Julie Morstad – Page 13 – Tundra Book Group

June 10, 2015May 7, 2025

Alcuin Awards

We are honored to announce that the Alcuin Society has chosen two of our titles to receive their Awards for Excellence in Book Design. The Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada is the only national competition for book design in the country. Congratulations to our illustrators and designers!

2nd place in the children’s category:
Book design by Julie Morstad and C.S. Richardson

Julia, Child
Written by Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Hardcover | 32 Pages
Trim Size: 8-5/8 x 11-1/4
ISBN: 978-1-77049-449-7

3rd place in prose fiction:
Book design by Kelly Hill

Anne of Green Gables
Written by L.M. Montgomery
Hardcover | 400 Pages
Trim Size: 5-5/16 x 7-7/8
ISBN: 978-1-77049-730-6

May 14, 2015May 7, 2025

Today’s Parent 100 Best Canadian Kids’ Books of All Time

Today’s Parent surveyed experts from coast to coast to create this awesome list of titles. Here are their Tundra favourites:

Anne of Green Gables
Written by L. M. Montgomery
Trade Paperback
384 Pages | Ages 8-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-731-3
eBook: 978-1-77049-860-0
“Melodramatic and relatable Anne-with-an-E is an 11-year-old orphan who finds love, loss and belongingin picturesque Prince Edward Island.” – Today’s Parent

The Hockey Sweater, 30th Anniversary Edition
Written by Roch Carrier
Illustrated by Sheldon Cohen
Translated by Sheila Fischman
Hardcover
48 Pages | All Ages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-762-7
“In a small Quebec town, life revolves around playing hockey and the Montreal Canadiens, but trouble brews when Roch outgrows his Habs sweater and receives a Toronto Maple Leafs one as a replacement.” – Today’s Parent

Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang
Written by Mordecai Richler
Illustrated by DuÅ¡an PetriÄiÄ‡
Hardcover
96 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-0-88776-925-2
“Misunderstood Jacob Two-Two finds himself at the mercy of the mean Hooded Fang after insulting a grown-up.” – Today’s Parent

A Child in Prison Camp
Written by Shizuye Takashima
Trade Paperback
104 Pages | Ages 10+
ISBN: 978-0-88776-241-3
“The author reflects on how her family and thousands of other Japanese Canadians were forced to live in internment camps during the Second World War.”- Today’s Parent

Emily of New Moon
Written by L.M. Montgomery
Hardcover
448 Pages | Ages 8-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-746-7
“Emily Starr’s world is shattered with the death of her father. Now she’ll have to start fresh in a new place with her stern aunt and cruel classmates.” – Today’s Parent

The Olden Days Coat
Written by Margaret Laurence
Illustrated by Muriel Wood
Trade Paperback
32 Pages | Ages 7-10
ISBN: 978-0-88776-704-3
“While visiting her grandmother at Christmas, 10-year-old Sal is transported to the past when she tries on a coat she finds in a weathered trunk.” – Today’s Parent

Mr. Zinger’s Hat
Written by Cary Fagan
Illustrated by DuÅ¡an PetriÄiÄ‡
Hardcover
32 Pages |Ages 4-6
ISBN: 978-1-77049-253-0
“A little boy knocks the town storyteller’s hat off his head, but together they come up with a new story to tell.” – Today’s Parent

Dippers
Written by Barbara Nichol
Illustrated by Barry Moser
Trade Paperback
32 Pages | Ages 7-9
ISBN: 978-0-88776-549-0
“Based on a letter written by a girl named Margaret and discovered in the Toronto archives, this book is her fantastical account of some strange happenings during the summer of 1912.” – Today’s Parent

The Night They Stole the Stanley Cup
Written by Roy MacGregor
Trade Paperback
176 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-414-5
“Hockey’s greatest trophy is in danger. Will the Screech Owls hockey team be able to save it?” – Today’s Parent

Julia, Child
Written by Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Hardcover
32 Pages | All Ages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-449-7
“Simca and Julia are best friends who love to cook. This delightful tale is based loosely on the relationship between real-life friends chef Julia Child and Simone (Simca) Beck.” – Today’s Parent

The Nose from Jupiter
Written by Richard Scrimger
Trade Paperback
160 Pages | Ages 8-12
ISBN: 978-0-88776-428-8
“Alan is bullied at school, until an alien from Jupiter lands in his nose and teaches him how to stick up for himself.” – Today’s Parent

Check out the full list of titles here on the Today’s Parent website! Thank you to the esteemed panelists for all their work. You can also enter to win all 100 books here (contest closes June 12, 2015).

