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On Board: The epic history of ships, sailors and the voyages they made by Tom Adams ill. Tom Jay

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 7 Oct 2026

Publisher: Wide Eyed
ISBN: 9781836004691

A handsome monster of an illustrated information book with wonderful end papers.

There are feature page spreads interspersed between the main chapters and that can make the sequence seem somewhat surprising at times. However, this is hardly a book to be read from cover to cover, page after page, but rather one to be dipped in and out of. It’s just the kind of book to have in a KS2 class library, available during wet play or for those finishing work ahead of schedule. Better still, have a personal copy in the home library.

Packed with exciting, real-life stories and detailed illustrations, this is the fascinating story of how boats and ships have transformed our world. 

For thousands of years, the only way to cross the oceans was by boat. How must those first voyagers have felt, first hugging the shorelines and eventually venturing out across open seas?  

On Board charts water transport through history, exploring: 

  • Early seafarers and the great journeys that carried people across the globe. 
  • How boats and ships have changed over time, from simple craft to modern engineering. 
  • Famous voyages, including circumnavigations and groundbreaking expeditions. 
  • Life at sea, from navigation and safety to daily routines on board. 
  • Remarkable vessels from history, including iconic ships and ancient discoveries. 
  • Inspiring figures who changed maritime history, such as lighthouse keeper Grace Darling, who saved lives at sea and Hugh Mulzac, the first Black US shipmaster. 
  • Surprising facts, record-breaking ships and unusual designs from around the world. 

Brought to life with rich, detailed illustrations, On Board takes readers deep into the world of seafaring, past and present. From dramatic adventures to quiet moments of discovery, every page reveals something new about how humans have explored and connected across water. 

Perfect for curious readers who love history, technology and adventure – step aboard and start your journey today!  

Take a look behind the scenes with Tom Jay the illustrator on Instagram:

Speck: An Itty-Bitty Epic by Margaux Meganck

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 2 Apr 2024

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“The subtle and potent connection between us and these tiny specks makes for a poignant, reflective story that’s every bit as relevant to children as it is to adults. Meganck remarkably finds a way to make our great smallness in the wide world a convincing comfort. Deeply moving.” KIRKUS

Everything and everyone has a place in the universe, but for a little speck, lost at sea, it will take an extraordinary journey to find it.

Deep in a tide pool, too small to see,
Thousands of tiny specks go forth.
Each one searching
for a place to stay, and grow, and thrive…

The little speck does not know what it is, only that it wishes to find out. And so it embarks on a journey across the sea. From sun-flecked surf to darkest depths, past schools of fish, storm-tossed ships and hungry eels…. Until, at last, it finds exactly what it was looking for: a place to belong.

In vivid watercolour paintings, Margaux Meganck brings this tale to life, seamlessly shifting perspective to show how even the tiniest creatures — every barnacle, every child, every star in the sky — contributes to something greater than itself.

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Swim, Shark, Swim! – Wild Wanderers 2 by Dom Conlon ill. Anastasia Izlesou

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“A sumptuously illustrated, powerful poem with a repeated refrain (“he opens a tunnel / of bubbles and light and / swim, Shark, SWIM!”). It circumnavigates the globe, brushing fins with various shark species and conveying the dangerous beauty of their lives.” Imogen Russell Williams GUARDIAN

Swim around the world with Shark as he explores ocean forests and coastal reefs, meeting Hammerheads and Great Whites, stingrays and dolphins in a search for the place he calls home. This is the second book in the Wild Wanderers series written by Dom Conlon and illustrated by Anastasia Izlesou. Some of the species covered include: Blacktip reef shark, Tiger shark, Humpback whale, Bottlenose dolphin, Great white shark and many more.

The Ocean Squid Explorers’ Club by Alex Bell ill. Tomislav Tomic

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Great world-building in this fourth explorers adventure where we meet Ursula, a part mermaid girl who is determined to follow in Stella’s footsteps and help her to defeat the Collector!

Ursula knew the submarine wasn’t designed to go this deep, but what choice did they have? No one wanted to get swallowed up by a colossal sneezing jellyfish! In a distant watery corner of the Explorers Kingdom, a submarine engineer, Ursula, is determined to become an explorer. Unfortunately, she hides an extraordinary secret, which makes her the sworn enemy of the Ocean Squid Explorers’ Club were they ever to find out . . . But when The Collector threatens the Club, Ursula throws caution to the wind and leads an expedition through treacherous waters, filled with gremlins, aboard the Blowfish submarine – and joined by her friends Max, Genie and Jai – and even her idol Stella! Thrilling, heart-pounding adventure with exquisite detail throughout.

Previous titles in the series:
Explorers On Witch Mountain
Explorers On Black Ice Ridge
The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club