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Musical Truth: A Musical History of Modern Black Britain in 28 Songs by Jeffrey Boakye ill. Ngadi Smart

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 2 Aug 2021

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“This is a clever book, whose ambition is belied by its lucid and approachable text. Boakye sets out to tell the story of modern British black history through twenty-eight records.” BfK 5-star review
“Boakye’s knowledge and passion shines through as he explains the background, emotional impact, and historical significance of songs that changed British culture forever – from London is the Place for Me by Lord Kitchener to Vossi Bop by Stormzy.” BookTrust

Music can carry the stories of history like a message in a bottle. Lord Kitchener, Neneh Cherry, Smiley Culture, Stormzy …

Groundbreaking musicians whose songs have changed the world. But how? This exhilarating playlist tracks some of the key shifts in modern British history, and explores the emotional impact of 28 songs and the artists who performed them. This book redefines British history, the Empire and postcolonialism, and will invite you to think again about the narratives and key moments in history that you have been taught up to now. Thrilling, urgent, entertaining and thought-provoking, this beautifully illustrated companion to modern black music is a revelation and a delight.

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

Adventures in Time: The Second World War by Dominic Sandbrook ill. Edward Bettison

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 26 Jul 2021

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“At a time when history is under unrelenting attack, this is my personal crusade to convert Britain’s young readers to the joys of the past, free from political dogma or ideological prejudice. From the start, I was determined to write with children in mind, not adults. There was no question of pandering to the weird obsessions of the present.” Dominic Sandbrook

Prepare to enter the most dramatic conflict the world has ever seen, as historian Dominic Sandbrook takes us on a spine-tingling, heart-stopping adventure. We witness the Second World War first-hand through the eyes of ordinary people living in extraordinary times, from the women who worked all night in factories to the chess players who cracked unbreakable codes. Because in total war, no life is left untouched…

The Adventures in Time series brings the past alive for twenty-first century children. These stories are every bit as exciting as those of Harry Potter or Matilda Wormwood. The only difference is they actually happened…

See also The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Follow the illustrator, Edward Bettison, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edward_bettison/

Two more titles, Alexander the Great and The First World War, will be published in the autumn.

Our Beautiful Game by Lou Kuenzler

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 5 Jul 2021

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They can take our ball, but they can never stop the game.

A timely, important and well-researched ‘middle-grade’ historical novel about the growth in women’s football on the home front during WWI. Publication of the novel marks the centenary of the FA’s shameful banning of women’s football in 1921—a ban that remained in place for 50 years.

Who better to tell you more about the book than the author herself:

A hundred years before the Lionesses, Lily Parr, Alice Woods and their teammates were proudly playing their beloved, exciting and skilful game. As men were sent to fight in the war, women and girls took their place in munitions factories. Football became a favourite pastime and, before long, they were creating all-female sides and playing public matches to sell-out crowds, overshadowing the men’s football.

“Absolutely magnificent! A glorious tale of football, friendship, feminism and social history”
EMMA CARROLL

 

A Sitting in St. James by Rita Williams-Garcia

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ACHUKA Book of the Day Mon 21 Jan 2021

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“Williams-Garcia’s meticulous research processes shout volumes about the importance of taking contemporary inspiration into the archives to unearth sorely needed truths as we continue to navigate questions of equity and justice for the descendants of enslaved people. A marathon masterpiece that shares a holistic portrait of U.S. history that must not be dismissed or forgotten.” KIRKUS
“In this sweeping, richly researched, and powerfully delivered tale of privilege and exploitation—often a difficult read—Williams-Garcia’s storytelling is magnificent; her voice honest and authentic.” Horn Book
“This provoking history unsparingly centers the brutalization of its Black characters, including manifold instances of beatings, sexual assault, and slurs. If the telling dramatizes harmful philosophies and queer pain, it also offers an unvarnished look at a slowly toppling power structure obsessed with artifice and tradition, hinting through a notably long-view lens that new generations may, slowly and not without suffering, move away from antiquated ideology.” Publishers Weekly

1860, Louisiana. After serving as mistress of Le Petit Cottage for more than six decades, Madame Sylvie Guilbert has decided, in spite of her family’s objections, to sit for a portrait. While Madame plots her last hurrah, stories that span generations—from the big house to out in the fields—of routine horrors, secrets buried as deep as the family fortune, and the tangled bonds of descendants and enslaved.

