out in the world to see! This beautifully illustrated book introduces children to new and exciting words while reinforcing familiar ones.

• Featuring over 650 detailed illustrations with words in a unique collage style
• Illustrations portray things kids see in everyday life and out in the world

Follow Maya Hanisch — an artist based in Santiago, Chile — on Instagram:

Originally published at https://www.achuka.co.uk on November 13, 2026.

So Many Things by Maya Hanisch was originally published in ACHUKA on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

ACHUKA Book of the Day 12 Nov 2026

Publisher: Frances Lincoln
ISBN: 9781805703839

I’d love to know more of the story behind this very clever picture book about ingenuity and thinking out of the box. It was first published in France two years ago by Amaterra as De l’autre côté.

Andrew J. Ross describes himself as an illustrator, designer and storyboard artist. He has worked in animation for the past 10+ years, in particular as a story board artist on projects including K-Pop Demon Hunters, Penguins of Madagascar, and movies in the Kung Fu Panda and Ice Age franchises. For his illustrations he likes to experiment with all sorts of traditional materials, like gouache, coloured pencils, inks, or acrylics and then assemble it all digitally afterward. He lives in Toronto, Canada.

There’s something INCREDIBLE just behind the wall . . . but how do you get past it? Join this curious cast of characters and find out.

The character with the green hat tries to dig under the wall — but the shovel breaks.
The character with the yellow hat tries to climb over the wall — but the rope snaps.
The characters with the red and purple hats try a ladder — but it falls apart.

At last, the smallest character steps forward. “If you can’t go under the wall,” she says, “and you can’t go over, you have to go through.”
“Ridiculous!” the others scoff as they stomp away together . . . but maybe you do have to think a little differently if you want to reach the INCREDIBLE OTHER SIDE.

From author‑illustrator and storyboard artist Andrew J Ross, whose credits include K‑Pop Demon Hunters, this mischievous, superbly funny picture book is a perfect pick for fans of Jon Klassen.

A celebration of creative problem-solving and the boundless power of imagination, The Incredible Other Side encourages little ones to see what’s possible when they think outside the box.

Originally published at https://www.achuka.co.uk on November 12, 2026.

The Incredible Other Side by Andrew J Ross was originally published in ACHUKA on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

ACHUKA Book of the Day 11 Nov 2026

Publisher: New York Review Books
ISBN: 9798896230625

“When I was young, my favorite picture book was Fletcher and Zenobia.” Rick Riordan

This book, now reissued (for a second time it would seem) by New York Review Books was first published in 1967. Gorey and Chess were co-writers; Chess contributed all the illustrations.

Here’s a podcast dedicated to this title:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/fuse-8-n-kate/id1249166981

Our story opens with a cat stuck in a tree, an ordinary-enough occurrence. Fletcher the cat, having run up the tree in a moment of thoughtless abandon, cannot get back down. Then strange things begin to happen: Fletcher finds in his tree a steamer trunk full of hats, and among the hats a papier-mâché egg that opens to reveal Zenobia, a worldly talking doll who was locked in the egg by an unfeeling child named Mabel. To cheer each other up, Fletcher and Zenobia decide to throw a party, complete with cake, peach ice cream, and punch from a silver punch bowl. The hats come in handy, and a moth, drawn to the festivities, soon becomes the vehicle of an unexpected escape plan.

A story of metamorphosis and friendship, like The Owl and the Pussycat crossed with Alice in Wonderland, Fletcher and Zenobia is a wildly imaginative tale of wish fulfillment and freedom. At once silly and zany, it is not without a certain delicacy of feeling that older children, and adults, will also appreciate.

Victoria Chess was born in Chicago in 1939 and attended the Kokoschka School of Art in Salzburg, Austria, and the Boston Museum School. The illustrator of more than a hundred books for children, Chess was awarded the Brooklyn Art Books for Children citation from the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Public Library in 1973 for Fletcher and Zenobia, and the 1975 American Institute of Graphic Arts Book Show Award for her illustrations for Bugs, a book of poems by Mary Ann Hoberman. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the south of France.

