Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. These titles are now available in stores and online!
Head Full of Clouds Written by Joanne Schwartz Illustrated by Afsaneh Sanei 40 Pages | Ages 4-7 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774881613 | Tundra Books A girl wakes up from a dream she can’t shake. Her head is full of clouds. When she goes outside, the things she normally doesn’t pay much attention to suddenly reveal their beauty: the plants growing in the cracks of the sidewalk, the shimmering puddles, the notes from a violin drifting in the air. She revels in this strangeness of the familiar, and eventually her dream comes back to her in all its surrealness. When she meets a friend, she feels solid and connected again, part of the world – but she doesn’t lose the gifts that this strange morning gave her: the quietly profound wonder of the everyday and the joy of being present. Joanne Schwartz’s lyrical text and Afsaneh Sanei’s gorgeous art are a dreamy pairing that will reward readers with something special in every read.
Pluto Rocket: Full Blast! (Pluto Rocket #3) By Paul Gilligan 96 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774885413 | Tundra Books Joe Pidge, king of the neighborhood, and Pluto Rocket, an alien who’s new in town, have left the safety of Joe’s neighborhood to discover other places on Earth for Pluto’s secret mission – to explore the planet and prove that Earthlings are nice. But Joe is way out of his comfort zone! What starts as a casual walk into a new town turns into a high-speed chase as Joe is convinced the duo is being pursued by a wolf (it’s really a poodle). Later, Pluto’s habit of helping people leads to the two being celebrated as heroes! But when their publicity makes its way back to Pluto’s home planet, Joe and Pluto have to find a way to escape to the moon . . . and fast, in the third book of this hilarious graphic novel series from Paul Gilligan, creator of the syndicated comic strip Pooch Cafè!
Pluto Rocket: Full Blast! is also available today in Paperback!
Words with Wings and Magic Things Written by Matthew Burgess Illustrated by Doug Salati 128 Pages | Ages 5-9 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774880289 | Tundra Books Beyond the doorway of the first page of this collection awaits a dragon piñata, an alligator on the A train, a hungry yeti, an ice cream dream, jetpack sneakers, midnight firelight, a gray day, a plump tomato, a serious question and so much more. Whether you’re feeling blue, lemon yellow or Day-Glo green, this inviting and magical book of poems takes young readers on an uplifting journey through everyday moments, moods and experiences, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. With enchanting illustrations throughout and seven die-cut portals that open into the realms of Welcome, Wonder, Wild, Weee!, Whoops & Wallops, Windows and Whispers & Well Wishes, Words With Wings and Magic Things explores how words can awaken us to a world of wonder and possibility. Step inside . . . and take flight!
Words with Wings and Magic Things is also available today in Audiobook!
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 creators 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 Tanya Lloyd Kyi!
About the Author:
TANYA LLOYD KYI is the author of more than thirty-five books for children and young adults, including Emily Posts and Me and Banksy. She grew up with a racoon-sized tortoiseshell cat named D.C. (for Darn Cat), who would have felt right at home in The City. Tanya has worked in the past as a graphic designer, an editor, and a dishwasher. (She considers herself entirely qualified for that last one.) Her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is cheese, and her favorite book is A Wrinkle in Time. When she’s not telling cat tales, Tanya teaches at the UBC School of Creative Writing in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Fast Five with Tanya Lloyd Kyi:
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I would live exactly where I live now, in Vancouver. I moved here for a co-op work term at a publishing house when I was 23 years old. Soon after I arrived, a friend’s aunt took me to see a reading at the Orpheum. I fell in love with the theatre, and the thought that I could spend my evenings hearing people read from their books, and basically the whole idea of living in this city forever. I haven’t changed my mind yet!
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
My dog, Coby. Look at this face!
Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Breakfast. Which my husband very kindly cooks for me every morning. (Really. This may be why I married him.) I need to be fed every few hours and I get grumpy if I don’t eat. It’s possible I’m actually a Tamagotchi.
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
My first concert ever was Kiss, Slaughter, and Winger in Spokane when I was seventeen. If I remember correctly, the guitarist in Winger was famous for playing his guitar with an electric drill, and the members of Slaughter were famous for whipping their long hair in giant circles. There were no assigned seats, so we spent the whole time squashed with thousands of sweaty people on the floor. I loved every second of that concert, but . . . I don’t actually listen to music. I like to write in silence, and I’m probably the only person in the world who works out to podcasts instead of songs. I’m weird that way!
