Tag: Ben Clanton

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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!

Paint with Ploof
By Ben Clanton and Andy Chou Musser
56 Pages | Ages 2-5 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774881941 | Tundra Books
Ploof is a little cloud who’s eager to make their first rainbow! But how? With your help, of course! Can you help Ploof find the right shape? Mix colors? Fly high to paint? Cheer Ploof on through the ups and downs of trying something new, follow along with some calming breathing exercises and find a new perspective! Just as full of imaginative, interactive fun as the first book in the series, each page offers readers from preschooler age and beyond a chance to play and learn in tandem, exploring social-emotional skills along the way. Young readers will be delighted to see the effects of their actions as they join a colorful rainbow quest and paint with Ploof!

Reasons to Look at the Night Sky
By Danielle Daniel
328 Pages | Ages 9-12 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774883532 | Tundra Books
Luna has always loved the night sky. She’s an eleven-year-old who knows everything there is to know about space, and dreams of one day becoming an astronaut. The first step in her plan to get there is to ace the space unit in her science class and secure a spot in NASA’s summer space camp. But when Luna’s teacher is unexpectedly replaced with a substitute, Ms. Manitowabi, who is looking to shake up science class by bringing in art, Luna’s carefully laid plans are crushed. And that’s not all that’s shifting in Luna’s life – changes at home and in her friendships have her feeling topsy-turvy. What on Planet Earth is happening? Reasons to Look at the Night Sky is an endearing, poetic look at the inner world of a middle schooler grappling with change from acclaimed author and illustrator Danielle Daniel.

Reasons to Look at the Night Sky 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.

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Tundra Creators on Their Favorite Questions from Kids

Kids say the darndest things! So we asked our creators to tell us their favorite questions they’ve been asked by young readers.

Ben Clanton
Author of Narwhal’s Sweet Tooth
“A fifth grader once asked me if becoming an author took away from the experience of being a reader. Did I enjoy books as much as I used to? One of the best questions I’ve been asked by anyone of any age. I admitted that it does change the experience as often I find myself analyzing stories with an author’s lens. There is something enjoyable about appreciating the craft, but at the same time, it is harder to lose yourself in the story when you’re deconstructing the elements. It has made the experience of losing myself in a story rarer but also somehow sweeter. Another kid once asked me if I thought an actual real-life narwhal would eat a waffle if it came across one. A waffley good question IMO. My favorite questions are the ones I don’t have answers to . . . yet.”

Anna Humphrey
Author of Buns Gone Bad
“I love kid questions! So much so that’s it’s hard to pick a favourite, but I’ve narrowed it down to two. My second favourite is: “What’s your favourite monster truck?” after a presentation that had nothing to do with monster trucks. Questions that are wildly off topic are pretty standard at school visits, but this one especially delighted me because (and there’s no way this kid could have known) I happen to be a huge Monster Jam fan. And once you’ve seen Gravedigger do a double back-flip then burst into flames in the world finals freestyle competition, the answer’s just so obvious. But my all-time favourite question from a kid has got to be: “Are you a grown-up?” I burst out laughing, but I also took it as an extremely high compliment. Because either it meant I happen to look exceedingly youthful (which, hey, thanks) or that my books speak “kid” well enough that I can almost pass for one myself (and that means everything to me).”

Christina Uss
Author of The Island Before No
“Many of my author visits begin with me telling kids that my books usually have some true parts and some made-up parts all mixed together into a single wonderful, weird story. For The Island Before No, I asked a group of kids ranging from 2 years to 13 years old to guess which parts of the story could possibly be true.  I told them I’d made up the part about a walrus being upset when someone took his toothbrush and used it to paint his cat. A kindergartener said, “How do you know it isn’t true, somewhere? I would be upset if someone took my toothbrush, don’t you think a walrus would be too?” I had to agree, and thank the kid for her imagination.”

Vikki VanSickle
Author of Into the Goblin Market
“Once, after a reading, a kid asked me which of my characters I would want to be friends with. This was such a great question and something I had never considered before. There is a little part of me in all of my characters, so there wasn’t one that came to mind immediately, but I’d love a calm, confident friend like Kala (from The Lightning Circle) and wouldn’t mind an adventurous friend like Into the Goblin Market‘s Mina- although I would definitely draw the line at attending spooky midnight goblin events.”

Deke Moulton
Author of Benji Zeb Is a Ravenous Werewolf
“At the release/launch party for Benji Zeb, one of the kids asked me if I was actually a werewolf. It was really cute because he whispered it like he thought it was a secret. It was so sad to disappoint him!”

Rosemary Mosco
Author of There Are No Ants in This Book
“Unfortunately, I don’t do many school visits, so nothing comes immediately to mind. But my niece did ask me once if birds pee, and I sent her a very long video explanation, haha!”

Bruno Valasse
Author of Shine
“A kid once asked why some dogs on a page were so ugly, and if I could draw a ‘kawaii dog’. I had no idea what that meant then, and those were hyenas.”

