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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!

A Face Is a Poem
By Julie Morstad
48 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735267565 | Tundra Books
Have you ever stopped and looked, really looked, at a face? Do faces stay the same forever, or do they change? What if we could change faces to see through someone else’s eyes? What if eyelashes were butterflylashes? Julie Morstad guides readers through a playful and fantastical exploration of the unique eyes, noses, mouths, freckles, wrinkles, scars and all those one-of-a-kind marks that make up a face. Embracing commonalities and differences alike, A Face Is a Poem is an ode to the unique beauty of each and every person’s appearance, with an empowering message of love.

Whalesong: The True Story of the Musician Who Talked to Orcas
By Zachariah OHora
48 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774883945 | Tundra Books
Unbelievable but true, this is the story of two whales, two Pauls and two boys. The whales are Haida and Chimo, captive orcas who lived in an aquarium called Sealand of the Pacific in the 1970s. The Pauls are Paul Horn, a professional flute musician, and Dr. Paul Spong, a scientist studying the orcas in order to learn more about these mystifying creatures. And the boys are Marlen and Robin, Paul Horn’s sons, who are fascinated with the orcas despite their father’s fear of the giant whales. What follows is the spellbinding story of how the Pauls, through the power of music, learn to communicate with the orcas – and set into motion an entire anti-captivity movement dedicated to protecting these intelligent and majestic animals.

Super Frenemies: Simon and Chester #5
By Cale Atkinson
176 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774880043 | Tundra Books
The worst has happened: Chester has been sucked up by a ghost trap in an attempt to save his best friend Simon, who is a ghost. Chester’s school friend, Amie, blames Simon – after all, if Chester wasn’t trying to save him, he wouldn’t have been sucked up. And Simon blames Amie – after all, if Amie’s dad wasn’t a ghost hunter, there wouldn’t be a trap there in the first place. But these two sworn enemies are going to have to work together to save Chester before the containment unit is emptied . . . into the void! Will they save him in time? Will they change their minds about each other? Will Chester make some new ghoul friends while he’s trapped? Read on to find out . . .

Super Frenemies! is also available today in paperback!

New in Paperback:

Happy Narwhalidays: A Narwhal and Jelly Book #5
By Ben Clanton
68 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Paperback
ISBN 9780735262522 | Tundra Books
Dive into three new stories about Narwhal’s favorite time of the year! It’s the festive season in the world wide waters, and Narwhal is looking forward to cozying up with a good book, singing and partying with pod pals and enjoying some warm waffle pudding. But most of all Narwhal is excited about the arrival of the Merry Mermicorn! According to Narwhal, she’s part mermaid, part unicorn and completely mer-aculous! Jelly is of course skeptical about the existence of the “Mira-Miny-What-A Corn” . . . even when he receives a mysterious present. It must be from Narwhal. Now Jelly has to get the perfect gift, but finding a present for someone as unique as Narwhal is no easy feat, even when you have six tentacles. How will Jelly ever come up with a whaley great gift for a best pal who spreads cheer all through the year?

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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Window Wednesday

#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).

Queen Books
914 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1J5

Photos by: @queenbooksto and Tundra staff.

Inspired by:

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.

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Tuesdays with Tundra

Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. This title is now available in stores and online!

Honk Honk, Beep Beep, Putter Putt!
Written by Rukhsana Khan
Illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774882641 | Tundra Books
Ibraheem and his cat, Mitu, join Baba on a rickshaw trip through the big city, where vehicles of all sorts and sizes have their own language to help them navigate the busy streets. 
BEEP BEEP, says Baba.
HONK HONK, says car.
TOOT TOOT, says bus.
RUMBLE RUMBLE, says mighty truck.
MEOW MEOW, says Mitu
WHEEE! I say.
Along the way, Ibraheem notices that though there aren’t traffic signals, the cars, buses, trucks, rickshaws (and even a stray toad!), all navigate the hustle and bustle of the streets safely by communicating in their own language. With its poetic text and bright, friendly art, Ibraheem’s adventure comes alive with the exciting sounds, movement and personality of the drivers and vehicles that share the road.

