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Illustrated Tales of Dwarfs, Gnomes and Fairy Folk ill. Daniela Drescher ed. Ineke Verschuren

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 14 Jan 2022

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Meet helpful dwarfs, mischievous gnomes and powerful fairy folk in this sumptuously illustrated storybook anthology of classic European folk tales.  Much-loved stories such as ‘Kate Crackernuts’, ‘Tom Tit Tot’ and ‘The Griffin’ take readers on a journey through Europe as they climb snowy mountains, delve deep underground and wonder at beautiful palaces.

This unique collection celebrates the rich folklore tradition of Europe, including dwarfs from Flanders, fairies from Scotland and gnomes from Austria, splendidly illustrated by Daniela Drescher, one of Germany’s best-loved illustrators. A treasure of a book.

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Jack and the Beanstalk: A Little Apple Classic by Gabhor Utomo (illustrator)

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 This compact hardcover is perfectly sized for little hands and big imaginations, and features beautiful, full-color illustrations that bring the story to life.

Also: Goldilocks And The Three Bears

Gabhor Utomo was born in Indonesia and moved to California in 1997 to pursue becoming an artist. Since receiving his degree from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2003, Utomo has worked as a freelance illustrator for a number of children’s books. Utomo’s work has won numerous awards and recognitions from local and national art organizations. His clients include Harley Davidson, Harper Collins, McGraw Hill Education, Abdo Publishing Company, and many more. Utomo lives with his wife and twin daughters in Portland, Oregon.

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The Little Prince by Louise Greig (after Antoine de Saint-Exupery) ill. Sarah Massini

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 13 Dec 2021
Times Children’s Book of the Week 4 Dec 2021

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Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s tender and magical classic fable, adapted for picture book readers for the very first time.

The characters of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic tale have captured the hearts of generations of readers. Meet the pilot stranded in the desert. Meet the Little Prince who tends his beautiful rose on a planet of his own. Follow him as he embarks on a strange and wonderful journey to puzzling new planets and finally to Earth, where he discovers the nature of love.

Adapted by award-winning poet Louise Greig, author of the Greenaway-medal-nominated Sweep and The Night Box, with enchanting new artwork from the critically acclaimed illustrator of The Velveteen Rabbit and Star in the Jar.

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Little Santa by Jon Agee

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“a classic in the making” BfK 5 Star review
“His red suit and his smile make little Santa stand out in his glum family, and this amusing story stands out in a similar way as a cheerful, original Christmas tale.” KIRKUS

A reissue.

Little Santa loves, loves, loves the North Pole. The rest of his family? Not so much. So, when they decide to move to Florida, Santa is miserable. Lucky for him, a blizzard foils their plans. The only way out of the house is up the chimney. Up goes Santa, to look for help, and along the way, he meets a reindeer and a large group of elves, who are more than eager to join in the rescue. (And you know the rest of the story!)

Arthur: The Always King by Kevin Crossley-Holland ill. Chris Riddell

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 23 Nov 2021
Times Children’s Book of the Week  20 Nov 2021

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“Crossley-Holland writes like a dream and has the knack of making these stories, which could have felt stuffy in less elegant hands, feel fresh and relevant, while Riddell’s stunning, colourful illustrations — showing handsome warriors, towering castes, fraying wizards, young lovers bring the myths fighting back to life.” The Times
“An absolute treasure of a book.” Chris Soul

A definitive retelling of the legends of King Arthur, from Carnegie Medal-winner Kevin Crossley-Holland and former Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell.

Be enthralled by the world of Arthurian legend in this lavishly illustrated, masterful retelling. From King Arthur’s childhood to his final battle, the timeless tales of the sword in the stone, the quests of the Knights of the Round Table and the wizardry of Merlin are woven together into a breathtaking feat of storytelling. An extraordinary collaboration between the world-renowned Kevin Crossley-Holland and the three-time Kate Greenaway Medal-winner Chris Riddell, this is a beautiful edition to be treasured by all ages.

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Sasha and the Wolf by Ann Jungman ill. Gaia Bordicchia

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A welcome reissue of stories about Sasha and Ferdy the wolf.

