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Max and the Haircut by Samareh Azadi

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 14 May 2026

Publisher: Otter-Barry Books
ISBN: 9781915659798

Highly engaging picture book debut from Iranian born illustrator with a masters in Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art. She says, “I love printmaking! Most of my works are created using drypoints and mono-prints techniques and finished digitally with Photoshop and Procreate.”

Max is going for a haircut – but Wendy’s Hairdressing Salon is too bright and noisy.

He doesn’t like the cold water spray, the too-tight cloth round his shoulders or the spiky hair clips.

It’s all just too much for Max and he shouts, “STOP!”

But Wendy has a wonderful idea. Maybe a cat, a soft cushion and some bubbles could make a haircut fun after all?

This beautiful, sensitively told story is perfect for any child anxious about having their hair cut.

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A post shared by Samareh Azadi (@samareh.azadi)

It’s Swing Time by Abi Bi

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 13 May 2026

Publisher: Frances Lincoln / Quarto Publishing 
ISBN: 9781836008736

Playful, vertical, free-flowing fun! ACHUKA looks forward to many more picture books from this exciting talent. I recommend taking a look at her website:
https://www.abibiart.net/

Join Ladybird on a joyful journey through every kind of swing imaginable in this playful picture book, brought to life with a unique, interactive reading format! 
 
What kind of swing is it, Ladybird? Is it a friendship swing? A family swing? One that comes with a big hug or a sweet‑smelling flower? 
 
Follow Ladybird as she tries out all sorts of swings and meets lots of friends along the way. There’s a friendship swing, a rainbow swing, a swing that dips deep underwater and another that soars high into the sky. There’s even a sleepy swing that invites dreamy yawns . . . and one that proves to be just a little bit risky. 
 
Designed in a dynamic vertical format that mirrors the motion of swinging, this book encourages young readers to turn, tilt and explore the page in surprising ways. And at the end, a special gatefold swings open to reveal the most exciting discovery of all: a swing where everyone is welcome. 

Abi Bi was the winner of the Macmillan Prize for Illustration 2024. One of the judges commented, “Abi Bi’s watercolour art is expressive and joyful, and her images are so engaging that it almost disguises the huge amount of skill and artistry that goes into her book. Each scene is rendered in flowing lines and elegant brush work, and every page depicts a simple theme, but takes it in a different direction at each page turn, revealing a surprise that makes you chuckle every time. Her art has universal appeal and is perfect for children and the adults who read to them.”

This is her first UK picture book. She is based in Cambridge.

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A post shared by Xinyi Bi (Abi) (@abi.bi.art)

Fresh by Rhiannon Oliver ill. Chris Riddell

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 23 Apr 2026

Publisher: Firefly Press Ltd
ISBN: 9781917718226

A debut collection from a poet whose name is new to ACHUKA (and should not have been). We like what we find.

Inspired by everything from cloud-gazing to cat fleas, FRESH explores starting over, nature, expressing your feelings and kindness. There  poems also touch on subjects such as shifting friendships, sadness and coping with worry.

With gorgeous illustrations from former Children’s Laureate, Chris Riddell…

Rhiannon Oliver is a poet, actress, workshop facilitator, and early years story-time leader based in Cardiff. She trained as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and has worked in theatres such as The National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, and National Theatre of Wales.  

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A post shared by Rhiannon Oliver (@rhiannonoliverwords)

Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet

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Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN: 9780702343445

“[Bernet] does a masterful job of preserving the distinct personalities and ambitions of the classic characters, transporting them to a contemporary setting and making them fresh and relevant for today’s readers. Even teens who don’t know Little Women will be engaged by this fast-paced and suspense-filled page turner. A thrilling take on a beloved story that will keep readers riveted.” KIRKUS

A YA debut in which the March sisters find themselves suspected of murder when Beth is found dead at a New Year’s Eve party.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Beth March has been murdered, and all her sisters are suspects… But the March girls aren’t the only ones with a story to tell.

After a New Years Eve party, Beth is found dead.

All the March sisters see Beth’s body and wonder how – and who – could have killed their sweet little sister. And what was their motive?

