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Tuesdays with Tundra

Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. These titles are now available in stores and online!

I’m From
Written by Gary R. Gray, Jr.
Illustrated by Oge Mora
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774886168 | Puffin Canada
Early morning wake-ups and homemade pancakes, 
Raucous bus rides and schoolyard games, 
Family games and bedtime rituals . . . These are the small moments that shape a child’s day. I’m From is an invitation into the vivid world of one small boy, a poetic account of all the people and places and things that shape who he is and define where he is from.

The Good Little Mermaid’s Guide to Bedtime
Written by Eija Sumner
Illustrated by Nici Gregory
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735267893 | Tundra Books
Once upon an evening, a good little mermaid begins to get ready for bed. Once upon? No. Not once upon. I know what that means. And I’m NOT a good little mermaid. I am a PREDATOR! Thus begins our story of a little mermaid who is anything but good. Sleep? Sleep is for guppies! This little mermaid is a TERROR of the DEEP. Cleaning up and putting toys away? This little mermaid doesn’t need TOYS. The ocean is her playground, and everything in it is afraid of HER. Brushing her teeth and flossing? Never! Well . . . maybe a little bit so they gleam like RAZOR-SHARP BLADES. Cleverly told through a back and forth between The Good Little Mermaid’s Guide to Bedtime and a mermaid who is resisting bedtime at every turn, this story will delight readers with its hilarious illustrations and adorable but VERY SCARY main character. Will she ever go to sleep? Read on to find out.

The Gulf
By Adam de Souza
240 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774880739 | Tundra Books
Ever since Oli found a pamphlet for a remote island commune as a kid, it’s all she can think about. Now that she’s nearing the end of high school, feeling frustrated with the mounting pressure to choose a career and follow a path she has no interest in, the desire to escape it all has been steadily increasing. Everything comes to a head when Oli’s relationship with her best friend goes south and she claps back at a school bully with more than just words. Oli flees to find the commune on a Gulf Island off the coast of Vancouver, taking with her Milo, who can’t help but hide his feelings behind the safety of a video camera, and Alvin, a shy teen who sees more than he lets on. Behind them trails Liam, Oli’s ex-best-friend and sometimes love interest, who wants to apologize for the way things went down. All four are grappling with a world that cannot be changed . . . and simply trying to find their place in it. This YA anti-coming-of-age road trip adventure, by talented up-and-coming comic artist Adam de Souza, captures at once the angst and humor of being a teen during a time of great transition.

The Gulf is also available today in paperback!

Unstoppable Us, Volume 2: Why the World Isn’t Fair
Written by Yuval Noah Harari
Illustrated by Ricard Zaplana Ruiz
208 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774884874 | Puffin Canada
Humans may have taken over the world, but what happened next? How did our hunter-gatherer ancestors become village farmers? Why were kingdoms and laws established? How did we go from being the rulers of Earth to the rulers of each other? And why isn’t the world fair? The answer to all of that is one of the strangest tales you’ll ever hear. And it’s a true story. From cultivating land and sharing resources to building pyramids and paying taxes, prepare to discover how humans created civilization – and suffered the consequences for it. Acclaimed author Yuval Noah Harari is back with another expertly crafted story of how humans became “unstoppable,” complete with maps, a timeline, and full-color illustrations that bring his dynamic unputdownable writing to life.

New in Paperback:

Bug in a Vacuum
By Mélanie Watt
96 Pages | Ages 5-9 | Tundra Books
ISBN 9781770496460 | Paperback
A bug flies through an open door into a house, through a bathroom, across a kitchen and bedroom and into a living room . . . where its entire life changes with the switch of a button. Sucked into the void of a vacuum bag, this one little bug moves through denial, bargaining, anger, despair and eventually acceptance – the five stages of grief – as it comes to terms with its fate. Will there be a light at the end of the tunnel?

