ACHUKA

children's & YA recommendations on the go

You are here: Home / Archives for folktale

Issun Boshi: The One-Inch Boy by Icinori

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 6 May 2026

Publisher: Little Gestalten
ISBN: 9783967048001

This is a revised edition of a book first published in 2014.

Icinori are Mayumi Otero and Raphaël Urwiller, an acclaimed French illustrator duo. Otero is known for her playful, ironic drawings and etchings in children’s books, while Urwiller brings his expertise as a graphic designer and illustrator for leading newspapers and magazines. Together they reimagined Issun Bôshi with intricate detail and a style inspired by Asian traditions, creating a work that bridges folklore and contemporary book art.

Follow Icinori on

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Icinori (@_icinori)

Discover more about this creative duo:

Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales: Magical Stories of Dragons, Fairies and Selkies from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and more retold by Lari Don ill. Elise Carmichael

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 17 Oct 2025

Waterstones
Bookshop

A splendid new anthology of Celtic folktales fromScottish publisher, Floris Books

Travel to the magical Celtic lands to meet shapeshifting selkies, duelling dragons, a terrifying waterhorse, a cheeky changeling, a cunning fairy and a bloodthirsty giant…

In this sumptuously illustrated new collection, award-winning Scottish author and storyteller Lari Don retells classic tales of myth, magic and mischief.

Elise Carmichael’s exciting and luminous illustrations bring the rich shared folklore of the Celtic lands—Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany—to life in an outstanding collection that will enchant younger and older readers alike.

Lari Don is an award-winning Scottish children’s author and storyteller. She is the author of more than 30 books for children of all ages, including the folktale retellings Dragon’s Hoard, Breaking the Spell and Girls, Goddesses and Giants, as well as picture books based on traditional tales such as The Secret of the Kelpie and The Treasure of the Loch Ness Monster. She lives in Edinburgh.

Elise Carmichael is an illustrator and graphic designer with a passion for children’s literature. She studied Art and Design at Towson University, Maryland, USA and has a Masters in Publishing from Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland. When she isn’t drawing, Elise enjoys hiking, photography and learning new languages. She also lives in Edinburgh.

Follow Elise Carmichael on

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Elise C (@elisecillustration)

Follow Lari Don on

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Lari Don (@laridonwriter)

Godfather Death by Sally Nicholls ill. Júlia Sardà

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 9 Nov 2023

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

“Originally collected by the Brothers Grimm, this haunting folktale has been reimagined for the twenty-first century with insight, verve and style. Sally Nicholls’ beautifully crafted short story is arranged over eight chapters and provides just the right amount of detail and context for newly confident readers, who will appreciate its immediacy, pace and accessible vocabulary. ” BfK 5-star review
“Gloriously gothic Grimm retelling” GUARDIAN

A soul-stirring reimagined Grimm tale by award-winning author Sally Nicholls, hauntingly illustrated by Julia Sarda.

Follow Julia Sarda on

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Júlia Sardà Portabella (@juliasardaportabella)

When a poor fisherman chooses Death to be godfather to his son, he’s sure he’s made a good choice – for surely there’s no man more honest than Death? At the christening, Death gives the fisherman a gift that seems at first to be the key to the family’s fortune, but when greed overcomes the fisherman, he learns that nobody can truly cheat Death.

Peng’s Vase: A Chinese Folktale retold by Angus & Michael Yuen-Killick ill. Paolo Proietti

By Leave a Comment

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

A new retelling of this classic Chinese folktale with exquisite illustrations by Paolo Proietti.

Young Peng shows courage and honesty when brought before the emperor of China in this retelling of a classic folktale from China. 

The old childless emperor gives a challenge to the children of the city to determine who will become his heir. He gathers them together, and gives them a task; take one seed each, plant it and return in one year to show the flowers that each has grown. Little Peng is determined to do his best, but despite planting and tending the seed, he fails to grow a flower. But Peng brings a flower of different kind to his meeting with the emperor, one that just might win him the challenge. 

Follow the illustrator on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pallo_illustrations/

Paolo Proietti was born in Rome in 1986. He attended art school and a course in graphics and visual communication at the International School of Comics in Rome.  He won the Scarpetta d ’oro Award for illustration in 2016. His greatest source of inspiration are the works of Hayao Miyazaki, one of the most accomplished filmmakers in the history of animation.

 

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mac Barnett ill. Jon Klassen

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 16 Jan 2023
One of The Best Children’s Books of 2022 – New York Times

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mac Barnett (@macbarnett)

A brilliant retelling of the well-loved classic The Three Billy Goats Gruff, with a hilarious twist!

