2016 Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award Nomination

Nominations are in for the Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award and we’re pleased to announce that If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur is on the 2015-2016 list! Congratulations to Linda Bailey and Colin Jack!

If You Happen to Have a DinosaurIf You Happen to Have a Dinosaur
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Colin Jack
Hardcover | 40 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 978-1-77049-568-5
“This playful picture book encourages children to contemplate the ‘oddles of things you can do with a dinosaur’ through a subtly ironic narrative that speaks directly to them. Two-page spreads capture the many hilarious scenarios…. Buried in all the rambunctious fun, the story leaves young ones with a message that can be applied to real-life situations: if you take the time to think critically and creatively, you can make effective and logical choices.” – Booklist

The Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award (WCCPBA) is sponsored by the Washington Library Media Association (WLMA) in association with Washington Library Association (WLA). This coming school year 2015-2016, Washington state students in grades kindergarten through third grade will be voting on the 2016 award for their favorite picture book out of the nominated 20 books listed.

Today’s Parent: Top Books

TodaysParentTOP 10 MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS OF 2014

Audrey-cowAudrey (cow)
Written by Dan Bar-el
Illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss
Hardcover | 240 Pages | Ages 7-10
ISBN: 978-1-77049-602-6
“When Audrey the cow learns that she’s headed for the slaughterhouse (oh my!), her barnyard friends help her plan a great escape.” – Today’s Parent

TOP 15 PICTURE BOOKS OF 2014

Edie's EnsemblesEdie’s Ensembles
Written by Ashley Spires
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 4-8
ISBN: 978-1-77049-490-9
“Edie, a teeny fashion designer and self-proclaimed style guru dresses herself in the most extravagant ensembles. Her best friend Andrew is a patient assistant, but after Edie comes to school in an outrageous outfit (that won’t fit through the door!) and makes fun of Andrew’s get-up, his patience fizzles out. Will Edie apologize for taking things too far and make things right with her best friend?” – Today’s Parent

If You Happen to Have a DinosaurIf You Happen to Have a Dinosaur
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Colin Jack
Hardcover | 40 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 978-1-77049-568-5
“Dinosaurs may make for reliable alarm clocks, or be used as can openers and even blamed for eating homework, but that’s only if you happen to find one.” – Today’s Parent

Julia ChildJulia, Child
Written by Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Hardcover | 32 Pages | All Ages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-449-7
“A pair of young girls stir together some secret ingredients, teaching the grown-ups in their lives just how important it is to stop worrying (and to use butter every chance they get!).” – Today’s Parent

2014 Holiday Gift Guide: The Dreamers

Listed by age range:

If You Happen to Have a DinosaurIf You Happen to Have a Dinosaur
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Colin Jack
Hardcover | 40 Pages
For Ages: 3-7 years
ISBN: 978-1-77049-568-5
If you happen to have a dinosaur, lying around your living room, and you don’t know what to do with it … why don’t you use it as a can opener? It will make a terrific nutcracker too! There are oodles of uses for a dinosaur — from a fine umbrella to an excellent kite and a dandy pillow, not to mention a reliable burglar alarm and the perfect excuse to forget your homework. This delightfully absurd exploration of the domestic uses of dinosaurs — and the things dinos just aren’t good for at all — is guaranteed to tickle funny bones and spark imaginations.

Ella May and the Wishing StoneElla May and the Wishing Stone
Written by Cary Fagan
Illustrated by Geneviève Côté
Trade Paperback | 32 Pages
For Ages: 4-6
ISBN: 978-1-77049-410-7
When Ella May finds a smooth stone with a line going all-all-all the way around it, she is convinced it has magical powers. Surely such a stone will grant wishes, she thinks. But when her friends want to join in the fun, Ella May says that the stone is too special. Slowly she comes to realize that keeping the stone all to herself is a sure way to lose friends. By using her imagination, Ella May finds a way to make everyone’s wishes come true-including her own.

audreyAudrey (cow)
Written by Dan Bar-el
Illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss
Hardcover | 240 Pages
For Ages: 7-10 years
ISBN: 978-1-77049-602-6
Audrey is a cow with poetry in her blood, who yearns for the greener pastures beyond Bittersweet Farms. If you have no problem with stories about brave cows escaping their dark destiny and dodging hunters and vicious predators, then this book is for you. Over two dozen animals and humans tell the tale of Audrey’s great escape. Full of heart and humor, Audrey (cow) is ultimately a very human story about life and death, friendship, and holding on to one’s dreams – based more or less on a true story.

