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You are here: Home / Archives for NonFiction

The Great Barrier Reef by Helen Scales ill. Lisk Feng

April 15, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 16 Apr 2021

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A captivating illustrated introduction to The Great Barrier Reef from Flying Eye, written by renowned Oceanographer and author, Helen Scales and illustrated by up-and-comer Lisk Feng. This is perfect for intrepid young snorkelers or children curious about the world under the sea. With nearly 400,000 square kilometres of dazzling colour, intricate ecosystems and unique creatures large and small, The Great Barrier Reef is one of the great natural wonders of our world. Vibrant, dynamic illustrations illuminate this enchanting place, its animal inhabitants, and the people who have embraced it as a centrepiece of their cultures. Learn all about how the reef came to be, its place in the world, and perhaps most importantly, what we can all do to help ensure that The Great Barrier Reef will be around for countless future generations to discover!

Follow Link Feng, a New York based illustrator, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liskfeng/

Flip through some example pages and see the stunning spreads:

 

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A post shared by Lisk Feng (@liskfeng)

Filed Under: Blog, BookOfTheDay, Books, NonFiction

Swordswoman!: The Queen of Jhansi in the Indian Uprising of 1857 – True Adventures by Devika Rangachari ill. America Pinelli

April 15, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

BookTust Book of the Day 15 Apr 2021

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“In this compelling and revealing adventure story, real characters, events and historical fact are woven into a page-turning tale of courage in the face of cruelty and injustice. Expert storytelling means this extraordinary tale will appeal to a wide range of readers and will linger with them long after the last page.” BookTrust

Queen Lakshmibai of of Jhansi was an unconventional queen. She could read and write; she rode a horse and wielded a sword; she trained other women to ride and fight alongside her. When the East India Trading Company, who ruled India in the 19th century, demanded that she hand over control of Jhansi, she refused. And when an uprising began to stir in 1857, and the British laid siege to her fortress, the warrior queen tied her infant son to her back, mounted her favourite horse, and escaped to raise an army. This is the story of a woman who defied all conventions to become an icon of resistance in colonial-era India

Filed Under: NonFiction Tagged With: adventure, biography, history, India

Drawn Across Borders: True Stories of Migration by George Butler

April 12, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 12 Apr 2021

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“George’s work gets to the essence of war and the experiences of the human beings caught up in it.” Jeremy Bowen

“The Paul Nash of our era.” Michael Morpurgo

“While photography is good in what it can reveal; drawing has that ability to have a considered approach of a different kind – simply because it is less instant and more reflective. Stories emerge from such drawings. George Butler is keeping reportage drawing alive.”   John Vernon Lord

“It is an unusual feeling to walk into a place that everyone is leaving. I have been stared at as if I am lost or mad, and sometimes I have felt as if I am both. However, by resisting the temptation to turn around and walk away I have made these drawings. I made them in refugee camps, war zones and on the move, and as I drew, people told me their stories.” George Butler

In striking and intimate illustrations, award-winning artist George Butler introduces us to the people behind the headlines. Drawings made on front lines, in refugee camps and on the move vividly capture stories of leaving home, travelling into the unknown and trying to make a new life. These powerful portraits of migration are a timely reminder of the humanity we all share and our universal need to seek safety and a better life.

While the illustrations themselves are at the heart of the book, I also want to praise Butler for the quality of his commentary. Older children and teenagers will surely appreciate the direct and unpatronising tone of his writing.

This is a very special publication. It is selected as ACHUKA Book of the Day on the day the UK’s bookshops re-open their doors after the long winter lockdown. Please look out for it.

Any young person inspired to take up location sketching may find the following title in the Urban Sketching series helpful:
The Urban Sketching Handbook Techniques for Beginners: How to Build a Practice for Sketching on Location – Urban Sketching Handbooks 11 by Suhita Shirodkar

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Filed Under: Blog, BookOfTheDay, Books, Illustrated, NonFiction, YA Tagged With: drawing, illustration, location, migration, pen and ink, war

Science and Me: Inspired by the Discoveries of Nobel Prize Laureates in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine by Ali Winter ill. Mickael El Fathi

April 7, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

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“Winter and El Fathi give a satisfying flavor of the work that guided scientific and moral compasses, while highlighting aspects of the scientists’ personal histories.” New York Times
“Rich material for readers seeking scientific role models who made differences both in and beyond the lab” KIRKUS

Discover some of the inspirational men and women who have received Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine from 1901 to the present day, among them Marie Curie, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin and Donna Strickland. A glimpse into the often surprising lives and sometimes accidental discoveries of a group of extraordinary scientists, this fascinating collection shows that the science you learn at school really can change the world.

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

Filed Under: Illustrated, NonFiction

The Queen’s Wardrobe: The Story of Queen Elizabeth II and Her Clothes by Julia Golding ill. Kate Hindley

April 1, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

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Written by the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-winning Julia Golding, The Queen’s Wardrobe is packed with fascinating stories and astounding facts about our record-breaking Queen. The detailed, humorous and colourful artwork from bestselling Kate Hindley shows what it’s really like to grow up as a princess. The story of the life of Queen Elizabeth II, told through her clothes and jewellery – and a gorgeous gift to treasure. A big beautiful book to celebrate the Queen’s 95th birthday in style!

Did you know the Queen’s crown weighs as much as a bag of potatoes? Or that she has her own tartan nobody else is allowed to wear?