The March sisters have always been close, but will Beth’s murder bring them closer together, or further apart? As each of the girls’ motives are uncovered, the March sisters might not be quite as sweet as they seem…

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The Monsters at the End of the World by Rebecca Orwin ill. Oriol Vidal

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ACHUKA Book lot the Day 14 Jan 2025

Publisher: Penguin Random House Children’s UK
ISBN: 9780241701782

A notable debut about friendship, trust and survival.

All her life, Sunny has known three things about the creatures that prowl the seas off her tiny coastal town. They are dangerous. They are violent. They are monsters.

But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected connection, Sunny discovers just how wrong she has been. The monster she meets – Mo – is intelligent, gentle, and searching for his lost brother.

Sunny desperately wants to help, and to keep her new friend a secret. But other people are keeping secrets too. And as hunger grips the town, new truths will emerge about the real monsters in Seawaren . . .

“Post-apocalypses and dystopias are generally hopeless, past the point of no return. For children’s books you want there to be some hope, a spark that suggests that everything could be ok. Maybe it’s a lot of work, maybe it will take a long time but that hope needs to be there.”
The author, speaking to the Bookseller.

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A post shared by Rebecca Orwin (@rebeccaorwin_writer)

You can follow the illustrator there too:

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Oriol Vidal (@oriol__vidal)

Wolf in the City by Rachel Tilda Wolf

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 10 Dec 2025

Waterstones
Bookshop

“Wolf is a real character. Following her trail gives us a real sense of old Italian cities, the warm browns, greens and pinks of Rachel Tilda Wolf’s illustrations placing us right in the sunshine. There’s a lesson to learn about valuing what you know and have over what you think is on the other side of fence too. This is Rachel Tilda Wolf’s debut and she’s an illustrator to watch.” BfK
“Sweetly satisfying reminder that there truly is no place like home.” KIRKUS

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A notable picture book debut published back in the Spring that slipped past ACHUKA’s attention at the time.

Wolf lived on a plinth in a tired old square on the edge of a vast and magnificent city. Taken for granted and pooped on by Pigeon, she longs to be admired and to find her place amongst the famous statues in the City Centre. One day she sets off on the bus to do just that, but she discovers that the city statues are mean and selfish. Wolf soon realises that she misses home, and heads back to her old square only to find that her friends there have missed her just as much. 

With warmth and humour, this delight of a debut picture book by author and illustrator Rachel Tilda Wolf explores the need to be appreciated and the importance of finding ‘home’.

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A post shared by Rachel Matilda Wolf (@racheltildawolf)

Mandy Is Still A Banana by Zoe Arena ill. Amy Evans

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 15 Oct 2025

Waterstones
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The text for this picture book  won the Little Tiger Press & I Am In Print Picture Book Competition. It is the author’s first children’s book.

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A post shared by Zoe Arena (@zoe_arena_writer)

Mandy is a banana. A yellow, bendy, half-moon-shaped banana.

The problem is, Mandy doesn’t want to be a banana. She would rather be a prickly pineapple like Pedro, a round watermelon like Wilhelmina, or – frankly – ANYTHING other than a banana.

It takes a plucky little blueberry called Blip to help Mandy focus on her ‘haves’ rather than her ‘have-nots’ and to celebrate what makes her so unique, so bendy, so brilliant and so absolutely, utterly . . . BANANA!

A quirky celebration of learning to love the skin you’re in, featuring an all-star cast of fruit-bowl friends.

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A post shared by Amy Louise Evans Illustration (@amyevansillustration)

Difficult Girls by Veronica Bane

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 29 Jul 2025

Waterstones
Bookshop

“An engaging, plot-driven debut with a heart.” KIRKUS

A teen girl’s attempt at social reinvention takes a deadly turn when a co-worker disappears and she learns she may have been the last person to see the missing girl. A razor-sharp, murderously funny thriller debut.

After the incident last year, Greta Riley Green is looking for reinvention, a fresh start, a chance to run away from the many secrets she’s suddenly hiding. A job at Hyper Kid Magic Land, the local amusement park, seems like the perfect way to forge a new path . . . no matter what it takes.