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.

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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!

The Spark in Me
By Miguel Tanco
56 Pages | Ages 4-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774885802 | Tundra Books
Everyone has their thing. Some people are dreamers. Some people are practical. Some people like to invent things. Our heroine isn’t sure what her thing is. But she knows she has a lot of questions, like could she be faster than her own echo? If she built a giant paper boat, could she sail the sea? And how strong would she need to be to launch another kid into orbit from a teeter-totter? Eventually, she learns that all her questions have to do with one thing: physics! In this thoughtful and gorgeous ode to the search for knowledge and finding one’s passion, phsyics becomes a way for our heroine to ponder the magic of the world.

Library Girl
By Polly Horvath
256 Pages | Ages 10+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774883341 | Puffin Canada
Essie has grown up in the public library, raised in secret by the four librarians who found her abandoned as a baby in the children’s department. With four mothers and miles of books to read, Essie has always been very happy living there. But now that she is eleven, Essie longs for a little more freedom . . . and maybe a friend her own age. She seems to get her wish when her moms let her go by herself to the mall and then on her second trip there, she meets G.E., a mysterious boy who looks so much like her she can’t help but think they may be twins. Maybe he was raised by four dads in the department store. Maybe his story is intertwined with hers, and their happy ending is as one big family. But as she gets to know him better, she learns that nothing is as simple as it seems in her stories – not even her own past.

Team Park
By Angela Ahn
240 Pages | Ages 9-12 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774883433 | Tundra Books
Eleven-year-old Evan Park’s dad believes boys should play team sports, but as much as Evan has tried to like soccer and other team sports, he just doesn’t. And when an accident causes Evan to break his wrist, he is determined that once he heals, he’ll work on finding his thing. Alone. Inspired by his athletic physiotherapist, Evan decides to compete in an upcoming Dominator Ninja Junior Edition competition. It will be part rehab, part fun. If he trains hard enough, he’ll finally have something to put on his empty shelf in the family trophy cabinet. Maybe that would make his dad proud of him for once. But klutzy Evan strikes again! With a newly injured wrist, he can forget about competing in Dominator Ninja – he can’t even hold chopsticks. When his sister encourages him to look beyond a solo competition, they discover a local family race which is more about the experience than the results. Can Evan shift his perspective to rally the whole family to do this event . . . together?

New in Paperback:

Billy and the Giant Adventure
Written by Jamie Oliver
Illustrated by Mónica Armiño
368 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Paperback
ISBN 9781774884164 | Tundra Books
One pinch of adventure, a dash of friendship, a sprinkle of mystery and a HUGE spoonful of magic . . . Jamie Oliver, bestselling author and internationally renowned chef, delivers the perfect recipe for a page-turning children’s fiction debut! Billy and his friends know that Waterfall Woods is out of bounds; strange things are rumored to have happened there and no one in their village has ventured past its walls for decades . . . But when they discover a secret way in, Billy and his best friends, Anna, Jimmy and Andy, can’t resist the temptation to explore! Only to quickly discover that the woods are brimming with magic and inhabited by all sorts of unusual creatures, including a whole community of sprites who need the children’s help! With magical battles, a long-lost mythical city, fantastical flying machines, epic feasts and one GIANT rescue – not to mention some mouth-watering recipes at the back – get ready for an adventure you’ll never forget!

