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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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A post shared by Eric Huang (@erichuangbooks)

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A post shared by Phùng Nguyên Quang (@phung.nguyenquang)

Fia and the Last Snow Deer by Eilish Fisher ill. Dermot Flynn

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 4 Oct 2024

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Continuing the theme of National Poetry Day (yesterday), today’s ACHUKA Book of the Day is a debut verse novel from a Steiner-educated Irish-American poet/musician and one-time equine chiropractor.

I love the way poetry lets us, as writers, hand the story over to the reader and allow them to tap into the emotional core of the story without the author’s interference. To me, writing in verse is simply trusting the reader to know their own heart. It’s saying, “here, I believe in your ability to take this story, emotionally and internally, and make it into something for yourself, this is yours to grow.” When you add beautiful illustrations like Dermot’s, you can give the reader everything they need to build the story for themselves. It’s our job as verse novelists and poets to accessibly lay those words at the feet of our young readers and prove to them that poetry belongs to them as well.

Born under the same solstice sky thirteen years ago, Fia and her reindeer Solas have a powerful and unbreakable connection. But now, struggling to survive a seemingly eternal winter, Fia’s village turn their sights on Solas, both for the meat the last remaining reindeer can provide and an ancient prophecy that an ultimate sacrifice will once more return sunlight and life to the world.

Refusing to allow the worst to happen, Fia and her cousin Mish run from the village with Solas, seeking out the Deer Mother, the mythical being who wakes the sun at the winter solstice and who they believe is their only hope of saving Solas and their village.

But the wilderness is harsh and shadows lurk at every turn. Can they make it to the Deer Mother? 

Listen to an RTE radio interview with the author, in which she talks about her background growing up in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.
https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22436377/

You can follow the illustrator Dermot Flynn on

 

 
 
 
 
 
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The author is on too of course — here are her dogs:

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Eilish Fisher (@eilishfisherwriting)

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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Let Sleeping Gods Lie by Thiago de Moraes

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 14 Aug 2024

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See also:
Discovery Atlas [ACHUKA Book of the Day 15 Sep 2023]
Old Gods New Tricks [ACHUKA Book of the Day 19 Jul 2023]
History Atlas

The author writes [on the Through the Bookshelf blog]:

Over the past twenty years or so, I’ve been lucky enough to be able to travel to ancient, sacred places: Chichén Itza, the Great Pyramid, Stonehenge, Delos and many others, all heavy with the presence of thousands of years of belief and ritual. These are extraordinary places, but it’s in the small things, those closer to home, that I feel the grip of legend is closer to us.

Magic is there. In all the little beliefs and superstitions some of us still hold: knocking on wood, placing horseshoes over the door, and saucers of cream in the kitchen. The memories of old gods who haven’t left us: green men and oak leaves on churches; our days named after the Sun, Moon, Woden and Saturn.

All those tiny moments, images and actions are echoes of beliefs that have been part of humanity’s lives for thousands of years. We’re in an age of technology and knowledge, and that’s all for the better, but there’s still a little bit of space in all of us for the unknown, the magical, the absurd.

That’s the world I wanted to create in Let Sleeping Gods Lie. A world where all the magic (and a lot of the mayhem) left the places where it had been sleeping and spilled into our daily lives.

When sudden news shakes Trixie’s family, she sets off on a mission as heroic as the myths she loves.

It’s truly epic: as if going to ONE underworld isn’t enough, Trixie will have to go to them all…

FIRST:

Go to the land of the dead, in search of a priceless family heirloom.

THEN:

Call on old friends – godly friends – for help.

LAST OF ALL:

Work with Loki and the other tricksters, to stop an evil army taking over the world. 

Easy enough?

Sure, if these mightily mischievous gods do what they’re told…

Thiago de Moraes spends most of his time in a tiny shed at the bottom of his garden, writing and illustrating books, comics and bits of old cardboard boxes. He enjoys telling all sorts of stories, from picture books to non-fiction. His highly illustrated Myth Atlas, a guide to myths and legends, has been translated into 18 languages. His comic Age of Stone is published in the weekly story comic, The Phoenix.

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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?

Old Gods New Tricks by Thiago de Moraes

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 19 Jul 2023

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An energetic, engaging and hugely entertaining adventure celebrating stories and different cultures, from an award-winning author/illustrator.

Trixie dos Santos is obsessed with trickster gods, so when the world is plunged into darkness, she knows who can bring back the light.

Loki, Maui and the Monkey King join her on the hugest adventure, but can Trixie keep these maverick saviours in line? Shining a light on epic myths from cultures across the world, Old Gods New Tricks is at once a heart-racing and fascinating read.

Full of heart and humour, it has the potential to spark a lifelong interest in folklore and legends. Thiago’s distinctive artwork brings these tricksy gods to life, creating a truly unique and unforgettable package.

Thiago de Moraes is appearing at the 2023 Edinburgh Book Festival on Sat 26 Aug.

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The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho ill.Kate Milner

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Times Children’s Book of the Week 1 Oct 2022
Blackwell’s Children’s Book of the Month October 2022

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“In the deceptive simplicity of the lines and verses lies a deep, complex story that will swallow you whole and hold you entranced until the final page is turned.” TeenLibrarian
“Kate Milner’s illustrations are full of atmosphere and Coelho packs in a lot to think about.” BookTrust
“Succeeds in both honouring and revising the heroic myth and in convincingly portraying Theo’s own search, both for his father and for his own sense of what it means to be a man.” BfK 5 Star review

In his new verse novel, Joseph Coelho brilliantly blends Greek myth with a 21st century quest. In Ancient Greece Theseus makes a dangerous and courageous journey to find his father, finally meeting the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. While Theo, a modern-day teenage boy, finds himself on a maze-like quest to find his own father. Each story tells of a boy becoming a man and discovering what true manhood really means.

The path to self-discovery takes Theo through ‘those thin spaces where myth, magic and reality combine’. Doubts, difficulties and dangers must be faced as Theo discovers the man he will become.

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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The Mermaid Call by Alex Cotter

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From the author of The House on the Edge, an ACHUKA Book of the day in July 2021. This book uses the same cover illustrator.

A gripping story of myth and mystery about a legendary mermaid and her dark power. When the truth comes out, will it bring freedom or a terrible retribution? Vivien’s never going to win the Mermaid Crown and she knows it. Does she care? Who wants to be rewarded just for being pretty anyway? So she joins Alice on her quest to find the mermaid of the lake instead. But as the legend starts to unravel, it reveals an ugly truth. And leads the girls into terrible, watery danger… Cover illustrations by Kathrin Honesta.

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