Frank Viva – Page 2 – Tundra Book Group

April 27, 2015May 7, 2025

Tundra Reading Club: Outstanding in the Rain Reviews

Hi everyone!

It’s time to share the Reading Club reviews for Outstanding in the Rain!

TundraReadingClub

Outstanding in the Rain
A Whole Story with Holes
Written by Frank Viva
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 978-1-101-91768-8
“Creator Viva hints on the cover that this is not your ordinary picture book by segmenting the first word of the title into two parts via color: out in gold, and standing in turquoise … Viva takes readers on a wild trip to an amusement park with the city skyline behind…. The excitement of the story is enhanced by changing perspectives; sometimes the illustrations are close-ups, and other times they are broad abstracts…. A must have because of the originality of the concept, the unusual palette, and the thrill of the reading experience.” – Starred Review, Booklist

Suzanne at Squish! loved the overall design, especially “[t]he satin-y matte dust-jacket,…retro vibe of the stylized illustrations and limited colour palette…”
Carole at Barda Book Talk calls it a “fun-filled ride.”
Bonnie at Adalinc to Life likes the oronyms and suggests that “[a]ny budding linguist” will enjoy reading this book.
Carrie at I Can Has Books? was “completely amazed at how beautiful this book is.”
Cindy at Cindy’s Love of Books thinks “kids would get a kick out of reading this story or having it be read to them.”

If you read the book as well, please let us know what you thought about it in the comments below! Did anyone know what an oronym was?

As of May, our Reading Club will be on hiatus until further notice. Thanks to everyone who signed up and/or participated these past four months!

April 14, 2015May 7, 2025

Tuesdays with Tundra 47

Tuesdays with Tundra is a monthly post on our new releases. The following books are available today in stores and online!

Andreo’s Race
Written by Pam Withers
Trade Paperback | 224 Pages | Ages 12+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-767-2
eBook: 978-1-77049-766-5
“This action-packed book revolves around the topics of adventure races and illegal adoptions…. The experience of adventure racing is brought to life in the story, with readers experiencing the intensity of training and competition through Andreo. The excitement of the sport is mirrored by his emotional hunt for clues leading to his birth family, and his discoveries and achievements are well paced…. The simple, straightforward language, surprise twist, and nonstop action will appeal to reluctant readers looking for a thrilling novel.” – School Library Journal

Peter Puck and the Stolen Stanley Cup
Written by Brian Mcfarlane
Illustrated by Geri Storey
Hardcover | 64 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-581-4
In Peter Puck and the Stolen Stanley Cup, Peter is caught up in the rivalry between two teams vying for the Stanley Cup. The night before the final game, someone sets a fire set to distract the guard and steals the Stanley Cup. Rescued from the flames in the nick of time, Peter sets off in pursuit of the thief. Will his powers of observation and sleuthing skills help him to unmask the thief? And will the Cup be recovered in time for the game?

Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs
Written by Davide Cali
Illustrated by Raphaëlle BarbanÃ¨gre
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 978-1-77049-763-4
“What’ll it be, Snow White? A poisoned apple or keeping house for 77 hyperactive little men? … A must-read for all offspring … or so their parents and other caregivers are likely to feel.” – Kirkus Reviews

Pub Date Giveaway: In the comments below, please tell us which new April 2015 release of Tundra’s you would love to read and one lucky reader will receive their requested book! One request per person and please review our rules. This giveaway ends at midnight on Monday, April 20, 2015!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Kris, winner of a copy of Andreo’s Race.

April 6, 2015May 7, 2025

Tundra Reading Club: April 2015

Hi everyone!

I hope you’re ready for this month’s book!

Just to remind you of our reading club rules:

Each month, we’ll post a book and a sign-up form for bloggers. Then we’ll randomly choose the lucky five who will receive a copy (in some cases, an advance copy) in exchange for a review on their blog!

Of course, everyone is free to participate via tweets (@TundraBooks) or in the comment section on the monthly post.

To make it easy to work into your busy schedules, we’ve chosen picture books so it shouldn’t take you too long to read the book of the month (or like me, you might pore over it for hours and be distracted by the illustrations).

Our April pick is Outstanding in the Rain by Frank Viva. As soon as we saw it, we were reminded of the old saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” This book is absolutely gorgeous and full of oronyms. Don’t know what an oronym is? This book will teach you all about them!

Step right up! Step right up to the amusing amusement park! It’s a whole story, and the pages have holes! Watch the holes make pictures! Turn an umbrella into a cake, and balloons into ice cream! See the holes make words. Whole words! Change an ice man into an nice man! See fork handles turn into four candles! Realize the magic with your real eyes! Frank Viva’s tale of a boy spending his birthday at the amusement park will amaze readers big and small with astounding die-cuts that transform both words and pictures in delightful ways.

Outstanding in the Rain will be released on Tuesday April 14 and you can visit your local library or bookstore to get reading! If you’re interested, fill in the form below and we’ll randomly select five bloggers to read and review a copy of Outstanding in the Rain and join our discussion. You have until Monday April 13 at 3 pm EST to sign up, so don’t delay! Our only stipulation this month is that we can only send the book to those with Canadian mailing addresses. This title is also available in the USA by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

SIGN-UP FORM CLOSED!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Carrie, Carole, Bonnie, Suzanne and Cindy! We look forward to your reviews! Thanks to everyone who entered!

