2016 Telling Tales: A Festival of Stories

tellingtalesIt’s another busy fall, but the great thing is you have many options for literary festivals and events. For instance, the 8th annual Telling Tales is happening on Sunday, September 18, 2016 in Rockton, Ontario.

The Dark Missions of Edgar BrimThe Dark Missions of Edgar Brim
By Shane Peacock
Not for the faint of heart. Listen to author Shane Peacock discuss his first Gothic horror novel The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim.
For ages 9 and up
12:00 PM – Teen Zone (Summer Stage)
2:15 PM – Bandstand

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srOFsmf9ipk]

If I Had a GryphonIf I Had a Gryphon
By Vikki VanSickle
Illustrated by Cale Atkinson
Vikki VanSickle is an award-winning author of novels and picture books for children. If I Had a Gryphon is a laugh-out-loud pet story with a twist, featuring magical creatures in realistic situations. Vikki will have her magical pet care kit, with clues to some of the creatures in the book. Children are invited to play pet detective before delving into the story. Vikki is also the marketing and publicity manager at Penguin Random House Canada and will moderate our “Meet the Publishers” talk for ages 12 and up.
12:30 PM – Cathcart School House (for ages 3 to 7)
2:45 PM – Mountsberg Church (for ages 12 and up)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9vikZBG8kY]

who-broke-the-teapotWho Broke the Teapot?!
By Bill Slavin
If you love illustration, don’t miss Bill Slavin. Bill has illustrated over 100 books for kids, including the award-winning Stanley series, graphic novel trilogy Elephants Never Forget, and best-selling Transformed: How Everyday Things are Made. Join Bill for a fun session that includes a collaborative reading of his new picture book Who Broke the Teapot?!, plus a drawing demo where one lucky child will take home an original drawing!
2:15 PM – Telling Tales: Jerseyville Railway Station

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhBLhHPqwfU]

2013 Telling Tales: A Festival of Stories

Telling Tales

This year, the 5th annual Telling Tales: A Family Festival of Stories is being held on Sunday, September 15, 2013 at the Westfield Heritage Village. Gates open at 9:30am and the festival ends around 4:00pm. Parents, grandparents, educators, aspiring writers and illustrators, established writers and illustrators, storytellers, musicians, literacy champions, history buffs, and lovers of stories will enjoy Telling Tales!

Cary Fagan at Telling Tales
Cary Fagan reading Mr. Zinger’s Hat at Telling Tales in 2012.

Location:
Westfield Heritage Village
Rockton, ON L0R 1X0

Located about 30 minutes from Hamilton, Kitchener, Cambridge, Waterloo, Brantford, Burlington, Oakville, and Milton. Guests can park at the Rockton Fairgrounds and take the 5 minute complimentary shuttle service (thanks to Hillfield-Strathallan Colleges) to Westfiled Heritage Village. All free of charge! There is NO General parking at Westfield.

Marthe Jocelyn sharing Ones and Twos at Telling Tales in 2012.
Marthe Jocelyn sharing Ones and Twos at Telling Tales in 2012.

Don’t forget to meet our authors at the festival this year:

My Name Is BlessingERIC WALTERS
Jerseyville Railway Station from 10:30 am – 11:00 am
Bryan Prince Bookseller tent at 11:15 am and 2:15 pm
Lockhart Meadow from 1:30 pm – 2:00 pm

Clever KatarinaKEN SETTERINGTON
Mountsberg Church from 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm
Bryan Prince Bookseller tent at 12:45 pm and 2:15 pm
Native Village from 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm

SplintersKEVIN SYLVESTER
Jerseyville Railway Station from 12:30 pm – 1:00 pm
Bryan Prince Bookseller tent at 1:15 pm and 3:45 pm
Bandstand from 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm

For more information about the festival, visit the Telling Tales website or download the schedule and program. There’s even a festival app!

2012 Telling Tales: A Festival of Stories

This year, the 4th annual Telling Tales: A Family Festival of Stories is being held on Sunday, September 16, 2012 at the Westfield Heritage Village. Gates open at 9:30am and the festival ends around 4:00pm. Parents, grandparents, educators, aspiring writers and illustrators, established writers and illustrators, storytellers, musicians, literacy champions, history buffs, and lovers of stories will enjoy Telling Tales!

Location:
Westfield Heritage Village
Rockton, ON L0R 1X0

Free parking available only at the Rockton Fairgrounds with complimentary shuttle service to Westfiled Heritage Village.

Don’t forget to meet our authors at the festival this year:

Mr. Zinger’s Hat
Written by Cary Fagan
Where: One Room School House
When: 11:30-12:00 p.m.
Cary Fagan is the award-winning author of several young adult novels and picture books. This wonderful new story is about stories, and story-telling, and is sure to enchant and instruct children at home and at school for years to come.

