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Wonderland by Patience Agbabi

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 3 Jul 2026

Publisher: Firefly Press 
ISBN: 9781917718202

See also:
The Infinite [ACHUKA Book of the Day 13 Apr 2020]

“There are novels that tell you about a world, and then there are novels that put you inside one, pulsing with music, smelling of hairspray and sea air, alive with longing and belonging. Wonderland is emphatically the latter… What makes this book extraordinary is the verse. Agbabi slips between poetic styles with breathtaking ease, and the form is never decorative; it is structural. The poetry beats like the music Tamilola lives for, propelling the narrative forward while simultaneously giving it texture and depth. ” BfK 5-star review

I grew up on Colwyn Bay Pier, dancing to Northern Soul and live 2 Tone bands.

When it was demolished in 2018, I was devastated and wanted to bring it back to its heyday.

Listen to Patience Ababa being interviewed on The Island of Brilliant podcast:
 https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-island-of-brilliant/id1684242951?i=1000766443702

Colwyn Bay, 1980. Sixteen-year-old Tamilola has moved up from London; everything’s different, everyone belongs except her. Then she discovers an amazing Northern Soul club at the end of the pier with its athletic dancers and rare records. But conflict comes with a rival nightclub. This book’s about finding your tribe, finding a record, finding romance and finding yourself.

Mei Mei the Bunny by Laufey ill. Lauren O’Hara

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 4 May 2o26

Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Ltd
ISBN: 9780241822548

See also:
Oscar Wilde’s Stories for Children [ACHUKA Book of the Day 20 Nov 2025]
The Magic Of The Ballet [ACHUKA Book of the Day 7 Oct 2022]
Frindleswylde [ACHUKA Book of the Day 1 Nov 2021]
Madame Badobedah [ACHUKA Book of the Day 25 Nov 2019]
The Bandit Queen
Hortense And The Shadow
Once Upon A Fairytale

“The tale features an all-animal, all-adorable cast, and endearingly, the art betrays no hint of modern times. A standout image presents Mei Mei onstage, temporarily incapacitated by her mistake and imagining her fellow musicians and their instruments with the color-blasted menace of an expressionist painting. A reassuring riff on embracing imperfections.” KIRKUS

This charming story features the debut authorship of Icelandic musician Laufey, who provides a comforting tale of honing confidence and child-friendly definitions of musical terminology. The charmingly timeless artwork has been provided by one of ACHUKA’s favourite illustrators, Lauren O’Hara.  A week after its US publication the book debuted on The New York Times’ Best Sellers list at No. 2 on the Children’s Picture Book chart.

Meet Mei Mei, a little bunny with a big dream: to spread joy through her music! As her debut recital at the H’Opera House draws near, Mei Mei diligently practises playing her violin, yet struggles with her unsettled nerves. What will happen if she hits a wrong note?

You can follow Mei Mei on

Follow both of the O’Hara sisters there as well:

Marching Band by Kael Tudor ill. Kate Hindley

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 10 Jul 2025

Waterstones
Bookshop

“Upbeat couplets from Tudor describe the wide-ranging adventures of a ragtag marching band in this cheering picture book that features an ample wind-down… Hindley’s fully realized cartoons draw out the conceit’s humor via googly-eyed characters who lug their myriad instruments across snow and stars alike. It’s a raucous jaunt that yields fresh reasons for appreciation across repeated reads.” Publishers Weekly

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Who wants to join the marching band? EVERYONE is welcome in this energetic, anarchic rhyming adventure .

This band gets bigger and louder on every page. Watch out for wrecking balls on the building site, tigers roaring in the jungle and yetis on the mountain. Everyone wants to join the fun . . . even aliens in outer space. Then it’s time to zoom back home, wishing everyone goodnight, one by one.

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Hannah and the Violin by Satoshi Kitamura

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 26 Feb 2025

Waterstones
Bookshop

See also:
School For Puppies [ACHUKA Book of the Day 12 Dec 2024]
When Creature Met Creature [ACHUKA Book of the Day 1 Mar 2022]
Lily Takes A Walk
The Smile Shop

When Hannah spots a leaf on the grass, she thinks it looks like a violin, and decides to see if she can play it. Soon everything is singing and dancing to the music.

A joyful book that celebrates play, creativity and the imagination within us all.

Satoshi Kitamura currently lives in Japan, but spent many years in London where he created a fan base amongst bookshops and educators. He has created over 20 picture books, and illustrated many more winning awards such as the Mother Goose Award, Silver Award for the Smarties Prize, and the National Art Library Illustrations Award. ACHUKA loves his work.

You can follow him on

The Bear and the Piano 10th Anniversary by David Litchfield

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 7 Feb 2025

Waterstones
Bookshop

A special 10th anniversary edition of this award-winning and best-selling picture book featuring exclusive bonus content, a pull-out poster, and a shiny gold roundel on the cover.

Here’s what I wrote about this book ten years ago:

From the end papers and the opening spread, the artwork in this picture book is stunning. And I love the variation in page layout. The designers have done a wonderful job.

But well-presented artwork also needs an original and moving story and this book has that also.

A bear discovers an old piano abandoned in the wood. He plays on the piano every day, practising for months and years until he can play so well that other bears come to listen. One night his playing is overheard by a girl and her father, who ‘discover’ him and entice him away to the city, where he performs in public and becomes a star on Broadway. He wins awards, is lauded, and feted. But he misses his home and his friends.

He returns to the forest. The piano has gone. His friends aren’t there. He is forlorn. But it turns out the piano has simply been moved to a safe position. His friends have been following his career. They are his fans too. He sits down and plays a special concert set just for them.