Unstoppable Us, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the World
Written by Yuval Noah Harari
Illustrated by Ricard Zaplana Ruiz
224 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Paperback
ISBN 9781774882238 | Puffin Canada
Even though we’ll never outrun a hungry lion or outswim an angry shark, humans are pretty impressive – and the most dominant species on the planet. So, how did we become “unstoppable”? The answer to that is one of the strangest tales you’ll ever hear. And it’s a true story. From learning to make fire and using the stars as guides to cooking meals in microwaves and landing on the moon, prepare to uncover the secrets and superpowers of how we evolved from our first appearances millions of years ago. Acclaimed author Yuval Noah Harari has expertly crafted an extraordinary story of how humans learned to not only survive but also thrive on Earth, complete with maps, a timeline, and full-color illustrations that bring his dynamic, unputdownable writing to life.

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.

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Our Most-Clicked Stories of the Year

From our books hitting the big screen to celebrating a big Anne-iversary, these ten stories were our most viewed in 2023! Read on to catch up on these popular posts you may have missed.

10. Book to Screen

Here at Tundra, we love when what we see on screen is adapted from our very own books! Check out this list to see which of our titles have been brought to the screen already and which ones will be coming soon.

9. Tundra Telegram: Books For That Time of the Month

The Tundra Telegram is a column written by our Publicity Manager, Evan Munday, that dives into current news and events and connects them with our books! When the film adaptation of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret hit theatres in May, we celebrated by recommending books that focus on the physical and hormonal changes young people experience in early adolescence.

8. The Good Little Mermaid’s Guide to Bedtime: Cover Reveal and Q&A with Eija Sumner

We love sharing cover reveals for our upcoming Tundra titles! Check out the cover reveal for The Good Little Mermaid’s Guide to Bedtime, available March 5, 2024, including a Q&A with the author Eija Sumner all about the book and the publishing process.

7. Find Yourself in a Book

January is self-love month, so we started 2023 with a curated list of books to help start conversations around mental health for young readers. Read on for beautiful children’s books that anyone can find themselves in and celebrate your one-of-a-kindness!

6. Cover Reveal: How to Decorate a Christmas Tree

Our readers always have Christmas spirit, even in May when we shared the first look at the cover for How to Decorate a Christmas Tree, including a Q&A with the illustrator Miki Sato!

5. 115 Years of Anne of Green Gables

In 2023, Anne of Green Gables turned 115 years old! We celebrated the icon of children’s literature that is Anne Shirley with a list of Anne books for all ages!

4. Our Stars of 2023

We think our books are pretty great, so it’s wonderful when others agree! Read on to see which of our beloved books received starred reviews in 2023.

3. Cover Reveal: The Gulf

In October, we shared the exclusive cover reveal for The Gulf, a YA graphic novel available March 5, 2024. Check out the cover, including drafts that weren’t selected, and a Q&A with the author and illustrator Adam de Souza.

2. Holiday Spotlight: Tundra Picture Books 2023

We made a list and we checked it twice! Read on to see our dedicated post of picture books we’ve highlighted to help you find the perfect gift (or your next read).

1. Our Associate Director, Kids Marketing & Publicity: Meet Sylvia!

She’s our fearless team leader! Meet Sylvia, who took the top spot as our most-viewed post of 2023. Read on to learn some fun facts and see her favorite reads!

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The Golden Duck Notable Picture Books List 2024

The Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notable Lists are designed to encourage good science fiction literature for children. Science fiction books use (future) science and technology rather than fantasy or magic. The purpose of the Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notable Lists is to identify Science Fiction books that have the most interest and appeal to three age groups: picture books for preschool and early readers, ages up to 6 years old (Golden Duck List); illustrated chapter books or short novels for grade school students, ages 7-11 (Eleanor Cameron List); YA books for teens, ages 12-18 (Hal Clement List).

We would like to congratulate Paul Gilligan whose graphic novel, Pluto Rocket: New in Town, has been selected as a 2024 Golden Duck Notable Picture Book.

