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Frankenkitty by Maudie Powell-Tuck ill. Mini Grey

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 15 Sep 2026

Publisher: Little Tiger 
ISBN: 9781801048613

“Powell-Tuck goes all in with her spoof of old-time horror tropes, although kids needn’t know who Boris Karloff is to be tickled. For the book’s every scare (a severed foot and hand, their bones visible), there’s a wink (in a bit of metafictive fun, the skull urges readers to opt for a story about “unicorns, beasts, or bears”). Grey, a glutton for detail, leans on menacing reds and sickly greens to capture the frights, which include, in a line for the spooky-story ages, “walls as gray as old underpants.” … A top-grade creepy/funny addition to the spooky-picture-book canon. ” KIRKUS
“Antic artwork fizzes with ghoulish glee across busy, castle-set scenes featuring splashes of electric green and orange. As skittering disembodied appendages and a cerebrum in a jar pull back a tasseled curtain on the story, the narrative voice howls with fun, skipping through horror movie tropes (“IT’S ALIVE!”) and addressing the reader (“You want to turn the page? Be warned!”). An ambiguous finale gets the last laugh in this entertaining readaloud.” PublishersWeekly

From Little Tiger’s acquisition announcement:

Mini Grey said:

As a child, I was a massive fan of all things cheesy-horror, from The Munsters to Carry On Screaming to Young Frankenstein – I loved them all. So when I had a chance to help make a funny horror-zone picture book, I had to take it! 

Maudie Powell-Tuck said:

Frankenkitty is a love letter to Gothic parody – camp, silly, mischievous and just a little bit scary. It’s been an utterly magical experience to pair up with the incredible Mini Grey, and the fabulous Little Tiger Team, to work on this book together.

Here is a tale to chill the blood and thrill the soul – a tale of spooky paws and eerie claws…The tale of Frankenkitty!

Born of stitches and lightning, Frankenkitty wanders the halls of the darketty dark castle. Everyone trembles at the sight of him. But is he really such a foul and loathsome creature? And can anyone save him before it’s too late?

Packed with deliciously dramatic narration from bestselling author Maudie Powell-Tuck and freakishly fun illustrations from Kate Greenaway Medal-winner Mini Grey, this spine-tingling tale serves as a mischievous reminder that looks can be very, very misleading.

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A post shared by Maudie Powell-Tuck (@maudiepowelltuck)

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“With Frankenkitty I got the chance to fulfil my illustration dream of making picture book pics that were a homage to all the cheesy horror films I loved when I was a kid (and older.) Scroll to see some of my faves…”

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Gruffalo Granny by Julia Donaldson ill. Axel Scheffler

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 11 Sep 2026

Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781035065516

This is a title that needs no help from ACHUKA to be brought to people’s notice but it goes without saying that it is a publishing event that cannot be ignored.

Julia Donaldson says, “I really hope that children – and adults too – will enjoy the new story, as I know what a wonderful experience shared reading can be. I was delighted when Axel came on board, and am even more so now that I’ve seen the brilliant sketches he’s already done for the new book.”

Axel Scheffler says “…One day out of the blue there came a wonderfully clever and inspired new text by Julia. How does she do this? Could I decline? Of course not! As I have had to draw the odd Gruffalo and his daughter over the last 20 years, I’m not completely out of practice.”

How to Scare Blue Monster by Petr Horácek

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 8 Sep 2026

Publisher: Otter-Barry Books
ISBN: 9781915659897

See also:
Blue Monster [ACHUKA Book of the Day 11 Sep 2024]
Little Chick [ACHUKA Book of the Day 5 Mar 2024]
The Star Whale [ACHUKA Book of the Day 19 Sep 2023]
The Perfect Present [ACHUKA Book of the Day 1 Sep 2022]
A Best Friend For Bear [ACHUKA Book of the Day 8 Apr 2022]
Mister Boo! [ACHUKA Book of the Day 28 May 2021]
The Last Tiger [ACHUKA Book of the Day 15 Oct 2019]

Look how many times we have selected books by Petr Horacek as our Book of the Day selection. That show how much we love his work. And here we have a sequel to last year’s original Blue Monster title. 

Don’t you just love the expressions in this opening spread?

When something HUGE comes clumping through the forest, all the animals are scared. But it’s only their friend, Blue Monster. Blue Monster is surprised – he doesn’t even know what it means to be scared and he asks the animals to teach him!

Fox, Wolf, Racoon and the Rabbits try lots of scary tricks but nothing scares Blue Monster. Then clever Fox has an idea…

Next time Blue Monster goes out he is all alone. He calls out for his friends but nobody replies. What’s happened to them? In his worry for his friends, now Blue Monster really is scared. But the animals have just been hiding and BOO!, they jump out, ready to play. 

