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A Year of Fairy Tales retold by Sophie Anderson ill. Elisa Paganelli

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ACHUKA Book of the Day Wed 23 Sep 2026

Publisher: Usborne 
ISBN: 9781836044048

“Sophie Anderson has the magic touch for reworking fairy tales and this collection of twelve stories – one for each month of the year – brims with everything that makes her writing so strong:.. [A] handsome hardback with gorgeous colour illustrations by Elisa Paganelli throughout and it’s a book to treasure.” Bfk 5-star review

There is a mixture of straight and twisted versions (one tale for each month of the year) in this gift-worthy book.

Journey through the seasons and celebrations of a child’s year in this stunning collection of fairy tales from the bestselling, award-winning author of The House with Chicken Legs, Sophie Anderson.

Brimming with magic and extraordinary adventure, the stories are all inspired by fairy tales that have been passed down for generations. Some are twists on classics, such as Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel, while others are original stories inspired by folklore, such as The Bear and the Dragon and The Sleeping Forest.

Packed with colourful illustrations by Elisa Paganelli, this gorgeous gift book brings Sophie’s lyrical storytelling to life.

Sophie writes:

I fell in love with fairy tales at a young age, thanks to my grandmother, Gerda Salewski. She was from Eastern Europe and like many people, lost everything during the second world war – her family, friends, home and country. After the war, while trying to build a new life, she met my grandfather, a Welshmen, and travelled to Wales to marry him. She filled her new home in Pontypridd with the foods, music and stories of her homeland. I especially loved the stories.

Some of my earliest and most treasured memories are of my grandmother telling me Slavic fairy tales, whilst playing a dramatic soundtrack to them on her piano…

Continue reading on Culturefly:
https://culturefly.co.uk/sophie-anderson-on-what-fairy-tales-mean-to-her/

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How the Rivermaid Grew Her Tail and Other West African and Caribbean Myths by Jessica Wilson ill. Sophie Bass

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 12 Aug 2026

Publisher: Quarto Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781836005551

See also by Jessica Wilson:
Sofia The Dreamer And Her Magical Afro [ACHUKA Book of the Day 6 May 2020]

It feels a while since ACHUKA has had a collection of folktales to highlight so it is good to be able to flag this fine set of illustrated West African and Caribbean stories.

Jessica Wilson gathers lyrical, interwoven folktales that have travelled across oceans and through time. From Nigeria and Ghana to Jamaica and the USA, these stories have gathered new colour and meaning along their journey. 

Each story is introduced with the country, people and traditions where the tale originates, making the collection both immersive and accessible for young readers, families and classrooms. Paired with Sophie Bass’s vibrant, symbolic illustrations, this anthology immerses readers in the colours, foods, landscapes and characters of West Africa and the Caribbean. 

Stories include: 

  • How Anansi Became King of All Stories (Ghana, Ivory Coast & Togo) 
  • How the Rivermaid Grew Her Tail (Jamaica) 
  • Why the Sun and Moon Live in the Sky (Nigeria) 

Jessica Wilson has Jamaican heritage and illustrator Sophie Bass has Trinidadian heritage. 

Follow Sophie Bass, a London-based illustrator whose work is inspired by music, social justice, mythology and symbolism., on

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Guardians of the New Moon: Ming and Miaow’s Great Race – Guardians of the New Moon by Eric Huang ill. Phung Nguyen Quang

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 23 Jan 2025

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“The story unfurls at pace with short chapters, plenty of action and light humour to keep children engaged. Itis generously illustrated throughout which brings elements of Chinese folklore to life for the reader.” BookTrust

The first title in a new chapter book series inspired by East Asian myth and legend.
N.B. Book Two in the series, The Year of the Rat, is also immediately available.

In the author’s own words, “The chapter books follow the epic adventures of an introverted black-and-white cat named Miaow and his best friend, a fiery nine-tailed fox named Ming, who can transform into a human girl. They’re the titular Guardians of the New Moon, and it’s their job to help each animal in the lunar zodiac prepare for their lunar new year.”

All Miaow wants is to enjoy his peaceful, solitary life as a temple guardian catching mice. But when the Jade Emperor invites all creatures on Earth to compete in a Great Race, the reserved cat finds himself reluctantly entering – and worse, socialising!