May 12, 2015May 7, 2025

Tuesdays with Tundra 48

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

This Is Sadie
Written by Sara O’Leary
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 978-1-77049-532-6
“This award-winning duo beautifully convey the magic that is to be found in reading or listening to a story…. With its leisurely pace and verdant illustrations, this book is a delight for bedtime as well as an excellent story time choice…. A wonderful purchase for all collections.” – STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

“Sara O’Leary and Julie Morstad … celebrate the joy of creativity and the beautiful chaos of imaginative play … [they] invite kids to see beyond what’s presented on the page – to see past the box, the tree, and their own physical limitations and join Sadie on her adventures…. With something new to discover upon each encounter, This Is Sadie is sure to become a favourite bedtime read.” – STARRED REVIEW, Quill & Quire

We Are All Made of Molecules
Written by Susin Nielsen
Hardcover | 256 Pages | Ages 12+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-779-5
eBook: 978-1-77049-781-8
“The psychodrama is narrated by the two kids in alternating chapters, leavened with constant, wry humor that should keep readers chuckling even as the story grapples with serious emotional issues. Stewart comes across as absolutely adorable. He knows he’s a complete geek with imperfect social skills. His disarming honesty about his intelligence and especially about his weaknesses holds the entire book together, allowing readers to take self-absorbed Ashley with a grain of salt as she goes through what her mother terms the ‘demon seed’ stage. This savvy, insightful take on the modern family makes for nearly nonstop laughs.” – STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

Pub Date Giveaway: In the comments below, please tell us which new May 2015 release of Tundra’s you would love to read and one lucky reader will receive their requested book (Canada only for We Are All Made of Molecules)! One request per person and please review our rules. This giveaway ends at midnight on Monday, May 18, 2015!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Nicole, winner of We Are All Made of Molecules.

May 5, 2015May 7, 2025

This Is Sadie – In Real Life

Samantha Devotta: One of the books I’m most excited for is Sara O’Leary and Julie Morstad’s latest collaboration, This Is Sadie. It comes out next week, and it’s one of the sweetest stories I’ve ever read.

Sadie is a little girl with a big imagination. We thought it would be nice to see if we could find real-life counterparts to scenes from Sadie’s adventures.

As an Alice in Wonderland fan, my favourite spread is when Sadie throws a Mad Hatter-worthy tea party. This girl is very Sadie-like with her pretty dress and, of course, the bunting in the background (we at Tundra love bunting!).

Credit: Genevieve McKeiver

There’s no basket on this shiny red bike yet, but the resourceful Sadie would definitely be able to come up with a solution!

Credit: PublicDomainPictures (pixabay)

Sadie’s room is whimsically decorated with a mushroom lamp, bunting, and her plush fox family. Who wouldn’t want to curl up with a book in a room like this?

Credit: piperandpoppies (bedroom); milkmagazine.net (table/lamp – click through the photos); Red Red Completely Red (blanket photo) and Elizabeth Hartman (blanket pattern); Stuffed Safari (fox)

Sadie also builds herself a blanket tent where she can hang out with her foxes and plan some more adventures. This little guy already has the tent and animal pals covered!

Credit: Karen (artmarble)

So cute! I think it might be time to makeover my own bedroom.

If you’d like to see more real-life Sadies, please check out thisissadiebook.tumblr.com or the Sadie pinterest page. And if you have a Sadie in your life, please feel free to email a photo to ThisIsSadieBook@yahoo.com so that you can be added to the website!

April 10, 2015May 7, 2025

2015 Gourmand Award Winner

The Gourmand Awards has been announced and we’re honored to see that Julia, Child is the winner in the Best Illustrations category for Canada – English! Congratulations to Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad!

Julia, Child
Written by Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Hardcover | 32 Pages | All Ages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-449-7
“Morstad’s lively art uses Photoshop, ink and gouache, telegraphing a suggestion of the ink-and-watercolor work of mid-20th-century artists like Sasek and Bemelmans … there’s a dollop of sentimentality in the way that the two young cooks bring ‘all sorts of big, busy people’ to a remembrance of childhood pleasures…. Intriguing for an adult familiar with the real Julia and perhaps for the perceptive child who will understand that it’s not about how old you are, or about what you cook, but about what you bring to the table.” – Kirkus Reviews

The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards were founded in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau and celebrates global cookbook and wine book publishing and feature many world renowned chefs each year.