ACHUKA Children's Books UK

children's & YA recommendations on the go

You are here: Home / Archives for Gift

Round and Round the Garden: A First Book of Nursery Rhymes by Shirley Hughes

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 4 Mar 2022

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

In honour of Shirley Hughes, whose death at the age of 94 was announced earlier this week, we select this  marvellous collection of nursery rhymes as the ACHUKA Book of the Day.

We have also established an obituaries listings page.

The Fairy Tellers: A Journey into the Secret History of Fairy Tales by Nicholas Jubber

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 18 Feb 2022

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

“Nicholas Jubber’s The Fairy Tellers is billed as “A Journey into the Secret History of Fairy Tales”. It focuses on half a dozen identifiable individuals who gave us most of the well-known stories. There’s the Neapolitan Gianbattista Basile, who wrote the first western European version of Cinderella in the early 17th century; Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, who wrote Beauty and the Beast in the mid-18th century; Hanna Dyab, the Syrian Maronite from Aleppo who brought Ali Baba and Aladdin to the attention of the French earlier that century; Dortchen Wild, who gave the Grimm brothers Rumpelstiltskin and Hansel and Gretel; Ivan Khudiakov in the 19th century with his story of Baba Yaga; the elusive, unfamiliar Indian storyteller Somadeva from the 11th century; and our old friend, Hans Christian Andersen.” The Times

In this far-ranging quest, award-winning author Nicholas Jubber unearths the lives of the dreamers who made our most beloved fairy tales: inventors, thieves, rebels and forgotten geniuses who gave us classic tales such as ‘Cinderella’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Baba Yaga’. From the Middle Ages to the birth of modern children’s literature, they include a German apothecary’s daughter, a Syrian youth running away from a career in the souk and a Russian dissident embroiled in a plot to kill the tsar.
Following these and other unlikely protagonists, we travel from the steaming cities of Italy and the Levant, under the dark branches of the Black Forest, deep into the tundra of Siberia and across the snowy fells of Lapland. In the process, we discover a fresh perspective on some of our most frequently told stories. Filled with adventure, tragedy and real-world magic, this bewitching book uncovers the stranger lives behind the strangest of tales.

Follow the author on Instagram:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Nick Jubber (@nickjubber)

The Original Bambi: The Story of a Life in the Forest by Felix Salten tr. and introduced by Jack Zipes ill. by Alenka Sottler

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 8 Feb 2022

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

“We hope this translation will lead a new generation of readers to discover Salten’s book. It’s certainly accessible to children, but adults are more likely to fully appreciate the book’s moving and carefully observed depictions of the natural world, the cycle of life and death, and the threat humans pose to animals.” Anne Savarese, publisher
“It is… firmly lodged in the boomer brain as a child’s tale, which is precisely why this new translation from Princeton University Press is so welcome. Because it turns out that “Bambi” is quite remarkable: a meditation on powerlessness and survival told with great economy and sophistication.” New York Times
“Zipes, a professor emeritus of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota, who has also translated the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, maintains in his introduction that Chambers [original translator]  got “Bambi” almost as wrong as Disney did. Which raises two questions: How exactly did a tale about the life of a fawn become so contentious, and what is it really about?” New Yorker

Most of us think we know the story of Bambi—but do we?

Listen to an interview with the translator, Jack Zipes:

This new, illustrated translation of a literary classic  presents the story as it was meant to be told. For decades, readers’ images of Bambi have been shaped by the 1942 Walt Disney film—an idealised look at a fawn who represents nature’s innocence—which was based on a 1928 English translation of a novel by the Austrian Jewish write,r Felix Salten. This  new translation gives contemporary readers a fresh perspective on a moving allegorical tale and provides important details about its creator.

Originally published in 1923, Salten’s story is more sombre than the adaptations that followed it. Life in the forest is dangerous and precarious, and Bambi learns important lessons about survival as he grows to become a strong, heroic stag. Jack Zipes’ introduction traces the history of the book’s reception and explores the tensions that Salten experienced in his own life as a hunter who also loved animals, and as an Austrian Jew who sought acceptance in Viennese society even as he faced persecution.

With captivating drawings by award-winning artist Alenka Sottler.

Follow the illustrator on Instagram:

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

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 14 Jan 2022

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

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.

Follow the illustrator on Instagram:

Treacle Walker by Alan Garner

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 14 Dec 2021

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

“This is a book about quantum physics as well as ancient lore. Garner has always suggested that there is essentially just one story, and this novel, published in his 87th year, contains all the exuberance and eccentricity, all the deep thought and resounding mythology of his best work.” Guardian
“Garner knots together a whole range of mythological and fairy-story motifs, and tropes from children’s stories – double vision, looking-glass worlds, wise fools, monsters that can’t cross a threshold unless invited in, obscurely understood magical objects – to create a small universe absolutely charged with meaning.” Telegraph

A stunning fusion of myth and folklore and an exploration of the fluidity of time, vivid storytelling that brilliantly illuminates an introspective young mind trying to make sense of everything around him.

‘Ragbone! Ragbone! Any rags! Pots for rags! Donkey stone!’

Joe looked up from his comic and lifted his eye patch. There was a white pony in the yard. It was harnessed to a cart, a flat cart, with a wooden chest on it. A man was sitting at a front corner of the cart, holding the reins. His face was creased. He wore a long coat and a floppy high-crowned hat, with hair straggling beneath, and a leather bag was slung from his shoulder across his hip.