Long ago and far away, on the great snow-covered steppe of Russia . . . Sasha has always been taught that wolves are dangerous, but when he finds himself lost in the snow with Ferdy, a wolfcub, he discovers they are not so different. But how can he persuade his village that the wolves can be their friends? Sasha is excited about the railway coming to their village. But Ferdy is afraid that it will bring new people who do not know that the wolves and humans have learnt to live together. With winter coming, how will Ferdy’s pack survive if they have to hide away? Gaia Bordicchia’s gorgeous illustrations whisk readers away to a Russian winter long long ago . . .

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Medusa, The Girl Behind The Myth by Jessie Burton ill. Olivia Lomenech Gill

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 10 Nov 2021

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“Gill’s sublime full-page illustrations, [r]ich in texture and color… give the impression of a rediscovered ancient manuscript or mural. A smart reimagining of an ancient tale that questions old tropes.” KIRKUS

A dazzling, feminist retelling of Greek myth from Jessie Burton, the internationally bestselling author of The Miniaturist,  illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill.

Exiled to a far-flung island by the whims of the gods, Medusa has little company except the snakes that adorn her head instead of hair. But when a charmed, beautiful boy called Perseus arrives on the island, her lonely existence is disrupted with the force of a supernova, unleashing desire, love and betrayal…

Filled with glorious full-colour illustrations by award-winning Olivia Lomenech Gill.

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The Provensen Book of Fairy Tales by Alice & Martin Provensen

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 9 Nov 2021
Spectator Best Children’s Books 2021

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Back in print some half a century after it first appeared, thanks to the New York Review Children’s Collection.

Alice and Martin Provensen were one of the most talented husband-and-wife author-illustrator teams of the twentieth century. A long-out-of-print cult classic, The Provensen Book of Fairy Tales is a treasury of illustrated fairy tales from authors such as A. A. Milne, Hans Christian Andersen, and Oscar Wilde. Here too are clever retellings and newly imagined tales: refined old favourites like Arthur Rackham’s “Beauty and the Beast,” feminist revisions like Elinor Mordaunt’s “The Prince and the Goose Girl,” and sensitive stories by literary stylists like Henry Beston’s “The Lost Half-Hour” and Katharine Pyle’s “The Dreamer.”

Alice (1918-2018) and Martin Provensen (1916-1987) illustrated more than forty books together, nineteen of which they also wrote or edited. They were runners-up for the Caldecott Medal in 1982 for their illustrations of Nancy Willard’s A Visit To William Blake’s Inn and won the award outright two years later for The Glorious Flight, a book they wrote and illustrated themselves.

Alice Provensen obituary (NYT)
Martin Provensen obituary (NYT)

 

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore ill. P.J. Lynch

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 3 Nov 2021

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“For those who love the poem’s old-fashioned feeling, these illustrations perfectly match the magical, nostalgic tone of the text.” KIRKUS

The classic Christmas verse in a gorgeous gift book edition from one of ACHUKA’s favourite illustrators, P.J. Lynch.

P.J. Lynch brings his rich and atmospheric art to the well-loved Christmas verse. From the stockings hung by the chimney to the bundle of toys flung over St Nicholas’s back, children will love to pore over the detailed images inside.

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Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren ill. Lauren Child

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 21 Oct 2021

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A glorious flagship gift edition of a title first published in 2007, joining last year’s Pippi Longstocking Goes Aboard published to celebrate 75 years of Pippi.

Pippi Longstocking is nine years old. She has just moved into Villa Villekulla where she lives all by herself with a horse, a monkey, and a big suitcase full of gold coins. The grown-ups in the village try to make Pippi behave in ways that they think a little girl should, but Pippi has other ideas. She would much rather spend her days arranging wild, exciting adventures to enjoy with her neighbours, Tommy and Annika, or entertaining everyone she meets with her outrageous stories. Pippi thinks nothing of wrestling a circus strongman, dancing a polka with burglars, or tugging a bull’s tail. Generations of children have fallen in love with Pippi Longstocking. Just like Tommy and Annika, readers are instantly charmed by her warmth, strength and sense of fun.

A recent online interview with Tom Hodgkinson of The Idler:

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