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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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Tuesdays with Tundra

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

Benji Zeb Is a Ravenous Werewolf
By Deke Moulton
304 Pages | Ages 10-14 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774880524 | Tundra Books
Benji Zeb has a lot going on. He has a lot of studying to do, not only for school but also for his upcoming bar mitzvah. He’s nervous about Mr. Rutherford, the aggressive local rancher who hates Benji’s family’s kibbutz and wolf sanctuary. And he hasn’t figured out what to do about Caleb, Mr. Rutherford’s stepson, who has been bullying Benji pretty hard at school, despite Benji wanting to be friends (and maybe something more). And all of this is made more complicated by the fact that, secretly, Benji and his entire family are werewolves who are using the wolf sanctuary as cover for their true identities! Things come to a head when Caleb shows up at the kibbutz one night . . . in wolf form! He’s a werewolf too, unable to control his shifting, and he needs Benji’s help. Can anxious Benji juggle all of these things along with his growing feelings toward Caleb?

Narwhal’s Sweet Tooth: A Narwhal and Jelly Book #9
By Ben Clanton
80 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774884485 | Tundra Books
Dive into four new stories so sweet they’ll make your teeth tingle! Everyone knows that Narwhal is a big fan of sugary treats – but Jelly is shocked when Narwhal’s tusk-tooth isn’t looking so pearly white anymore  and is feeling a little funny. It turns out, Narwhal has been using it as a “snack saver”! Thankfully, no one knows more about dental hygiene than Shark – she has seven rows of teeth, after all! Meanwhile, Jelly and Crab try to show Narwhal that it’s fine to frown if you’re feeling down. Can Narwhal’s friends convince the happiest creature in the ocean that it’s okay to have a bad day?

Stars in My Crown
Written by Antonio Michael Downing
Illustrated by Richy Sánchez Ayala
48 Pages | Ages 4-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735271128 | Tundra Books
Little Tony is full of love for his grandmother, his home in Trinidad and delicious pholourie. But he’s also full of other big feelings, including anger. His grandmother tries to teach him to be patient – patience is a star in his crown, she says – but it’s hard. He tries to keep his anger in, but when he loses at ping-pong to his brother or he has to come in from playing . . . Yaaarrgh! When Little Tony and his brother move away from their beloved Trinidad, there’s even more for him to be upset about. His new home is cold, full of new people, and there’s no pholourie anywhere! Yaaarrgh! But then he remembers his grandmother’s lessons, and a surprising thing happens . . . A charming and heartwarming story based on the author’s own childhood, Stars In My Crown is an ode to big feelings but even bigger triumphs.

New in Paperback:

The Portal Keeper: The Misewa Saga #4
By David A. Robertson
256 Pages | Ages 10+ | Paperback
ISBN 9781774880272 | Tundra Books
Eli and Morgan experience life-changing revelations in this new adventure in the award-winning, Narnia-inspired Indigenous middle-grade fantasy series.
While exploring World’s End, an area in Aski they’ve just discovered, Morgan and Emily delight in their developing relationship, while Eli struggles to understand his new-found power: the ability to locate a portal. A shocking turn of events leads them to a new village, Ministik, where the animal beings who live there are going missing. Horrified to discover who is responsible, the children vow to help and turn to friends, old and new. But it’s getting harder and harder to keep the two worlds separate, especially when details of a traditional legend change everything. Forever.

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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2024 ALA Annual Conference

Hello book lovers! The Tundra Books team is headed to ALA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition happening in San Diego from June 27th to July 2nd. We’ll be showcasing many of our wonderful titles at booth 1724! Come by and say hello to our Marketing and Publicity Senior Associate, Sam Devotta; our Marketing and Publicity Associate Director, Sylvia Chan; our Executive Editor, Samantha Swenson; our Associate Publisher, Elizabeth Kribs; and our Publisher, Tara Walker!

We have lots of great programming scheduled with our awesome guest authors, so be sure to check out our list of panels and signings below!

Panels:

Saturday, June 29th

From 10:30am to 11:20am at the Graphic Novel/Gaming Stage (Booth 250), join author Cale Atkinson for the Booklist Graphic Novels Panel, Part I.

Sunday, June 30th

From 9:30am to 10:20am at The Look of Books Stage (Booth 214), join authors Shannon McNeill, Andy Chou Musser, and Ben Clanton for Rainbows and Sparkles, Oh My!: The Dazzling Possibilities of Interactive Picture Books.

From 12:30pm to 1:20pm at The Look of Books Stage (Booth 214), join authors Andy Chou Musser, Ben Clanton, and Cale Atkinson for Floaty White Things: Picture Books About Clouds and Ghosts (Human Clouds).

Signings:

We will also be hosting signings at booth 1724! This is based on first come, first serve. One copy per person while quantities last and you must be in line for the signing to receive a complimentary copy.

Looking for literary assets for your schools and libraries? We’ve got you covered – ask about our catalogs, bookmarks, art cards, and more!

And don’t forget to follow us online @tundrabooks as we post live from the show floors!

Tundra Book Group