CTV Your Morning Kids’ Book Segment on Quarantine Reads and Virtual Storytimes

Your Morning VVOur Marketing & Publicity Associate Director, Vikki VanSickle, was on CTV’s Your Morning today to talk about books to read while in quarantine and virtual events to keep kids occupied. Check out our titles from her recommended list below and don’t forget to watch her segment!

AGES 3-7

Studio: A Place for Art to Start
By Emily Arrow
Illustrated by The Little Friends of Printmaking
ISBN 9780735264854 | Hardcover
40 Pages | Tundra Books
In this charming ode to creativity, noted children’s singer and entertainer Emily Arrow introduces readers to the concept of the studio: a place for painters, dancers, singers, actors, sculptors, printmakers . . . and you! Whether it’s a purpose-made space with big windows, a room filled with equipment, or the corner of a bedroom, your studio can be anywhere–you just have to find it! Check out At Home with Emily Arrow on YouTube!

Alma and the Beast
By Esme Shapiro
ISBN 9780735263963 | Hardcover
44 Pages | Tundra Books
Alma lives happily in her hairy world, where she can braid the trees, comb the grass, pet the roof and feed her plumpooshkie butterfly. Until one day . . . a hairless, button-nosed beast appears in the garden!

If I Had a Gryphon
By Vikki VanSickle
Illustrated by Cale Atkinson
ISBN 9781770498099 | Hardcover
32 Pages | Tundra Books
If I Had a Gryphon is a raucous rhyming read-aloud about fantastical beasts in everyday situations–and the increasingly beleaguered heroine who has to deal with them. Keep up with all our virtual story times and events using this handy schedule!

AGES 6-9

Megabat
By Anna Humphrey
Illustrated by Kass Reich
ISBN 9780735266957 | Paperback
192 Pages | Tundra Books
The first installment of a sweet and hilarious chapter book series about a boy and a bat, two unlikely friends who bond over loneliness, jellyrolls and Darth Vader.

AGES 8-12

The Last Kids on Earth
By Max Brallier
Illustrated by Douglas Holgate
ISBN 9780670016617 | Hardcover
240 Pages | Viking Books For Young Readers
Told in a mixture of text and black-and-white illustration, this is the perfect book for any kid who’s ever dreamed of starring in his or her own comic book or video game. And then grab the rest of the series, now a New York Times bestseller!

The first season of The Last Kids on Earth is available on Netflix now!

AGES 12+

The Blue Castle
By Tanya Lloyd Kyi
ISBN 9780735265233 | Paperback
288 Pages | Tundra Books
At twenty-nine, Valancy has never been in love, and it seems romance has passed her by. Then a letter arrives from Dr. Trent–and Valancy decides to throw caution to the winds. For the first time in her life Valancy does and says exactly what she wants. Soon she discovers a surprising new world, full of love and adventures far beyond her most secret dreams. Listen to Rachel McAdams narrating Anne of Green Gables for free on Audible.ca!

The Story of Owen
By E.K. Johnston
ISBN 9780823445028 | Paperback
320 Pages | Holiday House
Dragons. In modern day North America. How can sixteen-year-old Owen fight back when he can barely pass algebra? It takes a village to train a dragon slayer, and Owen needs all the help he can get.

Mathical Honor Book

The Mathical Book Prize aims to inspire a love of mathematics in children of all ages. It is awarded by the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, in partnership with the National Council of Teachers of English and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and in coordination with the Children’s Book Council. We would like to congratulate Miguel Tanco whose beautiful book, Count On Me, has been named an honor book in the Grades K-2 category.

Count On Me
By Miguel Tanco
ISBN 9780735265752 | Hardcover
Ages 3-7 | Tundra Books
Everyone has a passion. For some, it’s music. For others, it’s art. For our heroine, it’s math. When she looks around the world, she sees math in all the beautiful things: the concentric circles a stone makes in a lake, the curve of a slide, the geometric shapes in the playground. Others don’t understand her passion, but she doesn’t mind. There are infinite ways to see the world. And through math is one of them.

 

Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award Honor

The Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award was established in 1985 and is named for one of Canada’s preeminent book illustrators. In her will, Cleaver left a fund for an award to be given annually in recognition of outstanding artist talent in a Canadian picture book. The Cleaver Award is administered by a committee of three members of the Canadian section of the International Board on Books for Young People. We are thrilled to announce that King Mouse, written by Cary Fagan and illustrated by Dena Seiferling, has been selected as an honor book. 

King Mouse
By Cary Fagan
Illustrated by Dena Seiferling
ISBN 9780735264045 | Hardcover
Ages 3-7 | Tundra Books
“Monochromatic illustrations with hints of pale pastel really bring the story to life and their whimsy and gentleness add to the story. The wordless double page spread of the crowns spilling from the wagon and the final page with the crowns left on the table add another dimension to the story. An exquisite book that looks like being discovered in an antiquarian bookshop with its sepia coloured fine drawings of talking animals and an embossed golden ex libris. A charming tale of treasure hunting and make believe orchestrated by its hidden narrator.” – The Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award judges 

 

Virtual Story Times and Singalongs

Important information for teachers, librarians and booksellers: Penguin Random House Open License Online Story Time and Classroom Read-Aloud Videos and Live Events

If you’re a Tundra, Puffin Canada, or Penguin Teen Canada author or illustrator, and you want to get involved during this time, please reach out to your publicist (Evan or Sam).

In times of need, you can always depend on the KidLit community to band together and help out. Many authors and illustrators are doing live events on social media for kids to tune into from home! We will be compiling a list of our authors and illustrators who are pitching in with virtual events for families to enjoy:

Monday, March 16, 2020 – ongoing

Monday, March 16, 2020

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Friday, March 20, 2020

  • Ben Clanton, the author-illustrator of the Narwhal and Jelly graphic novel series, will be doing Facebook Live author visits at 5:00 pm EST (2:00 pm PST).

Monday, March 23, 2020 – ongoing

  • Ben Clanton, the author of the Narwhal and Jelly series, will be doing Miximal Mondays on his Instagram live at 12:30 pm EST (9:30 am PST).
  • Susin Nielsen, the author of No Fixed Address, will be reading a chapter a day on her Twitter live at 1:00 pm EST (10:00 am PST).
  • David A. Robertson, the author of The Barren Grounds, will be reading a chapter a day on his Twitter live at 1:30 pm EST (10:30 am PST).

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

  • Elly MacKay, the author-illustrator of Red Sky at Night, will be reading her picture book and demonstrating a craft on Tundra’s Instagram Live at 2:00 pm EST (11:00 am PST).

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Monday, March 30, 2020 – ongoing

  • Dan Bar-el, the author of Audrey (cow), will be reading a portion a day of his middle grade novel on his Facebook Live at 2:00 pm EST (11:00 am PST). Download the Character List to follow which of the thirty-three narrators are speaking!

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Friday, April 3, 2020

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

  • We are hosting a Zoom lunch at 12:30 pm EST with Anna Humphrey and Kass Reich to celebrate the Megabat series. RSVP here to get the Zoom link!

Please refer to THIS PAGE for the most up-to-date event information.

Last updated on: Monday, April 13, 2020 at 10:27 am EST.

Tundra Book Group