Originally published at https://www.achuka.co.uk on November 11, 2026.

Fletcher and Zenobia by Edward Gorey & Victoria Chess was originally published in ACHUKA on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

ACHUKA Book of the Day 10 Nov 2026

Publisher: Manderley Press Ltd
ISBN: 9781068661372

“This book is thrilling, sometimes funny, always full of humanity.” Frank Cottrell-Boyce
“Bernard Ashley understands how children work … Break in the Sun’s throbbing immediacy undeniably grips the reader.” The Times Educational Supplement, 1980
“Bernard Ashley’s great gift is to turn what seems to be low-key realism into something much stronger and more resonant. It has something to do with empathy, compassion, an undimmed thirst for decency and justice.” Philip Pullman

Bernard Ashley, now in his nineties, has been such an important children’s writer, very prolific and particularly popular in the 1980’s and 1990’s. It’s a pleasure to see this 1980 novel given the Manderley Press treatment.

This novel tells the story of Patsy, a young girl who runs away to Margate from Deptford, fleeing her abusive stepfather. It is a remarkably sensitive portrayal of growing up in tough circumstances, with the heroine portrayed not as a victim but as a survivor.

First published in 1980, this book was instantly praised for its realistic portrayal of working-class children, and the following year it was serialised for the BBC as a gritty and rather controversial children’s drama. [The episodes are easily findable on YouTube.] The book and its adaptation are now regarded as standout pieces of children’s drama from the 1980s (director Roger Singleton-Turner would later work on the kids’ TV series Grange Hill).

Manderley Press was founded by Rebeka Russell in 2021. The London-based independent publishing house specializes in reissuing forgotten, out-of-print literature and vintage books inspired by specific places, landscapes, or buildings. The press gets its name from Manderley, the estate in Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel Rebecca.

I very much recommend this Financial Times feature about Rebeka from two years ago:
https://www.ft.com/content/d6a51b04-9894-416e-acb3-d8206b8b2631

Follow the Press on Instagram:

Originally published at https://www.achuka.co.uk on November 10, 2026.

Break in the Sun by Bernard Ashley introduction by Frank Cottrell Boyce, ill. Margo McDaid was originally published in ACHUKA on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

ACHUKA Book of the Day 9 Nov 2026

Publisher: Floris Books
ISBN: 9781835750070

“Westera’s retelling employs a clever structure and elegant prose that should win over even Andersen purists. De Jong’s warm, precise illustrations balance chilly and cozy moments and include a map of Janna’s trek. An enthrallingly reimagined classic.” KIRKUS

This first English translation of a Dutch edition published as De Sneeuwkoningin (2023) would make a lovely gift.
“Beautifully presented and engagingly retold” goes the publicity sheet, and I heartily concur.

Best friends Arne and Janna live on neighbouring farms and spend their days working and playing together. But everything changes when a splinter of magic mirror chills Arne’s heart and he falls under the spell of the powerful but icy Snow Queen, who whisks him away to her palace.

Determined to rescue her friend, Janna begins an adventure to the frosty far north. Along the way she encounters a prince and princess, a crow that speaks in riddles, a band of robbers, a helpful reindeer and a kind Sami woman. But what will she find when she reaches her journey’s end? Can friendship melt Arne’s frozen heart and set him free?

This is a fresh and magical retelling of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale by award-winning author Bette Westera, which is brought to life with warm, colourful illustrations from artist Aida De Jong. Beautifully presented and engagingly retold for today’s children, this new edition of a much-loved tale will captivate a whole new generation of readers.

