Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. These titles are now available in stores and online!
It Bears Repeating Written by Tanya Tagaq Illustrated by Cee Pootoogook 24 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774880555 | Tundra Books Beginning with 1 proud polar bear standing tall and ending with 10 bears waving goodbye, this delightful counting book shows polar bears in all their forms: slippery and fast, crafty and cool, hungry and proud. Tanya has created a story meant to be read aloud, incorporating simple Inuktitut words and using her keen ear for the musical sound of language. This book is joyful, powerful, clever and striking – much like the bears who sniff, slide, swim, hunt, play and dance through its pages. And when you get to the last page, you won’t be able to resist going back to repeat the journey!
Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly By Melanie Watt 88 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover ISBN 9780735269637 | Tundra Books Being scared is nothing new to Scaredy Squirrel in his fourth NUTTY ADVENTURE. That’s why he’s fully prepared for Halloween: bright lighting? Check. Adorable pumpkin décor? Check. Costumes? You bet. Ghosts, vampires and monsters? That’s a big negative. And no trick-or-treating; Scaredy doesn’t want to risk cracking a tooth! But with some gentle support and encouragement from his friends, Scaredy learns he can still have a good time and overcome his fears . . . and maybe even get a little spooky! (But just a little.)
We can’t wait to see you reading these titles! If you share these books online, remember to use #ReadTundra in your hashtags so that we can re-post.
At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our authors as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Alexandra Finkeldey!
About the Author:
ALEXANDRA FINKELDEY is an illustrator based in Ottawa, Canada. Her art is focused on noticing and capturing the small, pleasant details of daily life, featuring organic subjects and natural textures, and she has illustrated several picture books, including When the Storks Came Home, Talala: The Curious Leopard Cub Who Joined a Lion Pride, Saving the Spotted Owl, and The Boy, the Cloud and the Very Tall Tale.
Fast Five with Alexandra Finkeldey:
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
One day, I would love to try living in the country. A wooden cabin in the woods or in the mountains, preferably near a lake (I love to swim). I’ve only ever lived in cities. While I absolutely adore the pace and comforts of city life, I fantasize about living a slower life, surrounded by nature. Maybe when I’m older!
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
Going outside. No matter what kind of day I’ve had, I can usually lift my spirits by going for a walk around my neighborhood. Lately, I’ve been going for walks without music or a podcast playing in my ears. This helps me pay attention to my surroundings, which include birds, neighbors, pets, gardens, and nature sounds. It feels good to move my body, and it helps me to calm down. As a bonus: I usually get a lot of new ideas for drawings and paintings!
Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Lunch! Cooking is one of my favorite activities, and lunch is when I feel most creative and energized. And, since I work from home, I’m able to take my time to make something nice and nourishing (usually involving lots of veggies). While I’m eating, I like to call family and friends. It’s nice to hear their voices and have company while I eat.
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
The best concert I’ve ever been to was Fleet Foxes, here in Ottawa, Canada. They are one of my favorite bands! I was lucky to see them in a very small, cozy setting. They played a local music festival on a small stage. It was the middle of summer and the weather was perfect. At one point, the lead singer, Robin Pecknold, sang one song on his own (just his voice and his guitar). The audience was silent as stone. It was such a special experience.
What do you like to do outdoors?
I often say that my favorite thing to do outdoors is: “walk around and look at stuff”. I like to pay close attention to all types of life outside. For me, paying attention looks like birdwatching, mushroom foraging, identifying plants, sketching landscapes, taking photos of trees . . . the list goes on! I also love hiking, camping, gardening, and swimming in lakes and rivers. Since I live in Ontario, Canada, I’m lucky to have access to many natural areas. If you ever see me sitting still and silently outside, I promise I’m not bored. I’m soaking up the sights and sounds, gathering inspiration, and feeling so much gratitude for this beautiful planet.
Books by Alexandra Finkeldey:
On a Mushroom Day Written by Chris Baker Illustrated by Alexandra Finkeldey 40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774882580 | Tundra Books A mushroom day is a day of exploring together and discovering some of the most incredible lifeforms on earth: fungi. In this lyrical, informational picture book structured around a walk through a summertime wood, a child and their caregiver share the sights, sounds and smells of the forest as they observe and identify different varieties of mushrooms. On a Mushroom Day encourages curiosity and a love of fungi in young children and normalizes safe, chaperoned joyful exploration of the fungal queendom all around us. Filled with fun, fascinating fungi facts and a visual catalogue of mushroom species so that kids can enjoy their very own mushroom day in the pages of this book!
#WindowWednesday: We are incredibly fortunate to have stores create window features of our books. We want to highlight their amazing work here on our blog for you to see (and perhaps you’ll discover a new local bookstore).
We Are Definitely Human By X. Fang 48 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774882023 | Tundra Books When three mysterious visitors from “Europe” crash-land in Mr. Li’s field, he does what any good host would: he invites them back to his farmhouse and offers to help fix up their “car”. No, there’s nothing strange about these guests at all. Just like other humans, they “make business”, “play sportsball” and “wear hat”. As the townsfolk also come to the aid of the visitors and the gathering turns into a little party, interplanetary relations reach an all-time high. A sweetly funny extraterrestrial offering that explores surprising acts of kindness and acceptance, X. Fang’s second picture book is truly out of this world.
Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. This title is now available in stores and online!
Troop Esme Written by Lourdes Heuer Illustrated by Marissa Valdez 80 Pages | Ages 7-10 | Hardcover ISBN 9780735269460 | Tundra Books Esme lives with her grandparents on the uppermost floor of the topmost best building. She has just met a future friend named Wendall who came to her door selling Troop Badger cookies. He is hoping to earn his Cookie Empresario badge. Esme thinks she would like to earn a Cookie Empresario badge too! One small problem: she is not in Troop Badger. But Esme is a problem solver! She decides to start her own troop: Troop Esme. It will include all the neighbors in the topmost best building. And her first act as troop leader? Help Wendall sell all his cookies, of course! A funny and delightful story about cookies, badges and most importantly, friendship.