New in Boxed Set:

Unstoppable Us: The Two-Book Boxed Set
Written by Yuval Noah Harari
Illustrated by Ricard Zaplana Ruiz
416 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Boxed Set
ISBN 9781774887516 | Puffin Canada
Learn HOW early humans took over the Earth and WHY the world they built isn’t fair in this two-volume boxed set of the New York Times bestselling UNSTOPPABLE US series. The author of SAPIENS takes middle school readers on an epic and exciting voyage through early human history in these beautifully illustrated books.
Unstoppable Us, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the World
Humans are the most dominant species to ever exist. But how did we get that way? The answer is one of the strangest tales you’ll ever hear…
Unstoppable Us, Volume 2: Why the World Isn’t Fair
What happened next? How did our hunter-gatherer ancestors become farmers? Why were kingdoms and laws established? How did we go from being the rulers of Earth to the rulers of each other?
Acclaimed author Yuval Noah Harari has expertly crafted two extraordinary stories 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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Creator Spotlight: Anna Pirolli

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 Anna Pirolli!

About the Creator:

ANNA PIROLLI was born in Genoa and moved to Milan to study illustration at the European Institute of Design. She has worked as a freelance illustrator and art director for companies such as Mondadori, Pearson, Vogue, MTV, Kinder Ferrero, Nickelodeon, Disney and others, following the creative process from concept to creation. She’s also a visiting professor at the Accademia di Brera, where she teaches design applied to the arts. 

Fast Five with Anna Pirolli:

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

I love the mountains very much even though I was born in a seaside place. In northern Italy, in a valley of the Dolomites, there is a small village where I went for a long time as a child. Right on the edge of the old town, next to a path that climbs up the mountain, there is a small white house that has been uninhabited for years with a meadow in front and a fir forest behind it. In my dreams that is a place where I would like to live … but in real life, I’m very happy where I live!

What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?

A handful of olives, or a cat named Micci Fiore who arrived from nowhere a few years ago at my parents’ country house. I love animals but I have formed a special relationship with her and, even though she may make you smile, I consider her my guru.

Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

Definitely breakfast! Working at home I need to at least go out during breaks or at the beginning of the day. I love going to a small pastry shop in my neighborhood with my partner: we each read our own book, sip a good cappuccino, and eat a croissant. This simple ritual puts me in a good mood. Then I’m ready to go home to work!

What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?

A concert that is repeated every year from June to September: the concert for crickets in C minor! It’s free and there are lots of unexpected places to listen to it.

If you’re talking about more “traditional” concerts, it was the third time I went to see a Japanese Kodō drum company. The emotion is so great, the vibrations of the drums literally make you get up from your seat with joy.

What is your favorite thing to draw?

Feet, cats, plants, shoes, and sometimes architecture . . . the truth is that if they are in the right arrangement I like to draw everything. It always depends on the thoughts that go around in your head: if the thoughts are “good”, anything is interesting. If they are “bad” or full of fears, even drawing a cute little mouse becomes a nightmare. Ultimately, the true work of an illustrator is precisely this: keeping oneself open to enchantment!

Books by Anna Pirolli:

There Are No Ants in This Book
Written by Rosemary Mosco
Illustrated by Anna Pirolli
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774881163 | Tundra Books
Nothing can ruin a picnic faster than a bunch of ants. It’s a good thing there are no ants in this book . . . well, maybe there’s only one. Or two. . . . Or ten?? Maybe it’s not so bad. Ants are kind of cool, after all – especially the ones with amazing butts, like the Acrobat Ant that waves its back end around to scare off enemies. Or the Slender Leaf Ant that can glide through the air. Or the Dinosaur Ant, which is the biggest ant in the world! Okay, so a picnic with ants is actually lots of fun! But what if an anteater also wants to join the picnic?

Anonymouse
Written by Vikki VanSickle
Illustrated by Anna Pirolli
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735263949 | Tundra Books
Art for the birds.
Art for the ants.
Art for the dogs, cats and raccoons.
Art to make them laugh, make them think, make them feel at home.
But who is creating it?
Only Anonymouse knows for sure . . .
This clever tale mixes street art, animals and gorgeous illustrations to create a meditation on how art can uplift any creature’s spirit – human or animal – when it speaks directly to them. Every page of Anna Pirolli’s stunning artwork is its own masterpiece with its bold pops of color and sly humor, elevating Vikki VanSickle’s subtle but evocative text.

Tundra Book Group