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Letters to a Monster by Patricia Forde ill. Sarah Warburton

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 5 Feb 2026

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781526615817

“Heart-warming and hilarious, [this story provides] parents with an inventive and playful approach to dealing with bedtime jitters.” Irish Times
“The story of an unlikely friendship, Forde’s boundless imagination shines when paired with Warburton’s impish illustrations. Ideal for little monsters.” Irish Examiner
“An irresistible picture book that turns the idea of the monster-under-the-bed on its head (and is sure to become a family favourite).” Discover Irish Kids Books
“There is a wonderful sense of humour both in the story and in the illustrations, showcasing the importance of kindness, understanding and friendship.” Children’s Books Ireland: Best Irish Books of 2025
“A funny and ingenious story about friendship in unlikely places.” Bookseller
“Illustrated with just the right amount of scare and delight, there’s lots to intrigue readers in the illustrations on subsequent reads.” Books for Keeps

Sometimes we have to put our hands up and admit that a really great children’s book slipped our notice. This is one of those times. Published last March, Letters To A Monster really should have been highlighted at the time. ACHUKA apologises to the author and illustrator. One of our grandchildren gives this a hearty recommendation so we are including it now as a current highlight. At less than one year old, it should still be readily available in bookstores.

It’s a dark and stormy night, and Sophie knows that there is a MONSTER hiding under her bed. So, like any sensible child, she decides to send him a letter.

‘Dear Monster,I know you are hiding under my bed. I hear you breathing. This is your last warning. Leave now or I will call THE MONSTER POLICE. I have their number. Yours truly, Sophie.’

As the letters fly back and forth, Sophie begins to wonder if Monster isn’t as scary as she thought. What if he’s the friend she’s been looking for all along?

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Are You a Sleepy Monster? by Guilherme Karsten

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We’re ashamed to say that the first book in the sequence — Are You A Monster? — escaped our notice last year. 

The new title has certainly made us sit up and take notice.  

Parents whose children are already tuned in to a restful bedtime story routine may choose to keep this one for daytime reading. But it’s the perfect bedtime book to help energetic children expel any last bursts of energy  and settle in for the night as they tell the monster what to do.

Children will love playing along with the book as the lovable monster invites them to wear ragged pyjamas, crawl under the bed, and act like a monster. They get to join in with this hilarious story and play their monstrous part. By the end all little monsters will be feeling calm and sleepy! 

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Stitch by Pádraig Kenny

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 12 Jan 2024
Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week 21 Jan 20214

Waterstones
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“An utterly breathtaking and heartachingly captivating, gothic tale:  poignant, profound and perfect storytelling… a stunning, heart-warming and unforgettable story of friendship and inner strength.” Bookcraic

A compelling, atmospheric and gothic Frankenstein-inspired adventure by an award-winning Irish author.

Stitch is not a monster – he’s a creation. He and his friend Henry Oaf were brought to life by the genius Professor Hardacre, and have spent all their days in a castle deep in the woods, far from humankind. But when the Professor dies and his pompous nephew comes to take over the laboratory, they soon find out that his sights are set on personal glory rather than scientific discovery.

Can Stitch and Henry escape his clutches and make their way in a world they were never built for.

A magnificent gothic adventure full of heart for age 8+ and Blackwell’s Children’s Book of the Month for January:

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A Curse of Salt by Sarah Street

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In a kingdom that fears the sea, Ria Lucroy longs to be brave.

Bodies are washing ashore and everyone knows who’s to blame. Legends of the Heartless King shroud the continent in fear; they call him a pirate, a monster, a god. When his mercenaries raid her father’s merchant ship, Ria’s family is faced with a horrifying demand. They will spare his life, in exchange for one of his daughters.

Determined to save her sisters, Ria launches herself into the world of pirates. Face-to-face with the Heartless King, she finds he is far more than the stories told. He is a man, with a human name and blood-stained hands, bound to the seas by a centuries-old curse. As their chemistry blooms into something more, Ria finds herself caught in an ancient web of secrets.

Battling creatures of the deep alongside those that reign its surface, Ria discovers how to love a heartless man and that some curses aren’t so easy to break.

The Beast of Harwood Forest by Dan Smith ill. Chris King

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A BookTrust Book of the Day

“Full of danger and tension, this sinister page turner is not for the faint-hearted.” BookTrust

What’s hiding in Harwood Forest?

When Pete, Nancy and Krish arrive at Heathland Camp for a school trip, they’re in for an adventure – just not the kind they were expecting. Nearby sits the abandoned Harwood Institute. The crumbling buildings are out of bounds but strange screams come from the surrounding forest at night. Mystery shrouds the events that took place at the institute during the war, so Pete and his friends make it their mission to find out the truth. But the forest is hiding a sinister secret, and the trio could be in real danger … Are some mysteries best left undisturbed?

A Barrington Stoke title.

Juno Diaz On What Children’s Literature Is Capable Of

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Junot Díaz wants you to know what children’s books can do. His first venture into the genre, “Islandborn,” follows a young girl named Lola as she tries to remember the Island, the country she left as a baby. She tracks details through memories from family and friends, all of which are vividly illustrated by Leo Espinosa in brightly colored pages—that is, until a dark, shadowy “Monster” interrupts Lola’s cheerful narrative.

“I was hoping this book wouldn’t just be a comment on little Lola and her lovely family and this larger island community from which she comes,” Díaz says. “I was hoping it would also be something of a dialogue about what children’s literature is capable of.”

Read more >>> https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2018/3/6/junot-diaz-interview-islandborn/