MillhouseMillhouse
Written by Natale Ghent
Hardcover | 192 Pages
For Ages: 7-10 years
ISBN: 978-1-77049-639-2
Millhouse is a faint-hearted, hairless guinea pig. A great lover of all things theatrical, most especially the work of William Shakespeare, Milly longs for the limelight and someone to love. However, after the death of his beloved owner, the great actor Sir Roderick Lord Kingswagger, Millhouse is abandoned to a neglected and dusty pet shop filled with other rodents — some rude, some odd, some cute and some downright frightening. Finding himself a reviled outcast and a target of the nasty Pepper Brown ferret, Millhouse sets about trying to find a way back to the theater and a happy home, and in doing so experiences more drama than he could ever have imagined.

The Green Man_paperbackThe Green Man
Written by Michael Bedard
Trade Paperback | 320 Pages
For Ages: 10 and up
ISBN: 978-1-77049-511-1
When Ophelia’s father heads off to Italy for the summer to finish work on his book on the poet Ezra Pound, O – as she prefers to be called – is sent by train to stay with her Aunt Emily, who runs a secondhand bookshop back east called The Green Man. Part mystery, part fantasy, this compelling and beautifully written novel slips between the real world, and that of the creative imagination. Cloaked in the simple story of a young woman taking over a bookstore from her aged aunt, The Green Man is an eerie story about finding voice and courage, and about suspending disbelief!

DinosaursReading

Indigo’s Best Books of 2014 for Kids & Teens

Indigo Best of 2014

For Ages 3-5 | Laugh Out Loud
If You Happen to Have a DinosaurIf You Happen to Have a Dinosaur
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Colin Jack
Hardcover | 40 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-568-5
“There aren’t many books that have the courage to be this silly…. Simply wonderful.” – The Globe and Mail

For Ages 3-5 | Cuddle Up & Read
The Hockey Sweater_30th AnniversaryThe Hockey Sweater, 30th Anniversary Edition
Written by Roch Carrier
Illustrated by Sheldon Cohen
Translated by Sheila Fischman
Hardcover | 48 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-762-7
“It’s a classic… you can’t really be a Canadian and not read it. It’s become part of our cultural lexicon.” – Canadian Children’s Book News

The Highest Number in the WorldThe Highest Number in the World
Written by Roy MacGregor
Illustrated by Geneviève Després
Hardcover | 32 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-575-3
“MacGregor’s writing packs an emotional punch without relying on sentimentality (“Gabe’s heart felt as if a skate had just run across it”). Expressive pencil drawings, brightened with color washes, perfectly capture the characters’ feelings. From the moment Grandma begins to share her past and her passion hockey, the story’s context becomes broader, more complex, and more meaningful. A memorable, intergenerational picture book perfect for sharing.” – Starred Review, Booklist

For Ages 9-12 | Contemporary Adventures
Viminy Crowes Comic BookViminy Crowe’s Comic Book
Written by Marthe Jocelyn and Richard Scrimger
Illustrated by Claudia Dávila
Hardcover | 336 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-479-4
eBook: 978-1-77049-480-0
“A harmonious blend of narrative and intertwined graphic sequences finds two preteens at a comics convention closer to the action than they ever imagined…. The book’s creators clearly had a grand time, filling it with fantastic steampunk creations…. This wholly imagined fantasy is well-fleshed out and keeps the pages flying with its extremely clever story within a story. As it embraces so many different genres and formats-comics, steampunk, adventure-expect this to resonate with a wide readership. A thrilling and imaginative reminder that adventure and magic can be found anywhere, especially where one least expects it….” – Starred Review, Kirkus

2014 ALA Annual Conference

ALA 2014Tundra Books will be exhibiting at ALA Annual Conference this year! Please visit Tara and Sylvia at booth #245 to learn about our new and upcoming books – and to pick up bookmarks, teacher guides, posters, recipe cards, art cards, postcards, buttons, ARCs, and more!

