ACHUKAblog

ACHUKAblog

You are here: Home / Archives for Illustrated

How To Be A Butterfly by Laura Knowles ill. Catell Ronca

By Leave a Comment

Serving as key indicators of biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, butterflies face threats of extinction due to climate change and habitat destruction – all vital subjects for children today.

With stunning illustrations displaying a colourful array of different butterfly species, each labeled with its scientific name, and fascinating details about their anatomy and life cycle, there is plenty for young nature lovers to spot and explore time and again.

Catell is a Swiss illustrator who graduated from the Royal College of Art in London.

Waterstones

Planet Fashion by Natasha Slee ill. Cynthia Kittler

By Leave a Comment

Travel through 25 scenes in fashion history, circling the globe with your two young stylish travel companions – one boy and one girl, dressed the part in every picture. Each lavishly illustrated scene captures the mood and style of a unique time and place, accompanied by a trove of fashion history facts.

Illustrator website: https://www.cynthiakittler.com

Cynthia Kittler is a German illustrator whose work has appeared in a vast range of publications including The New Yorker, The New York Times, Die Zeith and Der Spiegel.

A book equally at home in a school library, achild’s bedroom, a fashion student’s bookshelf or on anyone’s coffee table.

Waterstones

Cloud Forest by Victoria Turnbull

By Leave a Comment

A child’s grandfather (‘Umpa’) teaches them to read and to follow the words, out the garden gate and all the way to the sea. Every day is a new adventure. They visit castles in the air, feast with friends and sail away on the rains. But then one day, Umpa isn’t there…

A moving tale from author-illustrator Victoria Turnbull speaks of the power of books to bring people together, and to help us remember loved ones when they’re no longer with us.

Turnbull writes on her website: “I love stories. I have always loved stories. However, it was a long time before I could see myself as a storyteller. I was born in York, in the North of England. My childhood was spent drawing and making things. I got in to writing later in life, on a masters degree in Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. It was there I discovered picture books to be the most wonderful way in which to tell stories.”

In this Books for keeps feature she describes how she “combined my pencil drawings in Photoshop and printed them out onto watercolour paper. I used washes of pigment and linseed oil to build up colour before adding more detail in coloured pencil. I wanted this illustration to have a warm colour palette. My own childhood memories have a yellow colour cast like an old photograph. Yellow is the colour of summer; the colour of my grandfather’s favourite flowers; the colour of hope.”

Waterstones

Humperdink, Our Elephant Friend by Sean Taylor ill. Claire Alexander

By Leave a Comment

A delightful picture book with endearing artwork and a humorous story to engage young readers and help them gain an understanding about those different from themselves. This title helps children learn the key skill of playing with and accepting new friends, whatever their size, shape… or species! Exploring themes of empathy and imaginative play, this title is a must-have for young readers seeking to understand the world around them.

Illustrator website >>> http://www.clarealexander.com

Waterstones

Lula And The Sea Monster by Alex Latimer

By Leave a Comment

Lula lives in a house next to the beach with her family. When they must leave their home to make way for a highway, Lula is desperate to protect the beach and its wildlife, but how will a small girl like her be able to do it? A chance encounter with a magical creature changes everything . . . A beautiful picture book about the relationship between humans and nature, celebrating the power that children have and how they can make a difference.

Waterstones

There’s A Spider In My Soup by Megan Brewis

By Leave a Comment

Little Spider loves swinging from her web, in spite of the fact that Mum and Dad Spider warn her against it. But when swinging lands her in the soup, it’s an opportunity to make new friends and do something adventurous that the whole family can enjoy! A playful story featuring Megan Brewis’ distinctive voice and artwork with positive messages around breaking down all kinds of barriers (even if it does mean breaking the rules . . . and the web).
Megan Brewis website >>> https://megbrewis.com
 

Billy And The Dragon by Nadia Shireen

By Leave a Comment

Our fearless heroine Billy is back! Whilst at a fancy-dress party, something terrible happens: Billy’s loyal sidekick Fatcat is kidnapped by a fire-breathing dragon. Uh-oh!

“Shireen’s latest book confirms her as one of the brightest and best picture book creators working in Britain today.” The Observer

Waterstones

The Runaway Pea by Kjartan Poskitt ill. Alex Willmore

By Leave a Comment

This quirky caper from debut duo Kjartan Poskitt and Alex Willmore will show you just what can happen when you take your eye off your dinner for a second!

“Reminiscent of Clare Foges’s and Al Murphy’s vibrant and much-loved Kitchen Disco, kids will enjoy Willmore’s primary-coloured veggies with highly expressive faces and Poskitt’s lively rhyming verse…” 
The Observer

Waterstones

The Way To Treasure Island by Lizzy Stewart

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA loved There’s A Tiger In The Garden and this is every bit as good.
 
Matilda and her dad are very different. Matilda is fast and Dad is slow. Matilda is tidy and Dad is messy, and Matilda is quiet and Dad is very, very loud. They’re off to find treasure, but Dad keeps getting distracted. Soon, they’re lost and Matilda is getting crosser and crosser… Will they ever find the way to treasure island? This funny, adventure-packed story teaches children that even though people are different, they can still have fun together. By the author of the best-selling There’s a Tiger in the Garden andJuniper Jupiter.