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Home Alone by Barbara Nascimbeni

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 20 Jul 2021

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“Rendered in uncluttered lines and simple shapes on off-white pages, the illustrations are notable for their effective use of negative space and clever overall design that projects action and ambiance with minimal clutter. Frido is drawn in simple lines and a uniform tan/yellow wash but nevertheless conveys a truly impressive variety of expressions and poses… A grand match of dry humor and sweet illustrative delivery.” KIRKUS
“Pleasingly whimsical.” FT

When Frido the dog is left at home by himself, he feigns loneliness just long enough to get his owner out the door – and then the fun begins. After scootering down the hallway and somersaulting on the bed, Frido embarks on a strict agenda of all his favourite things: dressing up, chatting online, yoga, and disco-dancing with friends. But the day goes by too quickly! Can he cover his tracks in time?

Follow Barbara Nascimbeni on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbara.nascimbeni/

sample spread

The Cooking Club Detectives by Ewa Jozefkowicz

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“A beautifully observed story about the power of food and friendship” The Bookseller
“Tackling food poverty and online bullying head on, and featuring a puppy called Sausage (I can’t even speak for the genius of it all), I dare to defy anyone who will not instantly fall in love with Erin and her fellow detective buddies.” Onjali Q. Rauf

Meet Erin, her puppy Sausage and friends as they swap recipes and pots for clues and culprits and try to solve the mystery of why their cookery club is closing and save it for everyone. The fourth middle-grade book from Waterstones-shortlisted author Ewa Jozefkowicz about family, friendship and self-discovery, touching on themes of food poverty and online bullying.

Skipton House Community Centre may look ramshackle, but it is soon at the heart of Erin’s life – especially the cooking club. When the building is suddenly threatened with closure, Erin and her new friends, Tanya, Frixos, and Sam, form The Cooking Club Detectives. Can they, and their four-legged assistant, Sausage, uncover who the mystery culprit is and save Skipton?

A beautifully observed 9+ story about the power of food and the importance of community.

Listen to the author speak about her debut [2019] novel, The Mystery Of The Colour Thief

 

Toasty by Sarah Hwang

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 20 May 2021

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“Readers will root for this doughy hero.” KIRKUS”
“Newcomer Hwang’s quirky plot has the meandering joy of a small child’s storytelling logic, while acrylic paint, colored-pencil, and digital pictures give the triumphant Toasty a sketchbook immediacy as he engages in doggy doings.” Publishers Weekly

Toasty is a piece of bread desperately longing to be a dog.
He sees dogs running outside his window and doing stuff like catching Frisbees. world.
If only he could do things like that too!
But Toasty is practical. He knows that toast is different from dogs.

Follow Sarah Hwang on Instagram:

 

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Sarah Hwang was born in South Korea and moved to the U.S at the age of six.  She was inspired to become a picture book writer and illustrator after reading books that gave her comfort and made her laugh during her childhood. She studied illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Arts.

Penny and the Little Lost Puppy by Emily Sutton

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Times Children’s Book of the Week 10 Apr 2021

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“A touching story that unpacks the pain of moving house for children.” The Times

Emily Sutton’s author-illustrator debut (she is already a well-known illustrator of other people’s books)  features one adorable little dog!
Moving home can feel a bit lonely, so Penny can’t believe her luck when she finds a new friend right in her garden: a puppy who wants to play all day long! But the next morning, Penny’s playmate is nowhere to be seen … wherever can she have gone? To find out, Penny and Dad will have to get to know their new town a little better. Here is a story about making friends and finding ways to belong, matching a gentle text with spectacular, detailed artwork.

Saving Hanno: A Refugee Boy and His Dog by Miriam Halahmy ill. Karin Littlewood

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 23 Mar 2021

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Inspired by the real events of the Kindertransport and the refugee children who came to Britain just before war was declared. [First published in US, 2019]

Rudi is nine. His own country is no longer safe for Jewish children and he is being sent from Germany to England on the Kindertransport train. But he can’t take his beloved little dog, Hanno. By a lucky chance Hanno is smuggled into England and helps Rudi to cope with life in a strange country. But as World War 2 looms, there is a chilling new threat to Hanno. How can Rudi and his new friends save their pets?