You grew up with a racoon-sized tortoiseshell cat named D.C. (for Darn Cat), what’s the story behind their name?
My parents owned a restaurant and they found D.C. in the dumpster behind the building. My dad called him “that darned cat,” because he kept jumping out and scaring the restaurant staff. After Dad brought him home, D.C. spent the next decade or so terrorizing our tiny terrier cross, monopolizing sunbeams, and ruling the household. So I of course had to dedicate The City of Lost Cats to D.C.!
Photo: My dad and D.C., circa 2000
Books by Tanya Lloyd Kyi:
The City of Lost Cats By Tanya Lloyd Kyi 288 Pages | Ages 10+ | Hardcover ISBN 9781774882108 | Tundra Books When Fiona wanders into an abandoned mansion down by the harbor, she discovers the house is full of stray cats (and two chaotic parakeets). Fiona feels a great deal of sympathy for the animals; she understands what it’s like to need a safe home. Ever since her parents died, she’s been struggling to adjust to the tiny apartment where she and her Aunt Tanis now live. And Aunt Tanis has little time to spare for Fiona, between her job at The Municipal Hall and her horrible, hair-gelled boyfriend. When the mansion is threatened by a demolition team, Fiona is determined to save “The City” and its residents. But the cats have their own priorities. Cot (short for Cottonball Fluffikins Magnificent III, a name he refuses to acknowledge) has lived in the mansion for two years and is the self-proclaimed king. He’s convinced the demolition effort has been organized by the recently arrived parakeets. Those birds have got to go! Cot’s feline rival, Piper, is sure she can intimidate the demolition team and force them to leave, if Fiona will simply stay out of her way. And the parakeets . . . well, the parakeets just want to go home. As the demolition team begins tearing down the house next door, Fiona looks for any help she can find – at the library, the butcher shop, and even at The Municipal Hall. Can the efforts of one small girl and an assortment of animals stop a luxury condo development? Can they create something better in its place? It’s going to take some quick thinking on the part of Fiona, not to mention the cooperation of all the cats, to give The City a future.
Emily Posts By Tanya Lloyd Kyi 256 Pages | Ages 10+ | Hardcover ISBN 9781774882047 | Tundra Books Emily is the ringleader for her school podcast, Cedarview Speaks – Sponsored by CoastFresh! But her plans for middle-school fame and social media influence are derailed when Amelie joins her eighth-grade class. The new arrival has a seemingly endless supply of confidence and a gift for leading people. Or leading them astray, as far as Emily’s concerned. Emily puts her old-fashioned sense of etiquette into practice. Rather than confronting Amelie, she focuses her energy on creating a podcast story about an upcoming climate march. But her story is censored by the school principal. When she protests, Emily gets cut from the podcast crew . . . and Amelie takes her place! Can Emily use her influence to spread the news of the climate march, reclaim her place on the podcast team and expose the flaws of CoastFresh? Can she balance her impeccable manners with twenty-first century activism? And how will she ever manage to work alongside Amelie? With a light touch and plenty of humor, Emily Posts explores issues of social media, influence, corporate sponsorship . . . and the fraught waters of middle-school friendship.
Me and Banksy By Tanya Lloyd Kyi 272 Pages | Ages 10+ | Paperback ISBN 9780735266933 | Puffin Canada Dominica’s private school is covered in cameras, and someone is hacking into them and posting embarrassing moments for the whole school to see. Like Ana picking her nose. When Dominica quickly changes her shirt from inside out in what she thinks is the privacy of a quiet corner in the library, she’s shocked – and embarrassed – to discover a video has captured this and is currently circulating amongst her schoolmates. So mortifying, especially since over the past three years, they’ve had a half-dozen school talks about social media safety. Who has access to the school security cameras and why are they doing this? Dominica and her best friends, Holden and Saanvi, are determined to find out, and in the process start an art-based student campaign against cameras in the classroom.
