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Me and the World: An Infographic Exploration by Mireia Trius ill. Joana Casals

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 4 Dec 2020

Me and the World is a colourful, eye-popping universe of infographics about global communities.  This content-rich book teaches about other  cultures around the world, all while stepping back and really seeing the big picture.
Me and the World is the perfect introduction for a generation entering an increasingly digitized, data-driven world. It pairs visual literacy with data literacy, using colourful illustrations and infographics to present information in a way young readers will not only understand but enjoy.
Equal parts educational and entertaining, this makes a great pick for parents and grandparents, as well as librarians, science teachers, and educators.

Follow the illustrator on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanacasalspelegri/

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The Art of Ramona Quimby: Sixty-Five Years of Illustrations from Beverly Cleary’s Beloved Books by Anna Katz

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 3 Dec 2020

“The true pleasure of this retrospective is that it highlights key moments from the books, in chronological order, and compares the various illustrators’ ways of depicting them. We see the same sequence drawn in different eras (with different fashions and hairstyles); we see varying unscripted reactions on the characters’ faces, and a wide range of demeanors. We see situations from different angles and perspectives, with positive versus negative spins…” Jennifer Krauss NEW YORK TIMES

The Art of Ramona Quimby celebrates the artists behind Beverly Cleary’s inimitable Ramona Quimby series. The adventures of her iconic heroine have been brought to life by five different artists: Louis Darling, Alan Tiegreen, Joanne Scribner, Tracy Dockray, and Jacqueline Rogers.
Readers can compare multiple interpretations of iconic scenes (remember the infamous egg-cracking incident?), read letters between illustrators and Cleary, and learn the stories behind the illustrations.

The Art of Ramona Quimby explores the evolution of an iconic character, and how each artist has ultimately made her timeless. For fans of illustration and design, and for those who grew up alongside Ramona, this richly nostalgic volume reminds us why we fell in love with these books.

The most recent illustrator, Jacqueline Rogers, describes her style, in an afterword, as “sometimes scratchy,” with a variety of thick and thin lines, “loose and full of energy,” just like the incorrigible, irresistible Ramona.
Read this interview with the book’s compiler, Anna Katz.

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Apple: Skin To The Core by Eric Gansworth

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 2 Dec 2020

“Easily one of the best books to be published in 2020. The kind of book bound to save lives.”
John Freeman, LitHub

“This introspective memoir confirms by its very existence that, though the boarding schools tried to erase Indian culture, Native peoples “are still / here, / still standing, still walking, one resilient step at a time.” Back matter includes further information about the author’s poetry and art and explains musical connections.” HORN BOOK

The term “Apple” is a slur in Native communities across the country. It’s for someone supposedly “red on the outside, white on the inside.”

Eric Gansworth is telling his story in Apple (Skin to the Core). The story of his family, of Onondaga among Tuscaroras, of Native folks everywhere. From the horrible legacy of the government boarding schools to a boy watching his siblings leave and return and leave again, to a young man fighting to be an artist who balances multiple worlds.

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Exploring the Elements: A Complete Guide to the Periodic Table ill. Sara Gillingham written by Isabel Thomas

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 1 Dec 2020

“This comprehensive, deeply informative educational resource doubles as an arty coffee-table book, the kind science-minded readers and fact-finders love to pore over. Its design motif of bright neon-hued icons against a night-black background had me fantasizing that the illustrator, Sara Gillingham, had included in her palette rubidium, strontium and barium salts, which the author, Isabel Thomas, tells us are sometimes used in the creation of violet, red and green fireworks, respectively. The reverse side of the book’s jacket features an equally stunning periodic table that can be removed and tacked to a bulletin board or hung on a wall.” Jennifer Krauss NEW YORK TIMES

A graphically stunning, comprehensive introduction to the chemical elements that make up our universe for ages 8-14.

This artful and accessible guide to the periodic table – the ultimate reference tool for scientists worldwide – names all 118 chemical elements and helps young readers understand the remarkable ways we have learned to use them. Stunning layouts feature each element’s letter symbol and atomic number, exploring its attributes, characteristics, uses, and interesting stories behind its discovery. Complete with a comprehensive introduction, conclusion, and glossary, this is the perfect introduction to chemistry for inquisitive minds.

