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Fred the (very demanding) Deer by Pepe Smit

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 20 May 2026

Publisher: Scallywag Press
ISBN: 9781836300595

[Scroll down for pictures from the book launch.]

“Every so often, a book comes along that takes me completely by surprise. Sometimes, it’s because the plot has a massive twist in it that completely throws me, but in this case, it was how very funny this delightful picture book is. A story that, like many that I read, was described in its press release as hilarious, this is one that for once actually lived up to that promise and brought a huge smile to my face as I met Fred, who unlike most protagonists is determined not to simply obey the whims of his creator but to play a large part in developing his own narrative.” Jacqui Sydney

In this very amusing picture book that will appeal to a wide range of ages, Fred the Deer throws a series of tantrums with his illustrator, and ends up getting most of what he wants.

Fred the deer loves living in the forest. Or does he? No, he says he does not! He is bored, and wants to visit the town! Once there, he sees everyone else has shoes – so why can’t he have shoes? Everyone else seems to be eating chips, but he needs hands to eat chips… really, Fred? Read on to see if Pepe will give in and give him hands, and how the story will end up!

Pépé Smit was trained as a visual artist at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and the Sandberg Institute. Her illustrations have appeared in several leading magazines and newspapers, but she has increasingly focused on creating picture books that make young children both laugh and think. Her first, Fred the (very demanding) Deer, has become a much-reprinted title and marked the beginning of a successful series.

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A post shared by Pepe Smit (@smitpepe)

Fred the Deer has his own Instagram too:

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Pepe Smit (@fred.het.hert)

The book had its UK launch on Tuesday 19 May at Gosh! Comics in London:

The Little House that Needed a Witch by Sophie Pluim tr. Polly Lawson

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 5 May 2026

Publisher: Floris Books
ISBN: 9781782509837

See also:
The Runaway Pancake [ACHUKA Book of the Day 31 Jan 2025]

Yes, they keep on coming! Yet another wonderful picture book in translation from Floris Books. In this one, a witch’s house must go on a journey to find a new occupant.

Deep in the forest sat a little witch’s house, but the old witch who’d lived there had gone for good. The little house felt empty and alone. As the seasons changed, grass grew tall around it and mushrooms began to sprout from its roof. The little house knew it must find a new witch or it would fall down.

She was so old even her wrinkles were wrinkled.

What to do? Creaking, the little house stood up and set out on a journey. Would it find a witch in need of a house?

This is a charming original fairy tale from Sophie Pluim, illustrator of The Runaway Pancake. It is the first picture book she has written as well as illustrated.

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Movies Showing Nowhere by Yorick Goldewijk tr. Laura Watkinson

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 28 May 2024

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“It’s breathtakingly good.” The Times
“Moving, thought-provoking and wonderfully imaginative…” BookTrust

On the day Cate came into the world, her mum left it. Her dad is often distant and silent, so she keeps herself entertained with kung fu films, her pet rabbit and her photography. Then one afternoon Cate receives a mysterious invitation to an abandoned cinema, and everything changes.

Soon Cate meets the peculiar Mrs Kano and discovers a most unusual kind of movie screen – the kind that lets you step through it into a memory. So begins a wonder-filled adventure through time that will teach Cate the true meaning of love, loss and learning to let go.

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The Starling’s Song by Octavie Wolters ill. Michele Hutchison

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“… a beautifully crafted masterpiece. Its philosophical reflections on our connection with the natural world have the power to inspire readers of all ages. By blending captivating storytelling with introspective themes, this book resonates deeply, reminding us of our individuality while emphasizing our interdependence. It is an invitation to reflect on our place in the world, wrapped in a gentle narrative that will leave a lasting impression.” BfK

Translated from the Dutch and published by Pushkin Press. Recipient of the Dutch Silver Paintbrush Award. Linocut illustrations with hand-colouring of beak and claws.

Michele Hutchison won the 2020 International Booker Prize for her translation of The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld. Follow the translator on : https://www.instagram.com/michelehutchison/

A gorgeous, award-winning picture book about the beauty of small things and the healing power of nature The blossom blowing in the wind, the snow-capped mountains, the coat of a roe deer… From up in the air, everything looks so beautiful to the starling. He wants to sing about it to the world! But first he visits all the other birds, who each have something to add to his song. This stunningly illustrated story reminds us of the endless beauty that can be found in the everyday, if only we look closely enough.