Joe Coppock squints at the world with his lazy eye. He reads his comics, collects birds’ eggs and treasures his marbles, particularly his prized dobbers. When Treacle Walker appears off the Cheshire moor one day – a wanderer, a healer – an unlikely friendship is forged and the young boy is introduced to a world he could never have imagined.

Recommended short documentary (1973)

The History of the World in 100 Animals – Illustrated Edition by Simon Barnes ill. Frann Preston-Gannon

By Leave a Comment

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

An exquisite edition of The History of the World in 100 Animals by author and journalist Simon Barnes, adapted and abridged for younger readers, with superb illustrations by award-winning artist, Frann Preston-Gannon, illustrator of I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree.

This outstanding gift book proposes the 100 animals who have had the greatest impact on humans and the way we view the world around us. From the bees who pollinate our food to the chimpanzees who share over 98% of our DNA, this book explores the unique and thought-provoking relationship between humans and animals throughout history. This fact-filled guide is sure to inspire and delight animal lovers young and old, and will make the perfect gift this Christmas.

A History of the World in 25 Cities by Tracey Turner & Andrew Donkin ill. Libby VanderPloeg

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 3 Dec 2021

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

This is a highly liftable large-format hardback with a stunning neon cover, featuring 25 beautifully illustrated city maps from all over the world, from ancient history to the present day.

Produced in consultation with specialist curators at the British Museum, readers can visit cities from every inhabited continent on Earth, from the walled city of Jericho built over 10,000 years ago, to the modern-day metropolis of Tokyo, the most-densely populated city in the world today.

Featuring vibrant, beautifully detailed artwork from Libby VanderPloeg, each carefully researched map takes readers on a city tour at a unique moment in time – from exploring Athens in ancient Greece during the birth of democracy, to walking the beautiful lamplit streets of medieval Benin, deep in the West African rainforest. Readers can even visit China’s long-lost capital city of Xianyang – a city for which no original map exists, which was brought to life with support from the British Museum‘s fantastic team of experts.

Each map is followed by two gorgeously illustrated pages of fascinating information about what life was (or is) like for the inhabitants of each city, including a bite-sized look at each city in numbers. Packed with countless facts for curious readers to return to again and again, this is a perfect gift for children who want to explore history from around the world.

Cities featured include Jericho, Memphis, Athens, Xianyang, Rome, Constantinople, Baghdad, Jórvík, Benin City, Tenochtitlán, Granada, Beijing, Venice, Delhi, Cuzco, Amsterdam, Sydney, Paris, London, Bangkok, Saint Petersburg, New York City, Berlin, San Francisco and Tokyo, plus an exploration of Cities of Today and Cities of Tomorrow.

Just take a look inside!

Follow the illustrator on Instagram:

Rescuing Titanic: A true story of quiet bravery in the North Atlantic – Hidden Histories by Flora Delargy

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 24 Nov 2021

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

“An excellent information book with a good balance of general information and detail using varied layouts to convey information and tell the story in an accessible and interesting way.” BfK 5-star review
“The shelves of Titanic literature are full of mistakes made, drills missed, obligations unfulfilled. It’s a delight to add this warm and positive human document.” Yachting Monthly
“A tour de force” Guardian

Written and illustrated by debut Northern Irish artist Flora Delargy, whose grandfather and great grandfather both worked in the Belfast Shipyards where the Titanic was built.

This exquisitely illustrated story of quiet bravery tells in rich detail how the little ship Carpathia saved 705 passengers of the Titanic from the icy waters of the North Atlantic. With the approaching 110-year anniversary of the ship’s sinking, Rescuing Titanic and its story of the Carpathia offers a fresh perspective on the incident from an author-illustrator uniquely connected to the story. In the middle of the night, the Carpathia received a distress call from the sinking Titanic. The intrepid little ship heroically changed course and headed straight into the frozen sea to help save as many people as it could. Follow the Carpathia as it risks everything to navigate remote, treacherous ice fields in the dark and come to the rescue of passengers on the world-famous ocean liner. Along the journey, you will learn all about Morse code, navigation tools, the different roles of the crew, how the ships found each other, and by-the-minute details of exactly what happened on this cold and fateful night.

The illustrations set the scene and take the reader into the frozen eerie night in the North Atlantic. Beautiful full-bleed illustration and vignettes give great detail about how everyone on the ship made their own contribution and showed true bravery.

Follow Flora Delargy on Instagram:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Flora Delargy (@floramdel)

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

By Leave a Comment

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

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

“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
BfK 5-Star review

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.

Follow Chris Riddell on Instagram:

Nature’s Treasures: Tales Of More Than 100 Extraordinary Objects From Nature by Ben Hoare

By Leave a Comment

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

Dive into this collection of more than 100 intriguing items from the natural world and discover the stories behind them. Learn how bristly mouths help huge whales capture tiny animals, how minute scales make butterflies shine in the sunlight, and how studying a leaf skeleton can tell us how it transports food. A bird egg, a lump of coal, a cacao pod, a mermaid’s purse, a fossil, a pine cone, an owl pellet, and a chrysalis – all tell a story.

Arranged into four chapters – Animals; Plants, fungi, and algae; Minerals and rocks, and Made by Nature, objects are shown with truly stunning photography and colourful illustrations to help explain the science behind them. The lively descriptions by best-selling nature writer Ben Hoare explore the remarkable tales of each item and all are packed with fascinating information.

Nature’s Treasures takes you on a tour of our planet through commonplace-but-incredible objects made by nature itself. This book is for every inquisitive child who loves to spot things when exploring outside and wants to know more about the wonderful and mysterious natural world.