When fate pulls Greta into the orbit of Mercy Goodwin, star of the park’s most popular show, it feels like things are looking up. Beautiful and confident, Mercy dazzles audiences daily. And at the first party of the summer, she picks Greta to confide in. Mercy has a secret to share, if Greta will just meet her the next day. It’s a sign that Greta’s truly fitting in.

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The Girl with Gills by Becca Rogers

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 11 Jul 2025

Waterstones
Bookshop

An original, middle grade fantasy debut awash with adventure. A determined heroine and a sinister villain clash to reveal river lore in a watery world of fantastical creatures and colossal challenges.

They have houseboats along the river. Concealing their gills from land lubbers, they scour the mudbanks, trade their finds and live off their wits. Thirteen-year-old Effra has been supporting her brother, Fleet, alone since their beloved grandfather died six months ago.

When merciless Rivermun, a larker gone bad, threatens Fleet, Effra’s quests begins. Rivermun asks for the impossible – he wants to overpower Mother River, to possess the river serpent’s pearl and for age-old debts to be settled. Effra must bargain with the imposing Mother River, dive into the underwater parts of the city, venture deep into the Rat Queen’s lair and confront the terrible river serpent to save not only Fleet, but everything the Larkers stand for. Luckily, she is not alone. She befriends a sentient sewer rat and a landlubber girl called Bow, who will help her in her quest.

This is a very good, thrilling debut, with well-realised characters. Rogers’ writing is at its best when action-driven.

Driven by the rats, she reached the sewer. She burst out of the water, knees scraping across a cold, brick floor. The stench in the air – damp fur and rat urine – caught in her throat. Her eyes stung and her stomach retched. The rats slipped and squirmed across each other as they too reached the sewer floor.

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Other children’s books that feature mud larking include Katya Balen’s The Thames And Tide Club series and, more recently, Hidden Treasure by Jessie Burton. 

The History of Everything: A Graphic Novel by Victoria Evans

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 30 Apr 2025

Waterstones
Bookshop

“A solid debut from a thoughtful creator.” KIRKUS
“Daisy is particularly fortunate to have patient, steady, and kind Agnes on her side. Character sketches and unused cover designs provide a bit of behind-the-scenes flair for curious readers.” Muse
“If you’ve ever had a friend move away or even a fight with a friend, this book will feel so real to you. It’s basically about two friends doing their best to stay connected while finding themselves in the process. It’s a whole vibe. I love the overall concept of their journal, too. It’s such a cute idea, especially since it includes things to do in the future. While that is the foundation for this story, it is far from the whole of it. There’s family drama, moving drama (duh), boyfriend drama, you name it.” QuirkyCatsComics

There is so much personality in The History of Everything. It’s easy to enjoy the characters and their stories here, as they feel so human and alive. Their adventures may not be grand, but they are relatable.

A graphic novel debut.

Best friends Agnes and Daisy must learn to say goodbye in this coming-of-age YA graphic novel perfect for fans of Booksmart and Pumpkinheads from debut creator Victoria Evans.

Daisy and Agnes have always had each other.

And that’s all they’ve ever needed—or wanted, at least. So when Agnes’s mom drops the bombshell that she and Agnes are moving at the end of the summer, the girls are crushed.

All seems lost until the pair unearth “The History of Everything,” an old friendship scrapbook with the ultimate bucket list to make their last summer together unforgettable. But when Daisy starts dating a charming drummer, her social calendar suddenly has less room for her best friend. Insecurities bubble to the surface, and Daisy and Agnes begin to question if their friendship is meant to last the summer, much less forever.

In this tender graphic novel debut, Victoria Evans delves into the heart of a best friendship and explores what it means to grow up without growing apart.

Canada-based Victoria Evans works full-time as a comic artist & freelance character designer. Her previous clients include Netflix Animation, Warner Bros. Animation, Nickelodeon, Mercury Filmworks, Jamfilled Entertainment, Wildbrain, First Generation Films & more. You can follow her on

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Victoria Evans (@evansvictoria)

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