Mya’s Strategy to Save the World By Tanya Lloyd Kyi 200 Pages | Ages 9-12 | Paperback ISBN 9780735265264 | Puffin Canada Mya Parsons runs her school’s social justice club with her best friend, Cleo. Her lifelong desire is to work for the United Nations and change the world, and then bask in all the ensuing adulation. Her more immediate desire is to get a phone, preferably one like Cleo’s, with a leopard-print case to match. When her distracted dad and her long-distance mom (temporarily in Myanmar taking care of Mya’s grandmother) both say no, no way, and possibly never, Mya launches a campaign to prove herself reliable and deserving. She advertises her babysitting services, takes on more responsibility around the house, and attempts to supervise her sister’s skateboarding lessons. Her efforts leave her ego bruised and the kitchen slightly scorched. She’s no closer to touch-screen victory, let alone the Nobel Peace Prize she deserves. But all that changes after an accident leaves Mya to take charge-an experience which helps her realize how much she’s grown, with or without access to proper communications.
Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. This title is now available in stores and online!
Sunny Wants to Play By Katty Maurey 40 Pages | Ages 4-7 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774884812 | Tundra Books Sunny is the only kid in a big family. She wishes she had someone to play with, but it seems like everyone has someone except her. When she finally gets her wish and is invited to play with the neighborhood kids, it’s a bit more than she bargained for . . . Maybe being the only child has its advantages! This beautiful story invites readers into Sunny’s quiet world with its lazy afternoons and sleepy, distracted adults, and Katty Maurey’s delicate and gorgeous artwork perfectly evokes both the calm and not-so-calm moments, in this celebration of introverts, comfort zones and new experiences.
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 creators 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 Robin Rosenthal!
About the Author:
ROBIN ROSENTHAL is an author, illustrator and art director. She has illustrated Two Dogs on A Trike and the Big Ideas for Little Philosophers and Big Ideas for Little Environmentalists series of board books. SWEET BABE! is her authorial debut. She grew up in Connecticut and now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her sweet, sweet family. You can see more of her work at robinrosenthal.com.
Fast Five with Robin Rosenthal:
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I’ve lived in New York City for about 28 years and there is no place I would rather be. There is so much energy here and so much to see and do. I love that New York accepts all kinds of people and that you can be creative and weird and different and that is celebrated. I love looking out my own apartment window at the other buildings and thinking about how a different person lives in each one of those apartments, with a different life, different goals, dreams, loves, fears, histories. We are all living together and coexisting in this relatively small area and making it work.
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
So many things . . . a quality hug from my husband or daughter, a breakthrough on a project I’m working on, or a long catch-up with a friend.
Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Definitely breakfast. I love anything egg related: eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs with cheese, eggs over-easy, bacon gruyere egg bites from Starbucks. My mom used to make me scrambled eggs with cream cheese and buttered cinnamon-sugar toast when I was home sick as a kid. Delish. Cracker Barrel hack in case you didn’t know: they serve breakfast all day but you have to ask for the breakfast menu when it is lunch or dinner time.
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
Indigo Girls back in the 1990s. They have also been my top choice for sing-at-the-top-of-my-lungs-in-the-car music since high school.
What’s your favorite Yiddish word?
My favorite Yiddish word is b’shert. It is pronounced “buh-SHARE-t” and it means “meant to be.” It’s often used in a romantic context but our family uses it in a more general way. It’s a nice way to mark a positive, serendipitous moment when the world seems right and good. You look at your family member and say, “b’shert,” and they say “b’shert,” back and you both nod your heads knowingly.
Books by Robin Rosenthal:
Sweet Babe! By Robin Rosenthal 32 Pages | Ages 2-5 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774884324 | Tundra Books Look at this baby . . . what a genius! And such a shayne punim, too! From the top of baby’s adorable head to the tips of their toes, there’s nothing for a grandma not to adore in her little bubbeleh. Sweet Babe takes babies and their bubbies, not to mention grandparents of every stripe, on a delightful read-aloud journey that practically cries out for frequent cheek-squishing and keppie (head)-kissing in this irresistible celebration of the connection between grandparent and grandchild, and of Jewish joy through the generations. Includes a Yiddish glossary at the back with transliterated vocabulary.
