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The Tale that Time Sews by Sita Brahmachari ill. Jane Ray

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 24 Sep 2026

Publisher: Templar 
ISBN: 9781800789654

“At its heart, this is a tender story about migration, heritage, family and the ways we carry the past into the future. The quilt becomes a powerful metaphor for rebuilding after loss: each patch represents a memory and every new stitch a reminder that identity can be lovingly remade without losing what came before.
The story’s message about displacement is gentle but profound, offering children an accessible way to understand courage, belonging and the importance of remembering where we come from.
Jane Ray’s illustrations beautifully complement the storytelling, filling each page with rich patterns and a sense of magic. The textured cover is particularly effective, echoing the tactile world of sewing and quilting and inviting readers to imagine the warmth of Nana’s handmade creation.” BookTrust

 

 
 
 
 
 
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While a young girl awaits the arrival of a new sibling, her Nana works on a special story quilt. As she sews, mends, and adds new patches, Nana shares the story of her own journey – of fleeing her homeland, finding love in a new country, and stitching together a new beginning from fragile threads.

With every new and restored patch, the girl begins to understand her place in the world. Patterns burst with stories, threads shimmer with spirits passed and new patches wait to be brought to life. Each careful mend and every stitch carries the hope of what’s to come.

Now, as a new life enters the world, Nana’s quilt wraps around her grandchildren in the warmth of the past and the promise of what’s to come.

The Tale that Time Sews is a heartfelt tribute to love, resilience and the generations forever woven together.

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This is Who I Am by Rashmi Sirdeshpande ill. Ruchi Mhasane

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 16 Sep 2025

Waterstones
Bookshop

See also by the same author:
Amazing Asia [ACHUKA Book of the Day 23 Oct 2024]
We’ve Got This [ACHUKA Book of the Day 18 May 2023]
Yes You Can Cow [ACHUKA Book of the Day 22 Apr 2022]
Good News [ACHUKA Book of the Day 28 Jun 2021]

All of us, one way or another, are of mixed heritage. Here is a book about that, focusing particularly on a child who, like the author, has dual heritage — the country of her birth, and the country where she now lives.

When people ask her where she is from, this little girl says she has a foot in two worlds: one in India, the country of her heritage, and one in the land her parents came to on a plane. But she is so much more than that – she is the memories, the music, the tastes, sights and sounds of both of those worlds, she is their shared history, and the people who fought for their freedom . . . but most of all, she is proud to be herself.

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Best of All: The magical mix that’s you by Smriti Halls ill. Chaaya Prabhat

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 12 Jul 2024

Waterstones
Bookshop

You are your mother’s bright eyes and her joyful wide grin,
Your father’s big heart and his kindness within . . .

Inspired by the author’s own experience of raising her children to celebrate their British and Indian heritage, Best of All is a  heartwarming book exploring what makes us who we are.

The lyrical words are paired with vibrant artwork from Indian artist Chaaya Prabhat. Brimming with love and joy, the lush language and stunning illustrations make repeat reading a pleasure.

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Indigo Dreaming by Dinah Johnson ill. Anna Cunha

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 6 Dec 2022

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

“Johnson weaves a deceptively simple poem that interlaces distinct slices of Gullah Geechee life with cultural threads that stretch to the Caribbean, Brazil, and all the way to Sierra Leone. Cunha’s illustrations capture a landscape that is as real as it is a dream, as momentous as it is mundane. Vibrant pastels are rendered into soft, open spreads, drawing readers into an intimate world that visually is reaching for its counterpart and into a story space that is most certainly big enough for two as it alternates between the protagonist and the girl she imagines.” KIRKUS
“Saturated, layered art by Cunha employs visible textures to add depth to each illustration. In concert with playful, dreamlike prose, which details events over the course of a given day, motion-filled landscapes offer images ‘of the two of us playing/ in the same sun/ in the same sand,/ hand in hand.'” Publishers Weekly

ACHUKA loves the work of this illustrator.

A young girl living on the coast of South Carolina dreams of her distant relatives on the shores of Africa and beyond. Indigo Dreaming is a poetic meditation between two young girls on different sides of the sea who wonder about how they are intricately linked by culture, even though they are separated by location. The girls’ reflections come together, creating an imaginative and illuminating vision of home, as well as a celebration of the Black diaspora.

This gorgeous lyrical tale engages the senses and evokes childlike curiosity and wonder.

See also:
Maybe You Might
Anita And The Dragons – ACHUKA Book of the Day 29 Mar 2021
A Story About Afiya – ACHUKA Book of the Day 28 Apr 2020

Follow the illustrator on Instagram, show here with the Jabuti Award for Illustration (a highly regarded  award in Brazil, given by the Brazilian Book Chamber)  for her book Origins:

 

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All Because You Matter by Tami Charles ill. Bryan Collier

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ACHUKA Book of the Day Tue 22 Dec 2020
Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

“A richly illustrated affirmation for Black children — especially boys. Stunning. Powerful. Timely. Illustrated inspiration at its best.” Horn Book
“The journey from beginning to end of the book sends a message that is nurturing, nourishing, loving, and reassuring, expanding and deepening the words of the movement it echoes… A gem for every household.” KIRKUS

A lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to black and brown children everywhere. A poignant, timely and emotionally stirring picture book, an ode to black and brown children everywhere, full of hope, assurance and love.

Tami Charles pens a poetic, lyrical text that is part love letter, part anthem, assuring readers that they always have, and always will, matter. 

Follow Bryan Collier on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bryancollier7
Follow Tami Charles on Instagram: https://instagram.com/tamiwrites