Pluto Rocket: New in Town (Pluto Rocket #1)
By Paul Gilligan
88 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735271906 | Tundra Books
Meet Pluto Rocket, a friendly alien, and Joe Pidge, a wise-cracking pigeon, in the first book of this hilarious new early graphic novel series, for fans of Narwhal and Jelly and Pizza and Taco! Joe Pidge, not just a pigeon but also the stylish king of the neighborhood, is bobbing his way down the street one day when, all of a sudden, Pluto Rocket enters the scene. It turns out, Pluto is from another planet, and is disguising herself for her secret mission – to find out what life in the neighborhood is really like. Lucky for Pluto, Joe Pidge has seen it all before, eaten it all before, and pooped on it all before, so he takes her under his wing and the two become fast friends. But Joe is the one who actually learns a thing or two and whose mind is blown by the out-of-this-world Pluto in this hilarious graphic novel series from Paul Gilligan, creator of the syndicated comic strip Pooch Cafe!

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Charlotte Zolotow Award 2024

Established in 1998 by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), the Charlotte Zolotow Award is given annually for outstanding writing in a picture book published in the United States in the preceding year with up to five honor books and up to ten highly commended titles also selected. The award is named to honor the work of Charlotte Zolotow, a distinguished children’s book editor for 38 years, and author of more than 70 picture books.

We would like to congratulate X. Fang whose debut picture book, Dim Sum Palace, has been selected as a 2024 Highly Commended Title.

Dim Sum Palace
By X. Fang
48 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774881989 | Tundra Books
Liddy is so excited about going to the Dim Sum Palace tomorrow with her family that she can’t sleep. So when a delicious smell wafts into her room, she hops out of bed, opens her door and steps into . . . an actual palace of dim sum! There are dumplings, baos, buns and more delicious treats than one girl can possibly eat. Liddy just has to take a bite, but she slips and falls . . . into a bowl of dumpling filling. The chefs are so busy rolling, folding and pinching dough that they don’t notice they’ve prepared a most unusual dumpling for the Empress – a Liddy dumpling! Worst of all, she looks good enough to eat . . .

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ALSC Notable Children’s Books 2024

Each year a committee from the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) identifies the best of the best in children’s books. According to the ALSC, “notable” is defined as, “worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding.” As applied to children’s books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels that reflect and encourage children’s interests in exemplary ways.

We would like to congratulate X. Fang, Cristina Quintero, and Sarah Gonzales, on their notable selections in the Younger Readers category.

Dim Sum Palace
By X. Fang
48 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774881989 | Tundra Books
Liddy is so excited about going to the Dim Sum Palace tomorrow with her family that she can’t sleep. So when a delicious smell wafts into her room, she hops out of bed, opens her door and steps into . . . an actual palace of dim sum! There are dumplings, baos, buns and more delicious treats than one girl can possibly eat. Liddy just has to take a bite, but she slips and falls . . . into a bowl of dumpling filling. The chefs are so busy rolling, folding and pinching dough that they don’t notice they’ve prepared a most unusual dumpling for the Empress – a Liddy dumpling! Worst of all, she looks good enough to eat . . .

The Only Way to Make Bread
Written by Cristina Quintero
Illustrated by Sarah Gonzales
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735271760 | Tundra Books
A delicious exploration of all kinds of breads, from sourdough to bannock to bao, that will tickle your taste buds and warm your heart.
What’s the only way to make bread?
You might use white flour in your bread, or whole wheat flour or corn flour.
You might use water or milk, maybe an egg or two.
You’ll use a handful of this, a dash of that, a bit of this and a splash of that.
Some dough will rise, some dough will bubble. Sometimes it will be sticky, sometimes it will be shaggy.  
What’s the only way to make bread?
Your way!
This tasty celebration of all kinds of bread will tempt bread lovers big and small. No matter what kind of bread YOU like to make, this book is for you!

Tundra Book Group