Bette Westera is an award-winning Dutch children’s writer. She has published over 130 books for children and her writing has been widely translated. In 2020, her poetry collection Dead Normal won The Netherlands’ long-running and prestigious Gouden Griffel (Golden Pencil) award for children’s literature. She lives in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, with her husband.
Aida De Jong is a Dutch illustrator, designer and teacher. She studied Illustration and Fine Art at Utrecht School of the Arts, and she finds her inspiration in nature, folklore and history. Aida has illustrated several children’s books and lives in Gouda in the Netherlands.
David Colmer is an award-winning Australian translator of Dutch poetry and prose. His work has been awarded the Vondel Prize, the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, among many other honours. He lives in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Follow the illustrator on Instagram:

Originally published at https://www.achuka.co.uk on November 9, 2026.

The Snow Queen: A Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale by Bette Westera ill. was originally published in ACHUKA on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

ACHUKA Book of the Day 6 Nov 2026

Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN: 9780702351105

“Obata’s detailed artwork, enhanced by Angkasa’s bold colors that evoke the 1990s, takes readers right into the world of the story. The characters’ expressive faces and body language highlight the emotional ups and downs they experience. A fun, vibrant graphic rendition of a beloved modern classic.” KIRKUS

The original Front Desk novel was an ACHUKA Book of the Day 25 Mar 2021.
https://www.achuka.co.uk/blog/front-desk-by-key-yang-ill-maike-plenzke/

Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.

Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.

Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they’ve been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.

Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?

It will take all of Mia’s courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?

See Mia and her friends brought to life in this graphic novel adaptation with art by Fumio Obata!

Follow Fumio Obata on Instagram:

Follow Kelly Yang there too:

Originally published at https://www.achuka.co.uk on November 6, 2026.

Front Desk: A Graphic Novel by Kelly Yang ill. Fumio Obata was originally published in ACHUKA on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Issue 15 of Jon Appleton’s marvellous zine about children’s books has just been released and contains a long profile of biographer and children’s author Ann Thwaite, now in her 90s. I was fascinated to discover that, for over twenty years she ran an independent children’s library at her home in Norfolk, The Book Room, open every Monday afternoon from 3pm to 6pm. Another detail that jumped out: Ann’s 1969 novel, The Camelthorn Papers, had a print run with Puffin of 30,000 copies.

Ken Hunt interviews Alan Garner after first discussing Neil Philip’s work. There’s an in-depth study of Food in Austrialian Picture Books by Robin Morrow. Julia Eccleshare, in a very enjoyable profile, recalls lunchtime meetings with Klaus Flugge in the 197os. “ The first time I met Klaus was in ’74. I went and had lunch with him on a pavement in Conway Street. I think he always sat outside when he could because he smoked powerful cigars that created a lot of fug.”

More memories of publishing in the 1970s come courtesy of Brenda Gardner, founder of Piccadilly Press: “I vividly remember the hot summer of 1976 [while working in a junior role at Puffin]. Halcyon days. We used to jump on the Tube and go for a swim in the open-air swimming pool at Highbury — a long way from Victoria, but we swore it was the closest one. Penguin had a very egalitarian ethos — some departments did not get in to work till well after ten, although Patrick ran a very tight ship so we were there at 9.30. Some people would go for lunch and come back at five, or not come back at all.”

This edition closes with a profile of Bernard Ashley, such an important children’s writer, very prolific and popular in the 198os and 1990s. Later this month Manderly Press is reissuing Break In The Sun with an introduction by Frank Cottrell Boyce. Look out for it as an ACHUKA Book of the Day one day soon.

Jon Appleton is performing a priceless task in helping to document one of the golden ages of children’s publishing. Long live the gab.

Originally published at https://www.achuka.co.uk on November 5, 2026.

The Gab Issue #15 November 2026 was originally published in ACHUKA on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

ACHUKA Book of the Day 5 Nov 2026

Publisher: Faber & Faber
ISBN: 9780571397976

Chris Mould has been such a busy illustrator of children’s books and ACHUKA has been an admirer of his work for a long time:

See:
Chris Mould’s War of the Worlds [ACHUKA Book of the Day 25 Oct 2024]
Pernickety Boo [ACHUKA Book of the Day 5 Sep 2024]
Isabelle And The Crooks [ACHUKA Book of the Day 12 Jan 2022]
The Vanishing Trick [ACHUKA Book of the Day 27 Apr 2020]

In this stunning full colour abridged illustrated edition of Charles Dickens’ classic, the story is brought to life for a younger readership with all the sparkle and pazzazz of a West End show.