Spirited and fiery, shapeshifter Ming is Miaow’s polar opposite, and she’s determined to make him her new best friend. But she hadn’t counted on Miaow making other friends too. As the race heats up, things start to unravel… Can the pair (and their friendship) make it to the finish line?

You can follow the author on where he posts some great family archive photos:

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Are Wolves Afraid of the Dark? by Huw Lewis Jones ill. Sam Caldwell

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 22 Aug 2024

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For many people, wolves are the stuff of nightmares and horror films, but the reality is that they’re among some of the most vulnerable wild animals on our planet.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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By following field guide Huw Lewis Jones and nature illustrator Sam Caldwell into the wild, readers will meet subspecies of grey wolf living in forests throughout Europe, North America and China, as well as red wolves in North Carolina and other members of the canid family, including coyotes. Along the way, aspiring naturalists will discover the difference between a ‘timber’ and a ‘tundra’ wolf, what traits wild wolves share with domestic dogs, and why wolf poo is so important to scientists!

Through entertaining and informative text and expressive illustrations, the stereotype of the ‘big, bad wolf’ passed down to us through fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood is challenged. We are shown that wolves are intelligent, sensitive creatures with far more to fear from us than we have from them.

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The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 26 Jul 2024

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A new Puffin edition of the classic 1987 novel by a Maori-descended New Zealand author, which was adapted for the big screen in 2002. 

In every generation since the legendary ‘whale rider’, a male descendant inherits the title of chief. But now there is no male heir-there’s only Kahu. She should be next in line for the title, but her great-grandfather is blinded by tradition and sees no use for a girl.

But Kahu will not be ignored. And in her struggle, she has a unique ally: the ancient whale rider himself. With a fierce determination and the power of her gifts, Kahu may be able to strengthen her tribe’s ancestral connections, earn her great-grandfather’s attention-and lead her community to a bold new future.

Can she embrace her destiny and become the next whale rider?

Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend – Vivi Conway 1 by Lizzie Huxley-Jones

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Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Month 18 Jun 2023

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‘The problem with growing up listening to bedtime stories about monsters, magic and myth is that you don’t really question it when a lake summons you…’

The lake has been calling to twelve-year-old Vivi Conway. On the day she and her Mams will move from Wales to London, she sneaks out to investigate what is calling her there. Instead of a quiet swim, she finds Excalibur (much smaller than she expected), a ferocious monster (much scarier in real life than in her mythology books), a new friend (which she doesn’t want at all) called Dara and a ghostly dog named Gelert (who can talk).

Gelert insists that Vivi is part of a magical group of children who share the souls of witches from legend and must protect the world from being taken over by the evil King Arawn of the Otherworld. Oh, and now she can magically control water.

With a little extra help from spiky Stevie and sweet-hearted Chia, can Vivi be brave enough to embrace true friendship and her magical destiny to help protect the world from evil? The first book in a fantastical series that combines a quest for magic and friendship with Welsh mythology and a pinch of science, all within a contemporary setting.

Magic Has No Borders edited by Sony Charaipotra & Samira Ahmed

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 31 July 2023

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“A collection of fantastically diverse South Asian stories reimagining and recentering ancient tales by beloved and well-known names from young adult literature as well as intriguing new voices…this anthology pushes the boundaries of fantasy, drawing on a broad range of settings, figures, and tales from South Asian religions, mythologies, and history…engrossing, and entertaining.”  KIRKUS
“This collection of short stories featuring South Asian characters and magic fills a void while celebrating culture and genre. As short story collections go, this strong selection featuring South Asian characters is joyous and original. Add it to the shelf.” School Library Journal

From chudails and peris to jinn and goddesses, this lush collection of South Asian folklore, legends, and epics reimagines stories of old for a modern audience.

A teen anthology edited by Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra containing a wide range of stories from fourteen  award-winning and emerging writers from the South Asian diaspora, it will surprise, delight, and move.

A pair of star-crossed lovers search for a way back to one another against all odds . . .

A girl fights for her life against a malignant, generations-old evil . . .

A peri seeks to reclaim her lost powers . . .

A warrior rebels against her foretold destiny . . .