This astonishing novel from award-winning author Rita Williams-Garcia about the interwoven lives of those bound to a plantation in antebellum America is an epic masterwork—empathetic, brutal, and entirely human.

Here the author is talking about an earlier, middle-grade novel about a harmonica player, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground:

And some interesting reflections on the beginnings of her writing life/career:

Follow the author on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ritawilliamsgarcia/

Swordswoman!: The Queen of Jhansi in the Indian Uprising of 1857 – True Adventures by Devika Rangachari ill. America Pinelli

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BookTust Book of the Day 15 Apr 2021

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“In this compelling and revealing adventure story, real characters, events and historical fact are woven into a page-turning tale of courage in the face of cruelty and injustice. Expert storytelling means this extraordinary tale will appeal to a wide range of readers and will linger with them long after the last page.” BookTrust

Queen Lakshmibai of of Jhansi was an unconventional queen. She could read and write; she rode a horse and wielded a sword; she trained other women to ride and fight alongside her. When the East India Trading Company, who ruled India in the 19th century, demanded that she hand over control of Jhansi, she refused. And when an uprising began to stir in 1857, and the British laid siege to her fortress, the warrior queen tied her infant son to her back, mounted her favourite horse, and escaped to raise an army. This is the story of a woman who defied all conventions to become an icon of resistance in colonial-era India

What Did The Tree See? by Charlotte Guillain ill. Sam Usher

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 22 Feb 2021

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“A wonderful exploration of change over time. Every page creates a discussion and a conversation. A fantastic timeline and tree lifecycle finish it off. What a brilliant book.” Simon Smith, Headteacher

Told in unshowy rhyming couplets, this beautiful non-fiction picture book follows the story of an oak tree on a coastal hilltop as it witnesses life changing around it over the course of hundreds of years. From the time when hunters chased deer through the woodland, to when trees were cleared for farmland, to the smog and factories emerging during the industrial revolution. One majestic oak has seen it all, and now we can too.

Accompanying pages at the end of the book include a timeline of events in world history across the periods featured in the poem, the life cycle of an oak tree, and prompts to help parents and children explore their own local history.

Timeline Science and Technology: A Visual History of Our World by Peter Goes tr. Bill Nagelkerke

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 24 Nov 2020

Follow the history of engineering from the stone age up to the present day through a picture story.

In his signature playful style, Peter Goes illustrates the most fascinating technologies, from the first tools to the most specialized IT, from medical breakthroughs to the creation of YouTube. He includes remarkable scientists and innovators and highlights lesser-known stories. A compelling history of technology from the Stone Age to the present day, from America to the Southern hemisphere and beyond. A breath-taking journey through history. From fire to virtual reality.

Follow the history of engineering from the stone age up to the present day through a picture story. Full of interesting facts about the process of metalworking, the development of the first colour film and the appearance of YouTube. Learn more about the first scientific discoveries and renowned scientists such as Vesalius, Pavlov and Marie Curie. 

Peter Goes lives in Belgium where he works as a freelance illustrator and picturebook maker. He studied animation at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent, Belgium.
Follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goes.peter/

Trailer for the first Timeline book, published in 2015:

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Black and British: A short, essential history by David Olusoga

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ACHUKA Book of the day 28 Oct 2020

A short, essential introduction to Black British history by award-winning historian and broadcaster David Olusoga. Based on the author’s ‘groundbreaking’ adult title Black and British: A Forgotten History.

Revised and rewritten for younger readers, Olusoga’s insightful and invaluable history of the Black experience in the British Isles ranges from forgotten Africans in the Roman legions to the multicultural society of the present day.

When did Africans first come to Britain?
Who are the well-dressed black children in Georgian paintings?
Why did the American Civil War disrupt the Industrial Revolution?

These and many other questions are answered in this essential introduction to 1800 years of the Black British history: from the Roman Africans who guarded Hadrian’s Wall right up to the present day.
This children’s version of the bestseller Black and British: A Forgotten History is illustrated with maps, photos and portraits.
Macmillan Children’s Books will donate 50p from every copy sold to The Black Curriculum.

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D-Day by Michael Noble ill. Alexander Mostov

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Relive the events of June 6, 1944 through eye witness accounts that describe 20 real-life stories from the D-Day landings. This book – which presents collated photographs, personal accounts and testimonies from all sides with full-page illustrations dramatizing individual roles – brings a key moment in history to life for young readers hearing about the event for the first time.

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