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My Especially Weird Week with Tess by Anna Woltz tr. David Colmer ill. David Dean

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 13 Apr 2023
Times Children’s Book of the Week 25 Mar 2023

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“Woltz combines the slapstick with the serious in a holiday tale that deals with sibling rivalry, parental illness, family secrets and the business of friendship.” The Times
“A warm-hearted, funny and poignant story that celebrates all things weird and will appeal to a wide range of readers.” BookTrust

Translated from the Dutch. The book was made into a movie in 2019.

It’s the first day of the holidays and Sam is roaming the island of Texel, imagining what it’d feel like to be the last person on earth. Then, like a whirlwind, 12-year-old islander Tess swoops into his life. Sam’s only option is to go along for the ride.

Soon he’s dancing the waltz, burying a pet canary and coming up with an especially weird plan to help Tess find her father, who doesn’t even know she exists. Along the way, Sam discovers the true meaning of family and what it is to be alive. One thing’s for sure — this is a holiday he’ll never forget.

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Letters to Anyone and Everyone by Toon Tellegen ill. Jessica Ahlberg tr. Martin Cleaver

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This book won the Marsh Award for the best book in translation in 2011. This is a welcome reissue in hardback gift format. First published in Holland in 1996. First English translation and UK publication in 2009.

Discover a collection of extraordinary letters in this magical new volume of short stories by award-winning Dutch author. Find a world where the creatures of the earth can send a letter to the sun (and get an answer); where you can actually write a letter to a letter; and where just writing something down can make it true!

Toon Tellegen is one of the most celebrated Dutch writers.

Resist: One Girl’s Fight Back Against the Nazis by Tom Palmer ill. Tom Clohosy Cole

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 5 Aug 2022

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“This is a remarkable story told well and also told with understanding and care of the people involved. Tom Palmer has a knack for conveying great depth of emotion in a few words which I think increases the impact. What he could never have anticipated is that scenes of terrified families hiding in cellars and innocent people fleeing their homes as bombs fall would be repeated in Europe in the year this book is published. This inevitably gives the story an added emotional impact yet this book also provides hope in its portrayal of the power of the human spirit to survive and fight against evil and to protect others from it.” LibraryLady

Award-winning author Tom Palmer shines a light on the incredible work of the WWll Dutch resistance, in a story inspired by the childhood of Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn.

As the brutal Second World War stretches on with no end in sight, life for ordinary Dutch people in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands is fraught with peril and hardship. There is very little to eat and the population lives under the constant threat of arrest and enslavement. After the murder of her beloved uncle and the capture of her brother by the Germans, Edda is determined to do anything she can to help the resistance fight back against their oppressors. But what can a teenage girl do and how much risk is she willing to take?

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Previous Book of the Day titles by the same author:
Arctic Star
D-Day Dog

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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Tonke Dragt interview: ‘I was born a fairytale teller’

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Although a star in her own country, [Tonke Dragt] is virtually unknown in the UK. But that’s slowly changing with last year’s English translation, the first ever, of her 1962 adventure story The Letter for the King (De Brief Voor de Koning) and, this month, the appearance of its sequel, The Secrets of the Wild Wood. The Letter for the King is a Dutch classic, winning the country’s children’s book of the year award in 1963 and, in 2004, the “Griffel der Griffels” for best children’s novel of the past 50 years. Translated into many languages, it has sold over a million copies worldwide.

Tonke Dragt’s The Secrets of the Wild Wood, translated by Laura Watkinson, is published by Pushkin Press.

via Tonke Dragt interview: ‘I was born a fairytale teller’ | Books | The Guardian.

Worth A Look: The Letter For The King by Tonke Dragt

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letterfortheking

If you’re looking for a big book with a track record as a bestseller in many different languages this adventure set in the time of knights and castles is well worth considering.

Published by Pushkin Children’s Books in 2013 and now in paperback, its route into English is noteworthy:

1962 ‘De brief voor de Koning’ published in Netherlands
1963 Where it wins Children’s Book of the Year Award
1977 Published in German
1990 Published in Danish
1994 Published in Estonian
2000 Published in Czech
2002 Published in Russian
2004 Wins Best Children’s Book of the Last 50 Years Award in Netherlands
2005 Published in Spanish and Japanese
2006 Published in French
2007 Published in Italian and Indonesiabn
2008 Published in Korean
2009 Published in Chinese and Portuguese
2011 Published in Greek

2013 finally published in English (translation by Laura Watkinson)