The Word on the Street

Don’t forget, the Word on the Street starts this weekend on Sunday, September 23! Here’s a quick glance at the schedules in:

TORONTO – September 23, 2012

Children’s Activity Tent

11:15 – 11:45 AM
My Itchy Body and My Healthy Body
Liza Fromer and Francine Gerstein MD
Activity suitability: All ages
In their Body Works series Liza Fromer and Dr. Francine Gerstein have taken it upon themselves to think up every question a child could have about their body and answer them in an educational and amusing manner. Each title in the series is divided up by topic and focus on giving all the information a child could want to feel safe and secure in their own skin. Join Liza Fromer and Dr. Francine Gerstein for a fast-paced Body Works Quiz – and test your knowledge about the human body!

1:00 – 1:45 PM
Checkers and Dot and Checkers and Dot at the Zoo
J. Torres and J. Lum
Activity suitability: Ages 3-7
Welcome to the wonderfully patterned world of Checkers and Dot, a sweet and striking series of board books with high-contrast, patterned art for developing eyes, simple but memorable rhyming text for reading aloud, and cute-as-a-button characters! Join J. Lum and J. Torres for a felt puppet decorating and a hat making activity.

Children’s Reading Tent

3:40 – 4:00 PM
Mr. Zinger’s Hat
Cary Fagan is the award-winning author of several young adult novels and picture books. This wonderful new story is about stories, and story-telling, and is sure to enchant and instruct children at home and at school for years to come. This is the tale of a bored little boy, who meets a thoughtful man, and together they build a story. This story within a story is charming and changes both their lives… and quite possibly the readers as well.

4:30 – 4:50 PM
Miss Mousie’s Blind Date
As soon as Miss Mousie’s eyes alight on handsome Matt LaBatt, the water rat, she can think of nothing but how to catch his attention. Should she try to speak, bat her eyelashes, drop her hankie? In front of Mole, the deli-owner, the water rat breaks the spell by insulting Miss Mousie, who retreats to her burrow and hides in shame. When Mousie receives an anonymous dinner invitation, she decides to accept it. But how to dress so her mystery date will like what he sees? In this charming timeless tale, author Tim Beiser shows the reader that love truly lies in the eye of the beholder. And check out Sienna’s review on the WOTS blog!

This is Not the Shakespeare Stage

4:15 – 4:45 PM
Becoming Holmes
The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Final Case
Shane Peacock is an award-winning novelist, playwright, journalist and television screenwriter. His bestselling series for young adults, The Boy Sherlock Holmes, has been published in ten countries in twelve languages and has found its way onto more than forty shortlists. He enjoys reading, spending time with his kids, playing and coaching hockey, and visiting schools, conferences and festivals across North America to speak about reading and writing. Shane lives in the countryside north of Cobourg, Ontario. For more information, visit http://www.shanepeacock.ca.

LETHBRIDGE – September 23, 2012

Teen Zone via Skype

3:30 – 4:30 PM
Becoming Holmes
The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Final Case
Shane Peacock is an author, playwright, television screenwriter, and journalist. He likes to write about extraordinary people and create unusual characters. His first book was a biography of The Great Farini, about perhaps the most amazing man in Canadian history, who walked over Niagara Falls in 1860 and invented the human cannonball act in the circus. His novels for young adults have won many accolades. His best-selling Boy Sherlock Holmes series has won and been nominated for 50 awards on their own and been published in 10 countries in 12 languages. His final Boy Sherlock, Becoming Holmes, appears this fall from Tundra Books!

VANCOUVER – September 30, 2012

Kids Tent

4:00 PM
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
Canadian Screenwriter and Gemini Award-winning author Susin Nielsen got her start writing for the hit television show Degrassi Junior High. Her novel Word Nerd was a finalist for the TD Canadian Children’s Book Award and won the Red Maple, Rocky Mountain, Willow, and Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Awards. Her novel Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom has received rave reviews and has already been translated into French, Portuguese and German. Susin lives in Vancouver.

For more information about the Word on the Street, you can visit their website, facebook page, twitter, and blog.

Tuesdays with Tundra 21

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

Mr. Zinger’s Hat
Written by Cary Fagan
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Hardcover | Ages 4-6 | 32 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-253-0
eBook: 978-1-77049-364-3
This is the story of a bored little boy, who meets a man, and together they build a story. This story within a story is charming and changes both their lives … and quite possibly the readers as well. This wonderful new story is about stories, and story-telling, and is sure to enchant and instruct children at home and at school for years to come.

