Tundra Reading Club: January 2015

Hi everyone!

I’m Sam and I’m currently the editorial intern here at Tundra. I’m very excited to announce our brand new Tundra Reading Club!

Each month, we’ll post a book and a sign-up form for bloggers. Then we’ll randomly choose the lucky five who will receive a copy (in some cases, an advance copy) in exchange for a review on their blog!

Of course, everyone is free to participate via tweets (@tundrabooks) or in the comment section on the monthly post.

To make it easy to work into your busy schedules, we’ve chosen picture books so it shouldn’t take you too long to read the book of the month (or like me, you might pore over it for hours and be distracted by the illustrations).

TundraReadingClubWithout further ado, welcome to the first month of our reading club! January’s book is Spic-and-Span! Lillian Gilbreth’s Wonder Kitchen by Monica Kulling, illustrated by David Parkins. It’s the beginning of the year and we all have those pesky resolutions to keep, such as organize the kitchen, design efficient appliances, walk the dog and raise eleven children under the age of 19 . . . no? Just Lillian then!

Spic-and-SpanBorn into a life of privilege in 1878, Lillian Moller Gilbreth put her pampered life aside for one of adventure and challenge. She and her husband, Frank, became efficiency experts by studying the actions of factory workers. They ran their home efficiently, too. When Frank suddenly died, Lillian was left to her own devices to raise their eleven children. Eventually, she was hired by the Brooklyn Borough Gas Company to improve kitchen design, which was only the beginning. Lillian Gilbreth was the subject of two movies (Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes), the first woman elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and the first female psychologist to have a U.S. postage stamp issued in her honor. A leading efficiency expert, she was also an industrial engineer, a psychologist, an author, a professor and an inventor.

Visit your local library or bookstore to get reading! If you’re interested, fill in the form below and we’ll randomly select five bloggers to read and review a copy of Spic-and-Span! and join our discussion.

SIGN-UP FORM CLOSED!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Annette, Heather, Ann Marie, Jennifer, and Shilpa! We look forward to your reviews!

Check back in on Monday, January 26, 2015 for our book club’s first meeting to discuss Spic-and-Span!

New York Public Library: 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2014

Audrey_NYPLWe are thrilled to see Audrey (cow) by Dan Bar-el and Tatjana Mai-Wyss on the the New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2014! Congratulations to Dan and Tatjana, Audrey is a runaway hit!

Audrey-cowAudrey (cow)
Written by Dan Bar-el
Illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss
Hardcover | 240 Pages | Ages 7-10
ISBN: 978-1-77049-602-6
“A cow with a dream of freedom escapes a date with the slaughterhouse only to discover that living in the wilderness is an entirely different kind of challenge.” – New York Public Library

National Post: 2014’s Best Books for Kids

NationalPost
We’re feeling warm and fuzzy with all the love for our books this year! Here’s two more recommended titles from the National Post:

Nancy KnowsNancy Knows
Written by Cybèle Young
Hardcover | 40 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 978-1-77049-482-4
“Hours can be spent poring over the illustrations for Cybèle Young’s Nancy Knows, a gorgeous little story in which a forgetful elephant racks her memory, trying to remember what it is she was supposed to do. Nancy’s memories are expressed through dozens of miniature, elaborate paper sculptures, each one handcrafted by Young herself. New details spring up on the page with each repeat reading, making it a book parents won’t quickly tire of during story time.” – Anna Fitzpatrick, National Post

The Hockey Sweater_30th AnniversaryThe Hockey Sweater, 30th Anniversary Edition
Written by Roch Carrier
Illustrated by Sheldon Cohen
Translated by Sheila Fischman
Hardcover | 48 Pages | All Ages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-762-7
“2014 was also a notable year for anniversaries and re-releases. Roch Carrier’s Canadian classic The Hockey Sweater turned 30, which Tundra celebrated with a hardcover special edition.” – Anna Fitzpatrick, National Post

The Next Chapter: 2014 Holiday Children’s Book Panel Selections

The Children’s Book Panel’s Winter 2014 selections:

MICHELE LANDSBERG’S PICK:

Audrey-cowAudrey (cow)
Written by Dan Bar-el
Illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss
Hardcover | 240 Pages | Ages 7-10
ISBN: 978-1-77049-602-6
“Audrey is a cow with poetry in her blood, who yearns for the greener pastures beyond Bittersweet Farms. But when Roy the horse tells this bovine dreamer that she is headed for Abbot’s War, the slaughterhouse, Audrey knows that she must leave her home and friends sooner than she ever imagined. With the help of a whole crew of animals and humans alike, Audrey attempts to escape the farm she lives on — and certain death. Full of heart and humour, Audrey (cow) is ultimately a very human story about life and death, friendship, and holding on to one’s dreams – based more or less on a true story.” – CBC

KEN SETTERINGTON’S BONUS PICKS:

Anne of Green GablesAnne of Green Gables
Written by L. M. Montgomery
Hardcover | 400 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-730-6
“The story of the orphaned red-headed Anne Shirley who is mistakenly adopted by siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert to work on their farm is one of Canada’s most famous pieces of literature. Anne of Green Gables was first published in 1908 and has since sold more than 50 million copies, has been translated into over 20 languages and has spawned stage musicals, television shows and movies, theatre adaptations, amusement parks and more.” – CBC

Emily of New MoonEmily of New Moon
Written by L. M. Montgomery
Hardcover | 448 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-746-7
“In this first volume of the celebrated Emily trilogy, Lucy Maud Montgomery draws a more realistic portrait of a young orphan girl’s life on early twentieth-century Prince Edward Island.” – CBC

Tundra Book Group