Check back in on Monday, April 27, 2015 for our reading club discussion of Outstanding in the Rain!

February 4, 2015May 7, 2025

An Intern and a Super Conference

Hello everyone!

It’s Sam the intern and for once, I’m not trying to get you to sign up for my Reading Club (but you should probably check it out anyway!). I’m here to share my experience at the OLA Super Conference.

In my six months working in publishing, I’ve only been to one other conference; all I did was sit quietly behind a table for a few hours while people milled around, glancing at our table but rarely stopping to chat. So I didn’t know what to expect when I stepped into the Metro Toronto Convention Centre last Thursday.

It was a lot more fun than sitting behind a table, let me tell you.

For one thing, there were so many people! Librarians and library assistants and library sciences students and other people who, I guess, work at libraries in some way.

Hundreds of companies were represented in the hall, and there were tons of author signings. We had five of our own authors signing over two days but, since we shared the booth with the rest of Penguin Random House, there was always a line for someone!

We had Frank Viva (Outstanding in the Rain), Charis Cotter (The Swallow: A Ghost Story), Eric Walters (Hope Springs), Susin Nielsen (We Are All Made of Molecules), and Sylvia McNicoll (Best Friends Through Eternity).

I loved the way our booth looked, the brightly coloured picture books made it look super cheerful. And we had DWARFS and disgusting critters decorated all around.

I didn’t really get a chance to wander around the rest of the hall because I was documenting everything on our instagram, though I did pick up a poster and some cute temporary tattoos for me – ahem, I mean for my nieces.

But I got to talk to our authors, which was very exciting! Eric Walters is taller than I expected, which sounds like an odd thing to say, but he can be a little intimidating at 9 am when you haven’t had your tea yet.

I also asked Susin Nielsen to sign my copy of Word Nerd; I recently started reading her books, and I’m completely addicted to them now! If you haven’t read anything by her yet, please do yourself a favour and check her out.

Word Nerd is about a Scrabble player, so Susin used the letters in my name to come up with smaller words. It was pretty impressive how fast she did it (I know it’s a short name, but still!).

Before I knew it, it was time to pack all our books away so that they could be sent to our next destination: Reading for the Love of it, which happens February 9-10. I’ll be popping in to support our authors, Eric Walters, Richard Scrimger, Margriet Ruurs, and Rina Singh and I can’t wait to find out what goes on over there!

January 26, 2015May 7, 2025

2015 OLA Super Conference

It’s that time of year again! The OLA Super Conference takes place at the end of this week!

From Thursday to Friday, you can find us at booth #716-724, talking about our new and upcoming books. We’ll also have a few author signings over the two days! With each author signing, we’ll hand out complimentary copies of the title on a first come, first serve basis. Make sure you get there early – there will only be a limited number of signed books to give away!

Frank Viva signing on Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.

Outstanding in the Rain
Written by Frank Viva
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN 9781101917688
eBook 9781101917701
An outstanding story of word and picture play from an award-winning author/illustrator, that will amaze and delight kids, English language enthusiasts and anyone who appreciates great design and arty children’s books.

Charis Cotter signing on Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 4:00 p.m.

The Swallow: A Ghost Story
Written by Charis Cotter
Hardcover | 320 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN 9781770495913
eBook 9781770495937
“Spooky tension, friendship and compassion permeate this exquisitely plotted middle-grade ghost story … readers will seesaw between chills and snorts of laughter. When Cotter delivers the final twist, it is a denouement that becomes a springboard for greater revelations that lead to even greater reader satisfaction. Middle-grade storytelling at its very best-extraordinary.” – Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews
“Cotter builds suspense without artificially withholding information from the reader. And for bibliophiles, the author’s subtle hat tips to favourite books are a joy. Like all the best ghost stories, The Swallow tells us more about the living than the dead. It is a fantastic addition to Toronto literature, with all the makings of a classic.” – Starred Review, Quill & Quire

Eric Walters signing on Friday, January 30, 2015 at 9:30 a.m.

Hope Springs
Written by Eric Walters
Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN 9781770495302
eBook 9781770495319
“Based on actual events, this story is one of strength and kindness in the face of fear…. With the addition of the author’s ‘Story Behind the Story,’ the facts of the origin of Hope Springs allow a retelling of the story through a personal narrative with the aid of photography, a map, and additional explanation.” – School Library Journal

Sylvia McNicoll signing on Friday, January 30, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.

Best Friends through Eternity
Written by Sylvia McNicoll
Hardcover | 192 Pages | Ages 12 and up
ISBN 9781770497108
eBook 9781770497122
A fast-paced novel about a Chinese teen who “dies” in a tragic accident and is reunited with her former best friend. Will she have to stay away for the rest of her days, or is there a way back?

Follow @TundraBooks, @VIVAandCO, @CharisCotter, @EricRWalters and @SylviaMcNicoll on Twitter! You can also follow #OLASC15 for the latest news and updates!