book cover
English Cymraeg

Beti and the Little Round House

by Atinuke, illustrated by Emily Hughes

Interest age: 3 to 8
Reading age: 7+

Published by Walker Books, 2024

  • Chapter books
  • Funny

About this book

In a little round house in the green woods under the mountains, Beti lives with her Mam, Tad and baby brother Jac. She is adventurous, curious and determined, and loves exploring the beautiful nature that surrounds her woodland home.

Accompanied by a community of her loving family, diverse friends, kind neighbours, and a mischievous baby goat named Naughty, Beti embarks on four stand-alone, mini adventures – one for each season. 

Atinuke channels her own experience into this beautiful book, having herself lived in a roundhouse in the Welsh woodlands. This insight is evident in the intricate details and descriptions she conjures with her storytelling.

Each chapter evokes a sense of seasonality, with Emily Hughes’s incredible illustrations creating a rich and detailed natural backdrop which immerses the reader in Beti’s world. 

The endearing storylines in this book gently explore emotional themes like jealousy, resilience, and fear as Beti encounters and overcomes non-threatening challenges with humour and light-heartedness. Depictions of Beti’s family environment and community are incredibly positive and reassuring.  

Combining Atinuke’s excellence in traditional storytelling and Hughes’s exceptional illustrations, this is a wonderful choice for an independent read. It would also be an excellent book to read over a few sessions with a class or as a revisited bedtime story. 

About the author

Atinuke was born and grew up in Nigeria. She writes children's books because she loves the vibrancy, joy, wisdom and humour of her own African culture, which she includes a lot of in her work. She shares with children all over the world how modern life is in Africa, how amazing African traditions and cultures are, and how our human joys and sorrows are the same.

She also tells traditional African stories which make her international audiences laugh and cry. Her books have been published in the UK, USA, France and Japan and have won lots of awards. Atinuke spends most of her time at home quietly dreaming up stories, but she sometimes visits schools and book festivals — she loves to meet her readers! Atinuke lives in Pembrokeshire.

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