Toronto – Page 17 – Tundra Book Group

November 20, 2013May 7, 2025

Invitation to the Little Chicken Duck Book Launch

Please join Tim Beiser and Bill Slavin in celebrating the launch of their newest book, Little Chicken Duck.

When: Sunday, December 1, 2013
Time: 1:00 to 3:00 pm
Where: Type Books
Address: 883 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M6J 1G3â€Ž

Little Chicken Duck
Written by Tim Beiser
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Hardcover | 24 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 978-1-77049-392-6
And so begins the charming story of Little Chicken Duck, whose fear of water prevents her from learning to swim. Taken under Froggie’s wing, she is brought into the forest clearing, where each of the birds, in turn, confesses their deepest fear and how they came to terms with it. This heartwarming tale in rhyme is lovingly illustrated by the playful, enchanting illustrations by artist Bill Slavin.

October 25, 2013May 7, 2025

2013 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award

The winners were announced on Tuesday night for the 2013 Canadian Children’s Literature Awards. Tundra is extremely happy to tell you that we took home the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, an award that honours excellence in the illustrated picture book format, for children aged 3 to 8. Congratulations to Cary Fagan and DuÅ¡an PetriÄiÄ‡!

Mr. Zinger’s Hat
Written by Cary Fagan
Illustrated by DuÅ¡an PetriÄiÄ‡
“A charming, marvelous tale surrounding the art of creating and telling stories, Mr. Zinger’s Hat celebrates the budding friendship between an elderly writer and a young boy who discovers a storyteller within … Fagan’s writing is beautifully crafted. The exchanges between his protagonists are so vivid that one feels as if one is eavesdropping in on a real conversation … PetriÄiÄ‡’s engaging artwork deftly juxtaposes two distinct styles which portray a real-life setting and an imaginary world … The illustrations vividly depict the storyteller’s wry humour and the boy’s wide-eyed innocence.”

Many thanks to the jury memebers: Lorraine Filyer, former Literature Officer, Ontario Arts Council; Todd Kyle, CEO, Newmarket Public Library and President, Board of Directors, Canadian Children’s Book Centre; and Senta Ross, children’s book reviewer and former elementary teacher and teacher-librarian.

This year, TD Bank Group, sponsor of the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, partnered with CBC Books to present the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Fan Choice Award. Young readers were asked to pick their favourite book from the shortlisted TD Award titles in an online poll. Annaka Leib of Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, was in attendance to present the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Fan Choice Award to Polly Horvath for her novel, One Year in Coal Harbour. The other winners were:

TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award
One Year in Coal Harbour written by Polly Horvath

Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction
Kids of Kabul: Living Bravely Through a Never-Ending War written by Deborah Ellis

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People
The Lynching of Louie Sam written by Elizbeth Stewart

John Spray Mystery Award
The Lynching of Louie Sam written by Elizbeth Stewart

Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy
Seraphina written by Rachel Hartman

Congratulations to all the authors and we have photos from the ceremony on Instagram!

October 15, 2013May 7, 2025

The 2014 OLA Forest of ReadingÂ® Nominees

Today, the Ontario Library Association revealed the nominated titles for the 2014 Forest of Reading® program. Tundra would like to congratulate the nominated authors and illustrators!

Blue Spruceâ„¢ Nominee:
Mr. Zinger’s Hat
Written by Cary Fagan
Illustrated by DuÅ¡an PetriÄiÄ‡
Hardcover | 32 pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-253-0
“Every child needs a Mr. Zinger – and his hat! – in his or her life…. PetriÄiÄ‡’s illustrations change from loose, soft watercolors to sharply defined cartoon drawings when the two enter the realm of their shared fiction…. This book oh-so-softly brings across a sweet multigenerational message about sharing the power of imagination.” – Booklist

Silver Birch® Express Nominees:
When I Get Older
The Story behind “Wavin’ Flag”
Written by K’NAAN and Sol Guy
Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
Hardcover | 32 pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-302-5
“Somali-Canadian musician K’naan’s first children’s book tells the inspirational story of his immigration to Canada to escape the Somali War. K’naan uses accessible yet poetic language to draw in young readers, exploring his adjustment to Canada and how music kept him connected to his family. Gutierrez’s artwork powerfully conveys a new immigrant’s sense of alienation.” – Parents Canada

Red Mapleâ„¢ Fiction Nominees
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
Written by Susin Nielsen
Hardcover | 256 pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-372-8
eBook: 978-1-77049-373-5
“…With fully developed adult and child characters and a solid sense of middle school humor, the author has crafted an insightful and nuanced novel about bullying and suicide, and familial love and resilience.” – Starred Review, School Library Journal

The Toronto Festival of Treesâ„¢ will be taking place on May 14-15, 2014 at the Harbourfront Centre. We will be there to cheer on our authors and illustrators!

October 10, 2013May 7, 2025

In Conversation: Robbie Robertson

On Tuesday, October 8, co-authors Robbie Robertson (Canadian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer-songwriter and guitarist for The Band) and Jim Guerinot came out to Indigo Bay and Bloor at Manulife Centre for a special event!

We arrived extra early. You can see here that the publicity team is helping Robbie Robertson get through the stack of books and CDs that needed to be signed.

On stage, Canadian broadcaster and music writer Alan Cross interviewed Robbie Robertson and Jim Guerinot about Legends, Icons & Rebels.

A book signing followed, look at that line up!

One of the talented illustrators, Brian Hoang, also came out to the event and got his book signed!

We’d like to echo Jim Guerinot’s sentiments, Brian Hoang’s art is spectacular! And we agree with Robbie Robertson, Brian nailed it!

You’d have to see it for yourself. Here’s Brian Hoang’s artwork for Louis Jordan and Stevie Wonder.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the event and thank you to the team at Indigo! We loved seeing these photos from bookverveca; indigogreenroom (2 and 3); pitre88; and thewalrus3030!

We’ve been hearing some great feedback from American Songwriter; Classic Rock Magazine; CTM Edge; Grammy.com; Huffington Post; IndieWire; JamBands; Kirkus Reviews; Metro News; MSN.com; Publishers Weekly; Shelf Awareness; The Telegraph; and Ultimate Classic Rock. Plus, you can listen in to the interview on CBC Radio’s Q with Jian Ghomeshi. Or, watch this segment on Global News!

It’s no wonder the book has been an Editors’ Pick for the month of October on Amazon, as well as a bestseller in the Composer & Musician Biographies, Children’s Music Books, and Children’s Musical Biographies categories!

October 3, 2013May 7, 2025

Launch of: Whimsy’s Heavy Things

What a lovely launch for Whimsy’s Heavy Things! The event was held on Wednesday, October 3 at Modern Baby with Mabel’s Fables on hand to sell books. A fantastic turnout of friends, families, and fans came to congratulate Julie Kraulis on her first picture book publication. Here are some photos from the reception:

Modern Baby is all spruced up and ready to welcome guests!