Ones and Twos
Written and illustrated by Marthe Jocelyn

Where: One Room School House
When: 12:30-1:00 p.m and 2:00-2:30 p.m.
Marthe Jocelyn’s ability to present important-to-learn concepts to the very young has garnered accolades from around the world. Each brightly illustrated page invites children to identify familiar objects ranging from kites to socks, from one nest to the two birds sitting in it. Ones and Twos gives little toddlers and their caregivers much to discuss and to enjoy together, and it introduces an exciting new creative team.

Me & Death: An Afterlife Adventure
Written by Richard Scrimger

Where: Jerseyville Railway Station
When: 11:45-12:15 p.m.
Where: Bandstand
When: 1:15-1:45 p.m.
Fresh from having stolen a piece of fruit and taunting the grocer, Jim, a fourteen-year-old wannabe gangster, bully, and car thief, is run over by a car. What follows is a hilarious, bleak, and ultimately hopeful visit to the afterworld, courtesy of Richard Scrimger, one of the country’s finest writers.

Becoming Holmes: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Final Case
Written by Shane Peacock

Where: Jerseyville Railway Station
When: 12:30-1:00 p.m.
Where: Bandstand
When: 2:15-2:45 p.m.
Becoming Sherlock is the final book in Shane Peacock’s award-winning Boy Sherlock Holmes series, combining brilliant storytelling with fascinating historical detail, and a mystery worthy of one of the greatest sleuths in English literature.

There’s more information about the festival on the website and downloadable program. See you there!

Telling Tales: A Festival of Stories

On Sunday, September 18th the third annual Telling Tales Festival took place in Westfield Heritage Village in Rockton, Ontario. Hundreds attended and there was no shortage of things to do in this replica of a 19th century village which was also a filming location for the popular Anne of Green Gables film series. Many authors including Tim Beiser, Jo Ellen Bogart, and Robin Muller read from their books and the staff of the Village demonstrated crafts and trades that were common for the time.

On behalf of everyone at Tundra Books, a huge thanks to the organizers, staff and volunteers of the Telling Tales Festival and of Westfield Heritage Village for a fantastic day!

Author and artist, Robin Muller presents original sketches of his stunning picture book, The Nightwood, outside the One Room School House.

Author and Storyteller, Itah Sadu performs to a rapt audience at the Bandstand.

The general store was well stocked with candy and other treats!

Telling Tales 2011

This year, the 3rd annual Telling Tales: A Family Festival of Stories is being held on Sunday, September 18, 2011 at the Westfield Heritage Village. Gates open at 9:30am and the festival ends around 4:00pm. You don’t want to miss it, Telling Tales won the 2010 Tourism Hamilton Award of Excellence – Festival of the Year!

Don’t forget to meet our authors at the festival this year:

Bradley McGogg
The Very Fine Frog
By Tim Beiser
Illustrated by Rachel Berman
Trade Paperback | 24 Pages | Ages 2-5
ISBN: 978-1-77049-276-9
Tim Beiser was born on April Fools’ Day in Los Angeles, California. After earning a degree in Economics at Rocky Mountain College in Montana, he moved to New York City where he spent sixteen years as a playwright and science fiction short-story writer. He was a writer-in-residence at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico, and he founded the creative writing studio The Writer’s Workout in Manhattan. Like most New York artists, Tim has had many day jobs: a pastry chef, an architectural draftsman, a college teacher, a waiter, a nightclub performer, a computer repairman, and, lastly, an emergency medical technician for the Fire Department of New York, driving an ambulance. Tim received a B.A.A. in Journalism from Ryerson University and started a career as a freelance magazine writer. For his work in such publications as National Post Business, Toronto Life, Elm Street, Reader’s Digest, and Saturday Night, Tim has been nominated for four National Magazine Awards. Bradley McGogg, the Very Fine Frog is his first book for children. Tim Beiser is the proud dad of twins Rowan and Daniel, and he and his family split their time between Toronto, Canada and Grignan, France.

Capturing Joy
The Story of Maud Lewis
By Jo Ellen Bogart
Illustrated by Mark Lang
Trade Paperback | 32 Pages | Ages 8-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-262-2
Jo Ellen Bogart is the author of many best-selling children’s books, including Big and Small, Room for All; Jeremiah Learns to Read; Daniel’s Dog; and Gifts. She has degrees in elementary education and psychology from the University of Texas, and she now writes full time. Jo Ellen has won the Ruth Schwartz Award and has been shortlisted for the Mr. Christie’s Book Award. Her first book for Tundra was a biography of Maud Lewis called Capturing Joy: The Story of Maud Lewis. Born in Houston, Texas, she now lives in a pet-filled home in Guelph, Ontario.

The Nightwood
By Robin Muller
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 5-8
ISBN: 978-1-77049-209-7
Robin Muller is an internationally acclaimed author and illustrator of children’s books. He received the Studio Magazine Award for Illustration (silver) for The Nightwood, the Governor General’s Award for The Magic Paintbrush, and the 1995 IODE Award for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. He was a medalist for the Ezra Jack Keats Memorial Award. Robin Muller lives in Toronto.

Click here for photos from the festival’s first year!

Tundra Book Group