I am a troll. I live to eat. I love the sound of hooves and feet and paws and claws on cobblestones. For that’s the sound of meat and bones! What lives under the bridge? A terrifying troll who is always hungry! And this troll loves to gobble up anyone who dares to cross the bridge, but his favourite of all is billy goat: goat rump in a honey glaze, curried goat and goat smeared on toast – you name it, this troll LOVES it! So, when the three Billy Goats Gruff decide to clip clop clip clop across the bridge, the troll is already imagining all the scrumptious ways to fill his belly. But what if the troll is about to underestimate those seemingly sweet goats… And bite off more than he can chew!

A story told with pitch perfect timing, pacing and hilarious detail with Barnett’s signature narrator voice, this is Billy Goats Gruff as never before! Award-winning illustrator, Jon Klassen, brings the story to life with his stunning visuals The first in an incredible new collection of fractured fairy tales crafted by one of today’s most celebrated and acclaimed author-illustrator duos.

Follow Jon Klassen on Instagram:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jon Klassen (@jonklassen)

And watch the trailer for Apple TV’s Shape Island, an animation based on books by Barnett & Klassen:

 

Shuna’s Journey by Hayao Miyazaki tr. Alex Dudok de Wit.

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 6 Jan 2022
One of The Best Children’s Books of 2022 – New York Times

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

“Afterwords from the author and translator describe the story’s roots in a Tibetan folktale as well as comparisons to Miyazaki’s later animated works; this story, translated from Japanese, was originally published in Japan in 1983 before Miyazaki rose to fame with Studio Ghibli. The story’s cultural origins are cued through characters’ garb and other visual elements. A reimagined folktale as grand as its painted visuals are sublime.” KIRKUS
“The panels are packed with evocative cultural details: embroidered costumes, weathered buildings, rooms painted with murals and hung with tapestries, and towering statues from a forgotten past. Miyazaki’s art has a timeless beauty, and the theme of small human kindnesses redeeming a cruel and dehumanizing world feels more relevant than ever. Don’t miss this one.” Publiushers Weekly

f.p. in Japan in 1983.

Shuna, the prince of a poor land, watches in despair as his people work themselves to death harvesting the little grain that grows there. And so, when a traveler presents him with a sample of seeds from a mysterious western land, he sets out to find the source of the golden grain, dreaming of a better life for his subjects. It is not long before he meets a proud girl named Thea. After freeing her from captivity, he is pursued by her enemies, and while Thea escapes north, Shuna continues toward the west, finally reaching the Land of the God-Folk. Will Shuna ever see Thea again? And will he make it back home from his quest for the golden grain?

Hayao Miyazaki — a Japanese animator, producer, screenwriter and mange artist — took the Tibetan folktale “The Prince who became a Dog” as a source of inspiration for the story.

The House of Shells by Efua Traore

By Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 7 Dec 2022

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

“An excellent novel full of heart, blending everyday issues, like friendship and coping with changes in your life, with Nigerian folk tales. Superstitious traditions add a frisson of danger, and the school scenes are recognisable wherever you go to school. Readers will identify hugely with Kuki’s dilemmas and be rooting for her throughout.” BookTrust

From the author of Children of the Quicksands, a Times and Sunday Times Book of the Week last year (2021) and also shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Efua Traoré (@efua.traore)

Kuki refuses to believe in the curse of the Abiku. Her destiny is not to die young! Her biggest problem right now is moving house and fitting in at her new school.

One evening while exploring, Kuki spies a driveway lined with giant palm trees. It leads to an abandoned beach house of shadows and scattered sea shells. And in the fading light, she meets a girl called Enilo. They become friends – the best of friends. Until Kuki makes a terrifying discovery …

A beautifully evoked middle-grade adventure set in the author’s native Nigeria and drawing from rich Yoruba mythology. A story about the power of female friendship over fear and superstition.

Magnolia Flower by Zora Neale Hurston, adapted by Ibram X. Kendi ill. Loveis Wise (illustrator),

By Leave a Comment

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

Born to parents who fled slavery and the Trail of Tears, Magnolia Flower is a girl with a vibrant spirit. Not to be deterred by rigid ways of the world, she longs to connect with others, who too long for freedom. She finds this in a young man of letters who her father disapproves of. In her quest to be free, Magnolia must make a choice and set off on a journey that will prove just how brave one can be when leading with one’s heart.

The acclaimed writer of several American classics, Zora Neale Hurston wrote this stirring folktale brimming with poetic prose, culture, and history. It was first published as a short story in The Spokesman in 1925 and later in her collection Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick (2020).

Tenderly retold by #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi, Magnolia Flower is a story of a transformative and radical devotion between generations of Indigenous and Black people in America. With breathtaking illustrations by Loveis Wise, this picture book reminds us that there is no force strong enough to stop love.

Follow the illustrator on Instagram:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Loveis Wise (@loveiswiseillu)