James St Supercrawl 2013

Supercrawl
On Saturday, September 14, 2013, visit the First Book Canada booth at the James St Supercrawl to meet our talented authors!

Nancy Hartry will be signing at noon.
SmokescreenSmokescreen
Written by Nancy Hartry
Hardcover | 208 Pages | Ages 12+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-405-3
Nothing in Kerry’s life prepares her for her first summer job. Stationed as far north from Toronto as Florida is south, unqualified and inexperienced, she perceives hazards around every tree. What does she know about fieldwork? Or black bears? Or men? Absolutely nothing-all she’s done with her life so far is competitive dance. If her mother only knew what this job required! Smokescreen is an adrenalin pumping adventure, pitting two resourceful young women against nature and man at their most greedy. Truth and lies. Fire and darkness. Who will triumph when nothing is what it seems?

Monica Kulling will be signing at 12:30pm.
Merci Mister DashMerci Mister Dash!
Written by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Esperanca Melo
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 978-0-88776-964-1
“. . . Kulling, a poet as well as a children’s writer, knows how to create lively images in prose. The ironic contrast between unruly child and peace-loving dog is great entertainment and, coupled with Melo’s lovely illustrations, makes a joyful read.” – Quill & Quire

Nan Forler will be signing at 4:30pm.
Winterberries and Apple BlossomsWinterberries and Apple Blossoms: Reflections and Flavors of a Mennonite Year
Written by Nan Forler
Illustrated by Peter Etril Snyder
Hardcover | 40 Pages | All Ages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-254-7
Winterberries and Apple Blossoms: Reflections and Flavors of a Mennonite Year is a beautiful book and one that makes a great gift. Waterloo author Nan Forler and artist Peter Etril Snyder capture the rhythms of the Old Order Mennonite way of life in this volume.” – Guelph Mercury

Noni at Type Books

Noni Is Nervous at Type Books

We hope you can join Heather Hartt-Sussman at Type Books on Saturday, September 21 from 3:00-5:00 pm. She will be reading from her newest picture book, Noni Is Nervous, and a signing will follow.

PRAISE FOR Noni Is Nervous:

“Côté’s gentle watercolors capture Noni’s emotional experience…. Softly lavender, monochrome illustrations depict Noni’s previous reasons for being nervous, all made right in her mother’s arms…. A charming, seemingly simple book that gets right to the heart of the matter.” – Kirkus Reviews

“The text is clarity itself, while Coté’s rough, splotchy watercolors elicit plenty of emotion from a minimum of strokes. For fearful first-timers, this strikes just the right note of reassurance.” – Booklist

“Young readers will enjoy the gentle watercolour illustrations, and will relate to the charming tale of Noni Is Nervous. Perfect to read aloud and share before the start of the school year.” – The Yummy Mummy Club

TD Summer Reading Club 2013

Go!The TD Summer Reading Club is an inclusive, bilingual program that strives to engage all children in the joy of reading during the summer months. This program is a joint initiative between TD Bank Group, Toronto Public Library, and Library and Archives Canada. Every year a theme is selected from suggestions made across the country. This year’s theme is GO!

Children who register for the TD Summer Reading Club at their local library receive a free promotional reading kit and are encouraged to earn nine collectible stickers by reading books over the summer. They are also invited to participate in programs organized at their local library and share their love of reading with children across the country through the TD Summer Reading club website.

Here are some of the Tundra titles that are being featured in the reading lists this year, make sure you check them out at your local library!

Getting ThereGetting There
Written by Marla Stewart Konrad
Travel in Style: Ages 3-6
Hardcover | 24 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-867-5
From the moment we take our first steps, it seems we are always on the move. Pictured here are the many and unusual ways we get around. Whether they go on their own two feet, by wheeled vehicle, water craft, animal power, or by air, children find some unorthodox and truly imaginative ways to “get there.”

The Flying CanoeThe Flying Canoe
Retold by Roch Carrier
Illustrated by Sheldon Cohen
Translated by Sheila Fischman
Travel in Style: Ages 7-12+
Hardcover | 24 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-636-7
On New Year’s eve, 1847, eleven-year-old Baptiste finds himself far from his friends and family and his home in La Beauce. He has come to the woods of the Ottawa Valley to live and work among “the finest lumberjacks in Canada.” As the New Year approaches, Baptiste and the lumberjacks grow more and more homesick. Resolved to see their families again before the stroke of midnight, the crew board a magical canoe that lifts them into the air, across villages, and closer to home.

Cyclist BikeListCyclist BikeList: The Book for Every Rider
Written by Laura Robinson
Illustrated by Ramon K. Perez
Travel in Style: Ages 8-12+
Trade Paperback | 64 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-784-5
Bikes are becoming an ever-more vital part of daily life for people of all ages. Laura Robinson combines fascinating history (the first bike was propelled by the rider’s feet pushing against the ground) with useful and fun information, including tips for the way to dress for safe and efficient biking; what to eat for maximum body efficiency; and how to select and maintain a bike.