Filed Under: Gift, Illustrated, NonFiction Tagged With: clothes, costume, design, fashion

The Book of Tiny Creatures by Nathalie Tordjman ill. Julien Norwood & Emmanuelle Tchoukriel

March 26, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

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In the air, on the ground, and in the water, incredible tiny creatures are all around us! They may be small, but they live remarkable lives. This wonderfully illustrated book introduces young readers to spiders, butterflies, worms, snails, and even the world’s heaviest insect, the Little Barrier Island giant weta. Filled with fun facts, children also learn through interactive quizzes, detailed seek-and-find scenes, and hands-on activities, like how to make a snail terrarium.

Nathalie Tordjman is a Paris-based journalist specializing in nature and the environment. She is the author of more than forty books and writes for numerous publications.
Julien Norwood is a French author and illustrator educated at the Museum of Natural History in Paris.
Emmanuelle Tchoukriel is a French illustrator who trained in medical and scientific illustration at the Estienne School in Paris.

Follow Emmanuelle Tchoukriel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manutchouk/

Filed Under: Illustrated, NonFiction Tagged With: creatures, insects, life, nature, small, spiders

Chickenology: The Ultimate Encyclopedia by Barbara Sandri & Francesco Giubbilini ill. Camilla Pintonato

March 25, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 26 Mar 2021

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“Beginning with advice for young readers on how to differentiate between (adult) hens and roosters and identify different types and colorations and feathers and a survey of the inner and outer anatomy of a chicken, the book is a cheerful, if not scientific, overview for curious kids.” KIRKUS

Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens! This beloved barnyard bird is full of surprises. Did you know some chickens are so small they can perch in the palm of your hand, and others have feathers that look like a beard? Chickens can learn to count up to four and have excellent hearing-many even like to listen to music!

Originating from Italy, this book takes young readers (and grown-ups) on a fascinating and informative tour of chickens. Discover the incredible variety of chickens with different origins, breeds, and feather patterns, delve into chicken anatomy and evolution, and even learn the basics of chicken care. With a playful tone and irresistibly charming illustrations by rising star Camilla Pintonato, this lively visual encyclopedia presents chickens in all of their feathered glory.

Follow the Venice-based illustrator on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camilla_pintonato/

Look out for the forthcoming Pigology from the same publisher, Princeton Architectural Press.

Filed Under: Blog, BookOfTheDay, Books, Gift, Illustrated, NonFiction Tagged With: chickens, eggs, hens

Brilliant Ideas From Wonderful Women: 15 incredible inventions from inspiring women! by Aitziber Lopez ill. Luciano Lozano

March 24, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

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Car heaters… Monopoly… Disposable diapers… The dishwasher… Kevlar… Maritime flares… Anti-reflective glass… Wifi… Syringes… Submarine periscopes… Diagnostic tests… Lifeboats… Windshield wipers… Ebooks… What do each of these revolutionary inventions have in common? They were all pioneered by women!

Each brilliant idea is presented with biographical information about the brilliant woman who came up with it, including what inspired them. Learn how Martha Coston disguised herself as a man to contact pyrotechnicians and convince them to manufacture her idea for maritime flares, how a New York tram ride on a wet winter’s day led Mary Anderson to invent the windshield wiper and why Letitia Mumford Geer’s one-hand operated syringe was a medical breakthrough, among other fascinating facts. Full-page illustrations show the inspiration for and use of these incredible inventions in humorous detail.

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



Filed Under: Illustrated, NonFiction

The Stuff Between the Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe by Sandra Nickel ill. Aimee Sicuro

March 20, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the day 22 Mar 2021

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“Several Rubin quotes are included, and a lovely Rubin epigraph concludes the book. Numerous delicate illustrations aptly feature dark blue, star-spangled, galactic backgrounds.” KIRKUS
“Whether representing Rubin’s thoughts or a winter snowstorm, striking watercolors repeat concentric circles and curves, suggesting images of swirling galaxies, the very subject that prompts Rubin’s work. Sicuro solves the problem of depicting dark matter by gloriously representing it as if seen through a spectrometer, like “glitter caught in an invisible halo.” Appended with an author’s note, documentation of direct quotes, a timeline of Rubin’s life, and a bibliography.” Horn Book

A  biographical picture book telling the story of a female astronomer who made huge discoveries about the mysteries of the night sky and changed the way we look at the universe.

Vera Rubin was one of the astronomers who discovered and named dark matter, the thing that keeps the universe hanging together. Throughout her career she was never taken seriously as a scientist because she was one of the only female astronomers at that time, but she didn’t let that stop her. She made groundbreaking and incredibly significant discoveries that scientists have only recently been able to really appreciate-and she changed the way that we look at the universe. A stunning portrait of a little-known trailblazer, the picture book tells Vera’s story and inspires the youngest readers who are just starting to look up at the stars.

 

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A post shared by Aimee Sicuro (@aimeesicuro)

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

Filed Under: BookOfTheDay, Illustrated, NonFiction Tagged With: astronomy, biography, physics, science

Veggie Power illustrated by Olaf Hajek text by Annette Roeder

March 18, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 19 Mar 2021

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“Part information book, part art book, Veggie Power does to the mind and the eyes what spinach does to Popeye’s muscles.” BfK 5 STAR review

As more and more families focus on local and organic eating, this delightful introduction to common vegetables offers a delectable serving of uncommonly beautiful illustrations and fascinating information.  Olaf Hajek’s imaginative and detailed portraits are paired with engaging and eye-opening texts. The book shows how each vegetable appears in its natural soil habitat, and how it might be eaten today. Health benefits, historical tidbits, and botanical oddities are seamlessly woven into each spread. From the first spring onion, to pumpkins harvested just before the frost, this inviting journey through the growing season celebrates the artistic, historical, and culinary bounty that awaits us in the garden and at the table.

sample page

Follow Olaf hajek on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olafhajek/

Appreciate more work by this artist:

Filed Under: Blog, BookOfTheDay, Books, Illustrated, NonFiction

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