Wrapped in a double-sided jacket, with the illustrated periodic table printed on the underside, Exploring the Elements is jam-packed with 240 pages of information.

Follow Sara Gillingham on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saragillinghamstudio/

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Kay’s Anatomy: A Complete (and Completely Disgusting) Guide to the Human Body (Hardback) Adam Kay (author), Henry Paker (illustrator)

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 30 Nov 2020

The human body is extraordinary and fascinating and, well … pretty weird. Yours is weird, mine is weird, your maths teacher’s is even weirder.

This book is going to tell you what’s actually going on in there, and answer the really important questions, like: Are bogies safe to eat? And… How much of your life will you spend on the toilet? About a year – so take a good book. (I recommend this one.) So sit back, relax, put on some rubber gloves and let a doctor take you on a poo- and puke-filled tour of your insides. Welcome to Kay’s Anatomy.

Kay’s first book, This is Going to Hurt, based on diaries from his former career as a doctor, was published in 2017. Kay’s second  was Twas the Nightshift before Christmas.

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Owl and the Lost Boy by Amy Wilson

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Return to the world of Amy Wilson’s A Girl Called Owl in this sparkling seasonal novel Owl and the Lost Boy, from ‘the rising star of children’s fantasy’.

Being stuck in an eternal summer is not fun. Especially when you’re Jack Frost’s daughter. Owl’s friend Alberic – who also happens to be the Earl of Autumn’s son – is missing. Determined to find him and end the perpetual summer, Owl and her best friend Mallory embark on an adventure that will take them deep into the magical world of time itself. But Alberic’s disappearance is shrouded in secret, and there’s more going on than meets the eye. As an epic battle of the elements approaches, will Owl and Alberic be able to control their magic and restore the natural world?

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Too Much Stuff by Emily Gravett

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 27 Nov 2020

Hilarious picture book about expectant magpie parents and the dangers of having too many things!

From the creator of modern classic Meerkat Mail comes a very funny woodland story showing the dangers of having too much stuff. Too Much Stuff is set in the same forest as Gravett’s award-winning Tidy, it features a host of gorgeous woodland animals, including Pete the badger.

Meg and Ash are a pair of magpies who are building a nest for their perfect eggs. Although they begin their nest construction using the usual mud, sticks and grass, Meg and Ash are soon convinced that their nest doesn’t have enough stuff and begin to collect more things to add to an ever-growing pile. From cuckoo clocks to mops and socks, a pram and even a car – their need for stuff seems endless. Until – crash! – the inevitable happens.

Follow Emily Gravett on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emily_gravett/

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Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever by Matt Tavares

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“Gorgeous illustrations make this one sure to fly off shelves” KIRKUS

Now in paperback…
Discover the magical story of Dasher, Santa’s very first reindeer, in a Christmas gift-book to treasure year after year.

Dasher is a little doe with a wish in her heart. She spends her days with her family under the hot sun in a travelling circus, but she longs for a different life – one where there is snow beneath her hooves and the North Star above her head. One day, when the opportunity arises, Dasher seizes her destiny and takes off in pursuit of the life she wants to live. It’s not long before she meets a nice man in a red suit with a horse-drawn sleigh, a man named Santa. And soon, with the help of a powerful Christmas wish, nothing will be the same…
Matt Tavares’ beautifully illustrated and evocatively told story bristles with all the magic of the festive season.

Follow Matt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tavaresbooks/

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The Queen, the Princes and the Mermaid: Hans Christian Andersen’s Most Enchanting Tales ill. Lucie Arnoux (illustrator) tr. Misha Hoekstra

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 26 Nov 2020

A girl journeys across unknown lands to rescue her friend from the clutches of The Snow Queen, who has imprisoned his heart in ice. A sister struggles to break the spell that has turned her ten princely brothers into swans. A mermaid decides to leave her underwater world behind for love. These renowned fairy tales, brimming with imaginative richness, are some of the most magical and inspiring ever written. Contains: ‘The Snow Queen’, ‘The Wild Swans’, ‘The Nightingale’, ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘The True-Hearted Tin Soldier’.

Lucie Arnoux, the illustrator, left her native South of France in 2011 to sketch around in London. She graduated from Kingston University in Illustration and Animation in 2013, and has since been working for a variety of clients.
Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciedrawsthings/

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