It is ten years since the author’s first YA novel, HIDDEN, was published. Since then she has published five YA novels, three MG novels, short fiction and stories for anthologies. She has been twice nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Hidden, her debut novel, was adapted for the stage and The Emergency Zoo has been optioned for a TV series. Always Here For You [2020], set in Brighton, is her most recent YA novel.

Gaspard’s Foxtrot by Zeb Soanes ill. James Mayhew

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 4 Mar 2021

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Gaspard’s friend Finty the dog and her owner Honey are travelling to a classical concert in London’s Hyde Park – if only Gaspard could join them! But while good-naturedly attempting to return Honey’s scarf, the handsomest fox in London suddenly finds himself on a tour through the city’s streets aboard Finty’s bus passing some of London’s best sight-seeing spots such as: Islington Green, Museum Street, Chinatown, the theatres of the West End, Piccadilly and many more.
This latest adventure in the Gaspard the Fox series sees Gaspard thrust literally to centre stage as he becomes a musical inspiration.

Read our Meet An Illustrator Feature:
https://www.achuka.co.uk/blog/meet-an-illustrator-2-james-mayhew/

Follow the illustrator on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjamesmayhew/
Follow the author on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zebsoanes/

Earlier adventures:
Gaspard The Fox
Gaspard Best In Show

Space Detectives by Mark Powers ill. Dapo Adeola

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Dog lost in space? Grown an extra head and don’t know why? Pocket money stolen by a green blob? You need the Space Detectives! Connor and Ethan are spending their summer holidays aboard the world’s first orbiting city, Starville (basically Beverley Hills in space!). The amazing space station is bursting with celebrities and the mega-rich. But Connor and Ethan are too busy selling ice cream to see the sights.

However, neither of our heroes can resist a mystery and when they discover the space station is hurtling on a collision course with the moon (eep!) they know they need to step in. This is a case for the SPACE DETECTIVES! Can Connor and Ethan find the culprit and save Starville from its impending doom?

Dapo Adeola, the illustrator, was recently featured in Meet An Illustrator…

The Dalmatian that Lost its Spots by Helen Haraldsen ill. Steve Hutton

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An illustrated animal adventure story with a touch of fantasy and the  main characters are my dogs: Lucy the Dalmatian and Petra the pointer. 
‘A clever and heartwarming story that all dog-lovers will enjoy.’
Tom Palmer, author of D-Day Dog, winner of the FCBG Children’s Book Award.

You can also order direct from the author:
https://www.helenharaldsen.co.uk/books-for-younger-readers.html

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D-Day Dog by Tom Palmer ill. Tom Clohosy Cole

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 11 Nov 2020
Federation of Children’s Book Groups 2020 Children’s Book Award Winner

Jack can’t wait for the school trip to the D-Day landing beaches. It’s his chance to learn more about the war heroes he has always admired – brave men like his dad, who is a reserve soldier. But when his dad is called up to action and things at home spiral out of control, everything Jack believes about war is thrown into question. Finding comfort only in the presence of his loyal dog, Finn, Jack is drawn to the heart-wrenching true story of one particular D-Day paratrooper. On 6 June 1944, Emile Corteil parachuted into France with his dog, Glen – and Jack is determined to discover their fate …

Tom Palmer has said, “A lot of children’s books keep parents out of the way, but I like to keep them close and write about the different kinds of dad you can have.”

See also Armistice Runner.

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I, Cosmo by Carlie Sorosiak

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Waterstones Childfen’s Book of the Month, September 2019

A thirteen year-old Golden Retriever with a taste for adventure (and bacon) Cosmo is a canine on a mission. He’s got to stop a break-up, protect his best friend Max, and bring everyone together again for one show-stopping, marriage-saving, dog-dancing finale. But when it comes to fixing families, it turns out life is more complicated than just learning the right steps.

Wise, funny, and filled with warmth and heart, this is Charlotte’s Web meets Little Miss Sunshine – a moving, beautiful story, with a wonderfully unique hero, from an incredible new voice in middle grade fiction.

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