We can’t wait to see you reading this title! If you share this book online, remember to use #ReadTundra in your hashtags so that we can re-post.
At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our authors as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Christina Uss!
About the Author:
CHRISTINA USS is the author of the middle-grade novels The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle, The Colossus of Roads, Erik vs. Everything and A Few Bicycles More, which have received many accolades, including multiple starred reviews; JLG selections; numerous state lists, including the Texas Bluebonnet list, Maine Student Book Award and Vermont’s Dorothy Canfield Fisher list; a Kirkus Best Book of the Year and more. She lives in Massachusetts.
Fast Five with Christina Uss:
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
In a little tiny place on a beach where I can ride my bike to a library.
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
Listening to my favorite music! I have a “Moodboosting Playlist” that includes everything from Queen to Megan Trainor to Beethoven.
Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
ALL OF THEM, yes please, thank you. I love to eat so very much. Food – especially food someone else cooked for me – is one of the great joys of my life.
What’s your “dance like nobody’s watching” song?
“Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves. If it comes on, you know I’m jumping up to dance.
What’s something you always say “yes” to? And what’s something you always say “no” to?
I always, always, always say yes to hot buttered popcorn, even if I’ve just eaten a whole bowl. And I always, always, always say no to waking up one single minute earlier than I have to.
Books by Christina Uss:
The Island Before No Written by Christina Uss Illustrated by Hudson Christie 56 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover ISBN 9780735272415 | Tundra Books When you’re a walrus living on an island where the answer to every question is YES, life is pretty simple, especially when that’s all you’ve ever known. It’s great when you want a slice of birthday cake for breakfast . . . and not so great when someone asks you to wear an itchy shirt. But one day, a kid shows up, brandishing an entirely new word: NO. NO is heavy like a bookcase, solid as a boulder. It’s not shaped like YES, but somehow, it’s still an answer. The kid calls his friends to come visit the island too, and it’s not long before they’ve eaten up all of the yummiest food without sharing. What’s worse, none of them bring their own toothbrushes . . . It becomes clear that what the walruses all need is to find their own NO . . . not only to hold back the rampaging horde of children – but for their own sakes as well. The Island Before No is a hilarious new picture book that blends its zany fun with an important message about respecting and setting boundaries.
The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle By Christina Uss 336 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Paperback ISBN 9780823445738 | Margaret Ferguson Books Introverted Bicycle has lived most of her life at the Mostly Silent Monastery in Washington, D.C. – and she likes it that way. But when her guardian, Sister Wanda, announces that Bicycle is going to attend a camp where she will learn to make friends, Bicycle says no way. Determined to prove she can make friends on her own, she sets off on her bike for San Francisco to meet her idol, a famous cyclist, certain he will be her first true friend. Who knew that a ghost would haunt her handlebars and that she would have to contend with bike-hating dogs, a bike-loving horse, bike-crushing pigs, and a mysterious lady dressed in black. Over the uphills and downhills of her journey, Bicycle discovers that friends are not such a bad thing to have after all, and that a dozen cookies really can solve most problems.
A Few Bicycles More By Christina Uss 272 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Paperback ISBN 9780823455904 | Margaret Ferguson Books Bicycle has been back from her cross-country adventure with her robot-like bike, named Fortune, for just a month when it starts malfunctioning, insisting that they pedal away from their home in Washington D.C. to Harpers Ferry in West Virginia. Once there, they discover a scrapyard where bicycles are being crushed and recycled – and it appears they are too late to save them. Bicycle and Fortune head to a convenience store so Bicycle can drown her sorrows with a chocolate bar. Much to her astonishment, she meets her long-lost family there. Bicycle learns that they have been looking for her since she disappeared as a toddler and that she is a quintuplet. She is happy to go live with them except for one thing: her family doesn’t share her passion for cycling. In fact, her sisters have never even ridden a bike. Then Fortune acts up again, leading Bicycle back to the scrapyard where she discovers that there are four bicycles left and they were all made by the same inventor who created her Fortune. Four seems too coincidental to ignore – the perfect number to bring her sisters up to speed. She sets a plan in motion to rescue the bikes, a plan that if it works will help her fit into her family and still stay true to her cycling self.
The Colossus of Roads By Christina Uss 208 Pages | Ages 9-12 | Paperback ISBN 9780823449897 | Margaret Ferguson Books Rick Rusek’s stomach has a lot to say. It’s got opinions on tasty foods, not-so-tasty foods, and driving in traffic-jammed Los Angeles makes it roil, boil, gurgle, and howl. It’s doing the best it can. It never meant to earn its owner the nickname Carsick Rick or make him change schools for fifth grade. And Rick’s stomach isn’t the only one dealing with terrible traffic. His family’s catering service, Smotch, is teetering on the verge of ruin after a rash of late deliveries and missed appointments. Fortunately, Rick has the solution. Unfortunately, no one wants to listen to a kid. Absolutely certain that he could fix the constant, endless traffic snarls, Rick hatches a plan. But he’ll need help from his unicorn-loving Girl Scout neighbor, a famous street artist, and the best driver in L.A. Together they’ll take on the stream of stalled cars – and a secret conspiracy or two, too. It’s going to be tough, but Rick won’t give up. If he can successfully move the 330,000 slow-moving cars standing in the way of his family’s future, maybe everyone will see that he’s not Carsick Rick. He’s one of the seven wonders of Los Angeles.