Big Ideas for Little Environmentalists: Conservation with Jane Goodall Written by Maureen McQuerry Illustrated by Robin Rosenthal 20 Pages | Ages 0-3 | Board Book ISBN 9780593323601 | G.P. Putnam’s Sons BFYR Even little children can make a positive impact on the environment. Jane Goodall has dedicated her life to studying chimpanzees, and realized that sometimes people hurt the places where animals have always lived. She began to teach others how we can enjoy nature while also making sure that the homes of animals aren’t suffering. Kids will come away from this book with questions about what animal habitats they can care for in their own community, and how conservation work makes sure all people and animals have a healthy home.
Big Ideas for Little Environmentalists: Ecosystems with Rachel Carson Written by Maureen McQuerry Illustrated by Robin Rosenthal 20 Pages | Ages 0-3 | Board Book ISBN 9780593323649 | G.P. Putnam’s Sons BFYR Even little children can make a positive impact on the environment. Rachel Carson was an environmentalist who studied the way the land, plants, and animals interact with each other, beginning when she was a child. She noticed that everything is connected, and all of nature must stay healthy for living things to thrive. When she realized that the chemicals people used outdoors were making plants, animals, and even other people sick, she began teaching others about the ecosystems, and how we must take care of them to keep the Earth balanced. Kids will see, through Rachel’s curiosity and passion for all creatures, that even seemingly small choices can have big consequences on the world around them.
Big Ideas for Little Philosophers: Kindness with Confucius Written by Duane Armitage and Maureen McQuerry Illustrated by Robin Rosenthal 22 Pages | Ages 0-3 | Board Book ISBN 9780593322956 | G.P. Putnam’s Sons BFYR Even little children have big questions about life. Confucius believed always treating people with kindness can make us wise, and Kindness with Confucius brings his philosophy to the youngest thinkers. He believed we should use our own feelings as a guide to how to treat others. We feel good when people are kind to us and should want to make others feel that way. Emphasizing the importance of being in touch with your own emotions in order to be kind to others, this book will lead to inspiring conversations about human dynamics between people of all ages.
Big Ideas for Little Philosophers: Love with Plato Written by Duane Armitage and Maureen McQuerry Illustrated by Robin Rosenthal 22 Pages | Ages 0-3 | Board Book ISBN 9780593322994 | G.P. Putnam’s Sons BFYR Even little children have big questions about life. Plato believed showing and receiving love makes us wise, and Love with Plato brings his philosophy to the youngest thinkers. Asking young readers what being loved feels like to them and how they can show others love prompts questions about how we treat one another and ourselves. This book will lead to inspiring conversations about loving people for what is on the inside, and helping others do the same.
Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. This title is now available in stores and online!
The City of Lost Cats By Tanya Lloyd Kyi 288 Pages | Ages 10+ | Hardcover ISBN 9781774882108 | Tundra Books When Fiona wanders into an abandoned mansion down by the harbor, she discovers the house is full of stray cats (and two chaotic parakeets). Fiona feels a great deal of sympathy for the animals; she understands what it’s like to need a safe home. Ever since her parents died, she’s been struggling to adjust to the tiny apartment where she and her Aunt Tanis now live. And Aunt Tanis has little time to spare for Fiona, between her job at The Municipal Hall and her horrible, hair-gelled boyfriend. When the mansion is threatened by a demolition team, Fiona is determined to save “The City” and its residents. But the cats have their own priorities. Cot (short for Cottonball Fluffikins Magnificent III, a name he refuses to acknowledge) has lived in the mansion for two years and is the self-proclaimed king. He’s convinced the demolition effort has been organized by the recently arrived parakeets. Those birds have got to go! Cot’s feline rival, Piper, is sure she can intimidate the demolition team and force them to leave, if Fiona will simply stay out of her way. And the parakeets . . . well, the parakeets just want to go home. As the demolition team begins tearing down the house next door, Fiona looks for any help she can find – at the library, the butcher shop, and even at The Municipal Hall. Can the efforts of one small girl and an assortment of animals stop a luxury condo development? Can they create something better in its place? It’s going to take some quick thinking on the part of Fiona, not to mention the cooperation of all the cats, to give The City a future.
The City of Lost Cats is also available today in audiobook!
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.
