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The Goldsmith And The Master Thief by Tonke Dragt

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f.p. 1961
tr. from Dutch by Laura Wilkinson

Laurenzo and Jiacomo are identical twins, as alike as two drops of water. No one can tell them apart (which comes in very handy for playing tricks on their teachers). And no one can split them up. But when tragedy strikes their carefree young lives, they must make their own way in the world. As each brother chooses his own path – hardworking Laurenzo to make beautiful objects from gold and silver, and fearless Jiacomo to travel, explore and become an unlikely thief – it is the start of a series of incredible escapades that will test them to their limits.

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Vivaldi by Helge Torvund and Mari Kanstad Johnsen tr. Jeanie Shaterian and Thilo Reinhard

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Originally published in Norwegian in 2012 (when it featured on Flavorwire’s 20 Most Beautiful Children’s Books Of All Time) and now available in translation in a beautifully produced edition from The New York Review Children’s Collection.

Not a story about the musician, despite the piano on the cover, but a sensitive and poetically told short story about a girl and her kitten.

It’s summer vacation and Tyra wants nothing more than to spend every minute in the company of her newly adopted kitten, named after her favourite composer. But when September rolls around it’s back to school and back to the bullies who make her fell speechless and small.

Highly recommended.

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Oscar Seeks A Friend by Pawel Pawlak tr. Antonia Lloyd-Jones

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translated from the Polish

“Oscar the skeleton is missing a tooth, and he’s cruelly self-conscious about his looks and prospects (‘It’s hard for a small, ugly skeleton to make friends’). A pigtail-wearing human girl who’s burying a tooth to help her dream come true offers it to Oscar if he’ll help her find a friend. She shows him the beautiful places in her world (‘She said she’d like to take her friend to a meadow and show them a rainbow’), and he reciprocates, bringing her to a dreamy flower-filled underworld of skeletons who ride velocipedes and browse library shelves. Pawlak’s paper collage characters fairly jump from the page, with expressive, engaging eyes and details worth returning to. Though the girl never indicates that Oscar is the friend she’s wished for, she promises to return, and Oscar gives the tooth back, having found that a new smile wasn’t needed for friendship or self-worth, after all.”
Publishers Weekly

Pawel Pawlak on Instagram: https:/instagram.com/ten.pawel.pawlak

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A Postcard To Ollis by Ingunn Thon ill. Nora Brech tr. Sian Mackie

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published 1 Nov 2019

ACHUKA Book of the Day, Mon 21 Oct 2019

Gripping and humorous debut novel from Norway about friendship and family.

Shortlisted for the Italian equivalent of the Carnegie Medal, the Premio Strega in 2018.

The author is also a scriptwriter and puppeteer.

The illustrator is from Oslo. Her book Jungle Machine is published by Gecko Press.
Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/norabrech/

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Lampie And The Children Of The Sea by Annet Schaap tr. Laura Watkinson

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ACHUKA Book of the Day Monday 2 Dec 2019

Every evening Lampie the lighthouse keeper’s daughter must light a lantern to warn ships away from the rocks. But one stormy night disaster strikes. The lantern goes out, a ship is wrecked and an adventure begins. In disgrace, Lampie is sent to work as a maid at the Admiral’s Black House, where rumour has it that a monster lurks in the tower. But what she finds there is stranger and more beautiful than any monster. Soon Lampie is drawn into a fairytale adventure in a world of mermaids and pirates, where she must fight with all her might for friendship, freedom and the right to be different.

The video includes the author reading from Lampie in the original Dutch:

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Dog Town by Luize Pastore ill Reinis Pastore trans Zanete Vevere Pasqualini

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Times Children’s Book of the Week 14 April 2018

“In this extraordinary Latvian novel for 7 to 11 year-olds, translated with great humour and style, Jacob, a boy with time on his hands, dreams of seeing the tall ships floating down the high street.”
Alex O’Connell

Author website: Luize Pastore

Translator: Zanete Vevere Pasqualini

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