‘Bah,’ said Scrooge, ‘Humbug.’

Old Ebenezer Scrooge is too mean to spend money on coals for the fire in his counting-house, where his clerk Bob Cratchit shivers in the winter cold. Declining an invitation to his nephew Fred’s Christmas party, and refusing to give money to charity, he is ready for his usual miserly Christmas in his cold, dingy apartment. But that night, the ghost of his dead partner Jacob Marley appears and tells him to expect a visit from three spirits over the next three nights…

Follow Chris Mould on Instagram:

Originally published at https://www.achuka.co.uk on November 5, 2026.

A Christmas Carol: The Illustrated Abridged Edition by Charles Dickens ill. Chris Mould was originally published in ACHUKA on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

ACHUKA Book of the Day 4 Nov 2026

Publisher: Prestel
ISBN: 9783791376851

See also:
The House On The Canal [ACHUKA Book of the Day 10 Jan 2025]
The Swing [ACHUKA Book of the Day 11 Dec 2023]
The House By The Lake [ACHUKA Book of the Day 22 Sep 2020]

What a pleasure to be treated to a new title from Britta Teckentrup.

One day, a yellow chair appears in a sunlit forest clearing — and nobody knows how it got there. Then another arrives, and another. As the clearing fills with creatures of every kind, a tender and joyful home takes shape, built on the simple pleasure of sharing a space with others.

But when exclusionary signs begin to appear overnight, that spirit is put to the test — and the animals must find the strength to reclaim what they have built together. With her characteristic layered textures, glowing forest light, and richly populated scenes that reward slow looking, Teckentrup transforms a deceptively simple setting into a fully realized world where each creature has a face, a feeling, and a place to call its own.

Funny, touching, and genuinely wise, with one particularly unforgettable scene involving a very large bear and a pair of woolly socks, The Chairs speaks directly to experiences children know from their own lives: the sting of being left out, the resolve it takes to stand up for others, and the joy of a community that welcomes all.

Follow Britta on Instagram:

Originally published at https://www.achuka.co.uk on November 4, 2026.

The Chairs: A Story About the Power of Community by Britta Teckentrup was originally published in ACHUKA on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

ACHUKA Book of the Day 3 Nov 2026

Publisher: Do Re Mi
ISBN: 9781917933100

This book about a doctor who has a cure for every patient is absolutely mad, but in the very best way. The in-your-face pop-art style illustrations are full of energy and humour and the words are printed in heavy bold black ink.

Yet another great title from new dog on the block, Do Re Mi.

Welcome to Paw Paw Vets in Wooftown, where Dr Dog’s waiting room is full of patients who need his help. Gary the Hippo has bumped his head, Wrinkles the Elephant has hurt her trunk singing, and now Mr Snakey bursts in with a VERY suspicious bulge in his tummy!

Luckily, Dr Dog is an expert. His doctor bag is filled with bandages, tools, and chew toys — everything a good dog doctor needs to save the day. But when Snakey’s X-ray is inconclusive, Dr Dog must dig deep for the most ingenious doggy solution to this medical problem!

Jiro Bevis’s bold, playful illustrations bring humour, heart, and energy to every page. This stylish and clever picture book for children aged 2–5 is perfect for read-aloud story time, fans of funny animals, and anyone who loves a little veterinary chaos.

Follow Jiro Bevis on Instagram:

If you’re into music you can also listen to his occasional radio station:
https://www.nts.live/shows/radio-jiro

Originally published at https://www.achuka.co.uk on November 3, 2026.

Dr Dog: Snakey’s Belly Ache by Jiro Bevis was originally published in ACHUKA on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.