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A Wild Lullaby by Jackie Morris ill. Cathy Fisher

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 4 sep 2026

Publisher: Otter-Barry Books
ISBN: 9781915659934

See also (by the same author-illustrator team):
The Summer Puppy [ACHUKA Book of the Day 20 Jun 2025]
The Panda’s Child [ACHUKA Book of the Day 10 October 2023]

A third Book of the Day recommendation for this author-illustrator team. As this is very much a book for reading aloud, and Jackie Morris’s lullaby is loosely poetic rather than tightly rhyming and rhythmic, I would recommend the adult read it to themselves beforehand.

A mother sings to her child, describing the ways wild creatures across the world lull their babies to sleep – whales in the sea, fledgling ospreys in their nest, bear cubs in their ice den, seals on the shore, ponies on the heath, the snow leopard family in the high rocks, and tigers in the deepest jungle.

The lyrical story (“written for my grandchild, Cai, and for all young dreamers”). is enriched by Cathy Fisher’s gorgeous animal paintings, realistic yet magical, evoking a sense of tenderness and peace across our wild world.

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The Fluffy Futon by Yuichi Kasano

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 17 Jun 2026

Publisher: Gecko Press
ISBN: 9798348024208

“Kasano’s mood-perfect illustrations are a delight, in calm, organic hues with a slightly simplified illustration style that loosely echoes woodblock prints. A charming story with subtly fantastic illustrations.” KIRKUS
“Kasano offers a buoyant, sun-warmed invitation to rest in this cozy cumulative tale from Japan.” SLJ
“Yuichi Kasano’s simple scenes of the sleepers are delightfully droll and adults and young children will enjoy sharing the story, at bedtime or any other time. The latter will love joining in with the oft repeated ‘ploff’ and ‘Yw-aahhn’ sounds as the ever increasing cast of characters take advantage of the opportunity to snooze.” RedReadingHub

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Does Gecko Press ever publish a bad or simply so-so book? I don’t think so. Or if they do, they manage to hide it from me. 

I really like Kasano’s illustrative style, with he characters and main action isolated against pure white backgrounds.

Grandma spreads her newly washed futon to dry in the sun. The futon is so soft and smells so clean! The cat can’t resist nestling down for a snooze. Instead of chasing it away, Grandma settles in alongside, soon followed by the hen and her chicks, a little boy, the dog, the goat, and the pig family. . . . Soon the whole household is taking a nap!

Until Grandma starts to find the futon so comfy that no one else can fit.

Yuichi Kasano was born in southwest Japan. He graduated from the Tokyo College of Agriculture but found his calling after visiting an exhibition of Beatrix Potter’s original Peter Rabbit drawings. He has since published more than twenty children’s books.

Originally published in Japan in 2020, this is the first English translation. The translator is Cathy Hirano.  Hear the book read in French:

Luna and the Night by Maylis Daufresne ill. Ian de Haes tr. Katy Lockwood-Holmes

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 30 Apr 2026

Publisher: Floris Books
ISBN: 9781782509783

“An inventive, delightful picture book about embracing what you fear and finding wonder within it. Luna’s imagination proves larger than life in the active, involving illustrations.”
Foreword Reviews
“Lyrical prose and beautiful, textured illustrations will capture the hearts of readers. Crafted with care, […] this book will help young readers understand their fears.” SLJ

Another really wonderful picture book from Floris. ACHUKA adores the illustrations.

Hardback cover under dustjacket

Luna is afraid of the inky night that creeps under her door and around her bed — until Mama suggests it might make Luna feel better if she says her fears out loud. The last thing Luna expects is for the Night to reply…

Night wants to show Luna there is nothing to be afraid of, so together they play in the darkness. Luna paints the twilight sky in shimmering shades of blue and purple and dances among the stars in a sparkling dress that gleams like moonbeams. As Luna gets to know the Night, she realises that her fear has become her friend.

Endpapers

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Hello Sleep by Saehan Parc tr. Selene Bright

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 24 Apr 2026

Publisher: New York Review Books
ISBN: 979889623006

Read an interview with Saehan:
LetsTalkPictureBooks

Told in comic strip form, this whimsical and soothing bedtime story for children aged 4-8 will help struggling young sleepers drift off at bedtime.

We all sometimes have a hard time going to sleep. But did you know that Sleep itself can have trouble sleeping, too?