Mable RileyMable Riley: A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril and Romance
Written by Marthe Jocelyn
Discover Art: Ages 9-12+
Hardcover | 288 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-663-3
Composed of the letters Mable sends home, the poems she writes for her classmates, and chapters from her own work-in-progress, Mable Riley is the funny, inspiring, (and reliable) record of a young girl finding her voice, and the courage to make it heard.

Please click here for more information about Matt James, the illustrator who created the artwork for this year’s Reading Club!

TD Summer Reading Club

Guest Post: Searching for Extraordinary Manuscripts

Hello! We’re so happy to have Esme Shapiro here with us at Tundra. You might have already seen some of her illustrations pop up on instagram. She’s not only a talented illustrator, but with her keen sense of art, she’s been helping us search for illustrators for newly acquired manuscripts and giving us valuable input on cover comps. So we hope you enjoy her insights on children’s book publishing and we hope that she’ll write (or draw) many more guest posts!

Esme Shapiro Tundra illustration

Hello there! I am Esme Shapiro, Tundra’s summer 2013 intern.

I have been working here for about a month now, and there is never a dull moment! It has been a very eye opening experience to be a part of this wonderful, creative publishing team. The Tundra team really seems more like a family that all share the same goal: the desire to create amazing stories for children and young adults that expose children to quality illustrators that can stimulate their imaginations. As an aspiring children’s book illustrator, it’s very exciting to see the long and thorough process a book has to go through to finally arrive on the shelves of book stores and libraries. One of my favorite things to do to help out is to read the manuscripts coming in. There are so many great ones, written by so many authors from all over the place, it’s truly inspiring!

So with all these amazing manuscripts coming in, how does one sniff out the extra special ones? As an intern, it took me a while to figure out how to tell a wonderful manuscript from an extraordinary manuscript. There really are so many amazing stories written by talented authors out there, so sometimes it was hard to pick the extra special ones out. I didn’t have the essential critical eye quite just yet. Eventually, after talking with the members of the Tundra Team and listening closely during editorial meetings, I have discovered that an extraordinary manuscript should be a unique experience all on it own. I have put together a list of the sensations you go through when you are reading that extraordinary manuscript.

First, the extraordinary manuscript should reel you in; they don’t call it a hook for nothing. Within the first few pages, you should be so involved that you have the desire to bury your face in the papers- you want to jump right in. Your belly should delightfully rumble with curiosity and your toes should tingle with anticipation.

Then, you should expect a few surprises. You should leave your chair to travel into the world that the author is describing. You should start imagining what that world would taste, look, feel, and smell like. You should begin to really connect to the characters. At this point, the rumble in your tummy should move from your belly to your smile, and a big grin should appear (with perhaps a few giggles or tears).

By the end, the rumble in your tummy and the tingle in your toes should turn into little tiny blue birds that fill you up from your head to your toes. The extraordinary manuscript should tie up all the loose ends like a brilliant seamstress. There should be a lesson you have learned and absorbed all throughout your being. When you are done reading it, you should want to put down the pages and touch them as if it were made out of the most precious of fabric. Flowers should blossom behind your eyes when you recall the book, and the words should echo in your head long after your done reading.

So that is what it feels like to read an extraordinary manuscript – and that’s not even including watching the illustrations bring the story to life!  That’s a whole other story. What a magical experience.

In my month here, I have learned that Tundra Book’s has a special ability to sniff out the extra special books. They give these stories a chance to breathe life into library and book store shelves everywhere.  I’m so honored to have been given the chance to see the inner workings of a company the produces such quality books for children and young adults.

2013 IODE Violet Downey Book Award Winner

The winner was announced at IODE Canada’s 113th National Annual Meeting held at the Carriage House Inn in Calgary, Alberta. We want to congratulate Michael Bedard, The Green Man won!

The Green ManThe Green Man
Written by Michael Bedard
Hardcover | 320 Pages | Ages 10-14
ISBN: 978-1-77049-285-1
eBook: 978-1-77049-293-6
“…Bedard takes full advantage of the genre’s atmospheric creepiness and sepia-toned timelessness…. For more plot-hungry Goosebumps graduates, there are dark strangers, abandoned mansions, ghostly glowing, chilling coincidences, and otherworldly portals galore.” – Starred Review, Quill & Quire

Congratulations to the finalists:

  • Enemy Territory written by Sharon E. McKay
  • My Name is Parvana written by Deborah Ellis
  • One Year in Coal Harbour written by Polly Horvath
  • Yesterday’s Dead written by Pat Bourke

IODE Canada is a national women’s charitable organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals through education support, community service and citizenship programs.

For a list of past winners or for more information about IODE, please visit www.iode.ca.

Tundra Book Group