With stories by:

  • Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Ember in the Ashes series, and winner of the National Book Award and Printz Award for All My Rage
  • Sayantani DasGupta, New York Times bestselling author of the Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series
  • Preeti Chhibber, author of Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma
  • Sona Charaipotra, author of Symptoms of a Heartbreak and How Maya Got Fierce, and coauthor of The Rumor Game and Tiny Pretty Things, now a Netflix original series.
  • Tanaz Bhathena, award-winning author of Hunted by the Sky and Of Light and Shadow
  • Sangu Mandanna, bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and the Celestial Trilogy
  • Olivia Chadha, author of Rise of the Red Hand
  • Nafiza Azad, author of William C. Morris Award nominee, The Candle and the Flame
  • Tracey Baptiste, New York Times bestselling author of The Jumbies series and Minecraft: The Crash
  • Naz Kutub, author of The Loophole
  • Nikita Gill, bestselling author of Wild Embers and Fierce Fairytales
  • Swati Teerdhala, author of the Tiger at Midnight trilogy
  • Shreya Ila Anasuya, New Voices selection
  • Tahir Abrar, New Voices selection

Fablehouse by Emma Norry

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A Storymix production. Storymix describes itself as an inclusive fiction studio.

The beginning of a new middle-grade adventure series. An adventure steeped in Arthurian legend…

Fablehouse is a children’s home like no other. Housed in a crumbling mansion that perches on a cliff and backs on to ancient mysterious woodland, this is the home for many of Britain’s Brown Babies, children born to African American GIs and white, British women following the Second World War.

Heather has already been through several children’s homes and is trying her hardest not to trust Fablehouse and its unusual headteacher, Miss Isolde. But when children start acting strangely, Heather discovers a plot from a fae realm to infiltrate and overthrow the human world.

With the help of Palamedes (the Black Knight from King Arthur’s Round Table who has been guarding the magical doorway to the fae world) and three friends, Heather sets off on a quest to rescue the children who have been replaced by changelings. No child will be forgotten or discarded on her watch. Discovering extraordinary powers and a fire inside herself, Heather will battle to save the first place that has felt like home for years…

Lore of the Land: Folklore & Wisdom from the Wild Earth by Claire Cock-Starkey ill. Samantha Dolan

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A richly illustrated compendium of folklore and wisdom from the land, skies and seas.

Each of the six chapters covers a different natural landscape, revealing the worldwide folklore surrounding Woodlands, Seas & Oceans, Wetlands, Mountains, Rivers & Streams and Hills & Caves. Beginning with tales from cultures spanning the globe, each chapter then dives into the legends of how these places were formed, their place in the human imagination and their natural and otherworldly denizens.

Learn how the forests hold up the sky in Maori tradition; how in Ireland, seaweed was once thought to predict the weather; and that the ancient Greeks believed Mount Etna housed the fiery forge of the gods. All this and more is accompanied by beautiful artwork based on real folklore, uncovering the secrets of our natural world as never before.

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Lore by Alexandra Bracken

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“Bracken builds a rich world around a skeleton of ancient Greek mythology that is perfect to read on a dull weekend and sure to delight readers.” KIRKUS
“ambitious worldbuilding and breakneck pacing” PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“a ferocious triumph” BOOKLIST

From the No.1 New York Times bestselling author of The Darkest Mindscomes a high-octane story of power, destiny and redemption. A lifetime ago, Lore Perseous left behind the brutal, opulent world of the Agon families – ancient Greek bloodlines that participate in a merciless game every seven years. A game that is about to begin again…

For centuries, Zeus has punished the gods with a game called the Agon, which turns them mortal for one week, and at the mercy of being hunted by those with godly ambitions. Only a handful of the original Greek gods remain, the rest replaced by the mortals who killed them and ascended. After her family’s sadistic murder by a rival bloodline, Lore escapes and vows to repay her parents’ sacrifice by doing one thing – surviving. For seven years, she has pushed back dark thoughts of revenge against the man responsible for their murder, a man by the name of Wrath who has attained unimaginable power. Except for one week, every seven years. A week that is fast approaching … When Lore comes home on the first night of the Agon to find Athena gravely wounded on her doorstep, the goddess offers her an alliance; they have a mutual enemy, after all. But as the world trembles under the force of Wrath – a god with the power to destroy all of humanity – will Lore’s decision to bind her fate with Athena’s come back to haunt her?