Sleep is a friendly figure with a magic wand, who visits all living things and sends them off to dreamland when night falls. You know about Sleep, she visits you every night without fail. But what about Sleep? Doesn’t she need her slumber too? Everyone she stops to ask just dozes off!


Sleep travels the world, seeking cozy places to settle down, from atop a bunch of baby chicks, to Santa’s beard, to a baobob canopy. She listens to a lullaby, a meditation; she floats down the Amazon and rides an updraft in Siberia. Nothing does the trick: sleep keeps evading Sleep! Until a cat’s soft purring snore sends Sleep just where she needs to go. Goodnight, Sleep.

Saehan Parc is an illustrator and comic artist from South Korea now living in France.
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Are You a Sleepy Monster? by Guilherme Karsten

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Waterstones
Bookshop

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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The Midnight Babies by Isabel Greenberg

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An ACHUKA Book of the Year 2023
ACHUKA Book of the Day 3 Jul 2023

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

These are the can't-sleep babies,
the won't-sleep babies, the itchy-feet babies,
the just-one-more-story-please-babies.

ACHUKA *L*O*V*E*S* this book!

“Greenberg’s affectedly faux naïve presentation gives the children’s perceptions of reality an enchanting quality, with a carefully selected colour palette emphasising the nocturnal magic of the lands they journey through. Finishing with a beautifully cyclical twist The Midnight Babies is the kind of book that parents will undoubtedly love reading to kids, especially given the melodious rhythm of Greenberg’s accompanying words.” Andy Oliver, Broken Frontier

On Instagram, the picture book creator describes her own book thus: “Follow a gang of naughty babies as they escape their cots and head out on an adventure to defy the evil forces of sleep! Nothing will stop them, not lullabies, not stories and certainly not cuddles. Sleeping is cheating! Good night? Dream on!”

Isabel Greenberg turns bedtime on its head with a hilarious, delightful odyssey.

The babies have come from far and wide, crawling and walking and toddling and tumbling. These are the can’t-sleep babies, the won’t-sleep babies, the itchy-feet babies, the just-one-more-story-please babies.”Sleep! Sleep! Anywhere but Sleep!!!” sing the babies. And the quest of the Midnight Babies begins.

In an epic quest to stay awake, the Midnight Babies must overcome sleepy temptation: battling the forces of Slumberland, venturing through the Forest of Nightlights and the Sea of Stories, voyaging through the Garden of Lullabies to the Rockabye River, and even through the dreaded Land of Nodoff. But can they resist their greatest challenge: the Cuddle?

The illustrations were made with Palomino Blacking pencils then digitally coloured.

Isabel Greenberg is a London based illustrator and writer and the author of three graphic novels — The Encylopedia Of Early Earth (2015), The One Hundred Nights Of Hero (2017) and Glass Town (2020).

She studied illustration at the University of Brighton and has an MA in animation from the Royal College of Art. Follow her on :

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Insomnia and me: Robert Muchamore

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Robert Muchamore writes about depression, sleep deprivation and a midlife crisis…

guardiansmallIt’s the time of year when it doesn’t stay dark for long. I’m squatting on a corner of my bed cross-legged, like I haven’t done since infant school. The brown Muji notebook is scribbled full of notes for what I know will be the greatest novel ever written.

My silk bedspread is so beautiful. I’m wearing just shorts, and the beads of sweat on my legs are diamonds catching sunlight. It’s bliss. The rush of creative energy beats anything else I’ve experienced.

I have been awake for more than 50 hours. I know it’s bad, but this fact feels small. I’m seeing the problem through a telescope turned round the wrong way. With nobody around to touch, I’ve hugged the shirts hanging in my wardrobe and reconnected with soft toys, evoking sensational memories of caravan holidays, Stickle Bricks and tiny infant school chairs.

via Insomnia and me: Robert Muchamore | Life and style | The Guardian.

Channel 4 Education and Chunk let teens turn their sleep into a game with new app | The Drum

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Channel 4 Education and Chunk have today launched a new app, which lets teenagers record their sleep patterns, which is then used to build a ‘track’ for a game.

Called Zeds, the tracks created by the apps reflect the pattern of the sleep, changing features as you move from light to deep, and aims to show teenagers the effects of poor quality of sleep.

via Channel 4 Education and Chunk let teens turn their sleep into a game with new app | The Drum.