Litchfield’s forest and city illustrations are equally strong. I love, in particular, the auditorium double spread. The hardback’s* dustjacket tells us that he uses “a variety of traditional techniques, assembling the different elements together in Photoshop to create large-scale, dramatic scenes.” We’re also told that the book was inspired by The White Stripes short 50-second song ‘Little Room’.

*  The anniversary edition is a paperback.

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Wolfgang and the Magic of Music by Didier Lévy ill. Lorenzo Sangio tr. Jill Phythian

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 3 Dec 2024

Waterstones
Bookshop

“Spare text translated from French and funny, carefully composed illustrations reminiscent of William Steig’s work combine for a charming tale… Funny, hopeful, and encouraging.” KIRKUS

This tale of an unlikely friendship, and the power of singing to bring everyone together is a strikingly illustrated ode to the power of music 

Wolfgang the Wolf dreams of starting a band. Without a second thought he places an advert, and to his great surprise Rex the Rabbit appears, a rocker with a fabulous voice. The Big Bads group was born. They are an immediate hit, and their fans come to listen from all over the forest. But Wolfgang’s wolfish taste for rabbits is never far away…

Lorenzo Sangiò is a graduate of the Brescia Academy of Fine Arts. He has illustrated numerous books, and has won several prizes for his work, including Illustrator of the Year, an award promoted by Città del Sole. You can follow him on

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A Symphony of Stories: Musical Myths and Tuneful Tales by James Mayhew

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 11 Nov 2024

Waterstones
Bookshop

See also:
Once Upon A Tune [ACHUKA Book of the Day 9 Sep 2021]

A superb, handsomely produced, wondrously illustrated, energetically told gift picture book which sets out to present a harmonious gathering of themes, a symphony of stories, opening with a lively rhythmic narrative poem about a carnival of animals — Roll up! Roll up!

Six world famous orchestral pieces from six renowned composers feature in this superbly illustrated gift book, introducing children to the world of classical music through story and illustration.

James Mayhew tells the stories of six much-loved pieces of music and recommends recordings worth listening to:

  • Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns
  • The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi
  • The Sunken Cathedral by Claude Debussy
  • The Butterfly Lovers by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao
  • The Planets by Gustav Holst
  • The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky

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Dance Just Like So! by Annemarie Anang ill. Natelle Quek

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 30 Sep 2024

Waterstones
Bookshop

A second book from the author-illustrator team known for Queen Nefertiti, described by Just Imagine as “a heartwarming, joyful story for everyone about identity, being proud of who you are, whatever your ethnicity and culture, belonging within a diverse community and about recognising the importance each player has in the bigger team.”

In this new book, it’s dance class day and Gran will teach Kwesi and the neighbours her trophy-winning dance, the Shooby-Doo Mambo. But Gran hurts her knee before Kwesi can learn all the steps. How will he learn the special dance now?

Slowly Kwesi finds the confidence to practice the steps on his own, but dancing without Gran is not the same…Kwesi’s inventive solution delivers a heartwarming surprise. Next dance class day, he and Gran dance the new Shooby-Do Mambo.

Twirling their glittery canes in the air while seated on chairs, they wow all the neighbours Just Like So!

You can follow the illustrator, Natelle Quek, on

 

 
 
 
 
 
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And the author’s on too:

 

 
 
 
 
 
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One Sweet Song by Jyoti Rajan Gopal iil. Sonia Sánchez

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 17 Apr 2024

Waterstones
Bookshop

“As the notes increase, the rhyming text counts to 10 and back down again as the music and voices merge to create a song that celebrates a spontaneous moment of community. The bright illustrations show swirls of colors and musical notes weaving in and out of the homes, suggesting a sense of connection… A joyful celebration of music and community.” KIRKUS

Inspired by the Italians who serenaded their neighbours from their balconies during the Covid-19 lockdown, a single musical note leads to a neighbourhood symphony.

In a quiet neighborhood, a single note trills through the air. Another note joins, and then another. One by one, curious people are drawn to their windows, doorways, and balconies to support the medley. Professional musicians play instruments from around the world, while others bang pots and pans. All are welcome as the notes swirl and dip and crescendo, coming together to make one sweet song. And when the music fades, and this diverse neighbourhood is once again silent, the reverberations of unity remain. Written by a kindergarten teacher and inspired by the balcony singing in Italy during the pandemic – with a countdown from one to ten and back gently woven in – this rhythmic synergy of text and art is a buoyant, global-minded celebration of how music connects us, even in the darkest of times.

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Sounds Good!: Discover 50 Instruments by Ole Könnecke, music by Hans Könnecke, tr. Melody Shaw

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 8 Mar 2024

Waterstones
Bookshop

ACHUKA especially loves the fact that the book’s page designers have been so generous with the space given to both text and illustrations , with the result that each double-spread instrument profile is a visual delight.

What does a double bass or a sitar sound like? What’s the difference between bongos and congas? Which instrument has only one note? Which one takes just 30 seconds to learn? What do these instruments really sound like?

This book engagingly presents 50 [52 actually, as acknowledged in the breezy introduction) common and uncommon musical instruments with practical and curious facts that will spark interest in music of all kinds. Each instrument features a piece of music composed by an award-winning musician, accessed via QR code.

With instruments presented outside conventional categories, the book is open to all ways of listening and learning. Aspects of history, music theory and culture are lightly mixed with information about how instruments are made and played. Instruments of all sorts include the voice and computer, unusual instruments such as the theremin and vuvuzela, alongside those that are well known.

QR codes on each page link to 52 individual instruments and a code on the cover takes you to a full band joyously bringing all the instruments in the book together.