We will have author and illustrator signings at our booth! With each author signing, we will be handing out complimentary copies of the title at a first come, first serve basis. So don’t forget! There’s a limited number of signed books to give away!

Saturday, June 28, 2014 at 10 AM – Eric Walters will be signing copies of My Name Is Blessing
My Name Is BlessingMy Name Is Blessing
Written by Eric Walters
Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes
Hardcover | Ages 6-9 | 32 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-301-8
“This expressive picture book, based on a real family, lovingly tells a hard story with a twist. It’s difficult to broach poverty, disability and custody issues in so few pages without sounding maudlin, but Walters manages by speaking simply. . . . With dignity and quiet acceptance, this story illustrates that blessings, like family, can take unexpected forms.” – Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews

Saturday, June 28, 2014 at 2 PM – Dan Bar-el will be signing copies of Nine Words Max and chap books of Audrey (cow)
Nine Words MaxNine Words Max
Written by Dan Bar-el
Illustrated by David Huyck
Hardcover | Ages 5-9 | 32 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-562-3
“Vancouver author Dan Bar-el and Idaho illustrator David Huyck bring young readers aged five to nine a fun, but cautionary tale about today’s obsession with media, fascination with speaking in 140 characters or less and the importance of conversation.” – The Cambridge Times

audreyAudrey (cow)
Written by Dan Bar-el
Illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss
Hardcover | Ages 7-10 | 256 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-602-6
Audrey is a cow with poetry in her blood, who yearns for the greener pastures beyond Bittersweet Farms. But when Roy the horse tells this bovine dreamer that she is headed for Abbot’s War, the slaughter house, Audrey knows that she must leave her home and friends sooner than she ever imagined. With the help of a whole crew of animals and humans alike, Audrey attempts to escape the farm she lives on – and certain death. Cleverly written as an oral account, this unique illustrated tale of an animal on the run, told “to camera”, uses over thirty narrative voices, including six humans, four cows, three sheep, two sheep dogs, one pig and a very silly rooster. Full of heart and humor, Audrey (cow) is ultimately a very human story about life and death, friendship, and holding on to one’s dreams – based more or less on a true story.

Sunday, June 29, 2014 at 10 AM – Linda Bailey and Colin Jack will be signing copies of If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur
If You Happen to Have a DinosaurIf You Happen to Have a Dinosaur
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Colin Jack
Hardcover | Ages 3-7 | 40 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-568-5
“. . . a tongue-in-cheek user’s guide to prehistoric pets. . . . Colin Jack’s quirky illustrations have a retro-inspired design and are as cheery and bright as a Saturday morning cartoon. . . . The pages are packed with funny details that adults will enjoy as well. . . . Readers are not to despair if they don’t have a dinosaur of their own lying around. The open ending invites lots of animated and imaginative discussions about what to do with other odd and unusual pets like a dodo, a porcupine, or a sasquatch. This wacky, zany tale is a storytime crowd pleaser.” – Children’s Book Review

TundraALA2014We can’t wait to see you at the Grand Opening Reception on the exhibit floor! Viva Las Vegas!

Follow @TundraBooks@EricRWalters, @huyckd, and @colinjack8 on twitter. If visuals are more your thing, follow @TundraBooks, @tatjanamaiwyss, and @colinjack8 on instagram! You can also follow #alaac14 for the latest news and updates!

Tundra Book Group