My Healthy Body
Written by Liza Fromer and Francine Gerstein MD
Illustrated by Joe Weissmann
Hardcover | Ages 6-9 | 24 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-312-4
eBook: 978-1-77049-370-4
My Healthy Body is a fact-filled book about healthy habits – perfect for instilling the need to look after both mind and body in young children. Covering topics like sleep, exercise, nutrition, vaccines, eye care, social interaction, family, and hygiene this is the perfect go-to-title for general health care for 6 to 9 year old’s.

My Itchy Body
Written by Liza Fromer and Francine Gerstein MD
Illustrated by Joe Weissmann
Hardcover | Ages 6-9 | 24 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-311-7
eBook: 978-1-77049-369-8
My Itchy Body is a fact-filled book about everything that itches: the causes, the cures, the myths, and the reality. Medically accurate information is presented in fun and lively text, and illustrated with a comic touch. Includes fun facts and sidebars, and a glossary.

The Big Book of Vampires
Written by Denise Despeyroux
Illustrated by Fernando Falcone
Hardcover | Ages 9+ | 112 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-371-1
A fabulously creepy collection of vampire lore for blood-thirsty little people. A perfect Halloween collection! A bloody great collection of vampire stories from around the world, in a large, beautifully illustrated edition – a perfect keepsake.

The Secret Fiend
The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Fourth Case
Written by Shane Peacock
Trade Paperback | Ages 10-14 | 272 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-385-8
The Secret Fiend is the fourth book in Shane Peacock’s award-winning Boy Sherlock Holmes series, combining brilliant storytelling with fascinating historical detail and a mystery worthy of one of the greatest sleuths in English literature.

Talking Tails
The Incredible Connection Between People and Their Pets
Written by Ann Love and Jane Drake
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Trade Paperback | Ages 9-12 | 80 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-359-9
Part social history, part “owner manual,” Ann Love and Jane Drake present irresistible and heartwarming stories of pets through the ages, complemented by the captivating pen-and-ink-with-watercolor illustrations of artist Bill Slavin.

Pub Date Giveaway: Tell us which new release of ours you would love to read in the comments below and one lucky reader will receive their requested book!

One request per person and please review our rules. This giveaway ends at midnight on Thursday, August 16, 2012!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Julie, who will be getting a copy of The Big Book of Vampires!

OLA Best Bets 2011

Each year the OLA Best Bets Committee selects the top 10 Canadian picture books, fiction and non fiction for children and fiction for teens. The lists were announced at OLA Superconference today. Here are the Tundra titles that made the 2011 lists:

Non Fiction:

  • In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps it Up by Monica Kulling, illustrated by David Parkins
  • Honourable mention goes to the Body Works series by Liza Fromer and Francine Gerstein MD, illustrated by Joe Weissmann

Young Adult:

  • Honourable mention goes to First Descent by Pam Withers
  • Honourable mention goes to “Scribbling Women” by Marthe Jocelyn is a noteworthy title (there’s isn’t a nonfiction category)

Picture Book:

  • Honourable mention goes to Noni Says No by Heather Hartt-Sussman, illustrated by Geneviève Côté

Junior Fiction:

  • Honourable mention goes to Stones for My Father by Trilby Kent

Congratulations to our authors and illustrators!

Good Nutrition Month


November is Good Nutrition Month! Eat well and learn about your growing body with books from the Body Works series:

My Achy Body
By Liza Fromer and Francine Gerstein MD
Illustrated by Joe Weissmann
Hardcover | 24 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-204-2

“…informative, straightforward and, most of all, entertaining…. The fun and frank approach isn’t, however, just for kids. It’s meant to be appealing to parents and caregivers, too, and wit and warmth – along with solid information about the intricacies of the human body – are in no short supply.” – The Medical Post

My Messy Body
By Liza Fromer and Francine Gerstein MD
Illustrated by Joe Weissmann
Hardcover | 24 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-202-8

“Using amusing, cartoon-y watercolor illustrations and a couple of paragraphs of text per page, the book provides correct terminology for the kid-familiar terms.”– Kirkus Reviews

My Noisy Body
By Liza Fromer and Francine Gerstein MD
Illustrated by Joe Weissmann
Hardcover | 24 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-201-1

“Helping launch the Body Works series, this informative guide explores the facts behind ‘burps, hiccups, stomach growls, and farts.’ Weissmann’s cartoons depict wafting fumes and awkward glances as Fromer and Gerstein discuss what causes these sounds” – Publishers Weekly

My Stretchy Body
By Liza Fromer and Francine Gerstein MD
Illustrated by Joe Weissmann
Hardcover | 24 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-203-5

“…the books keep things simple, straightforward, and almost entirely squirm-free…. Fun facts are offered, as are true-or-false questions and health tips…. You couldn’t really ask for a more straightforward and snicker-free handling of body-related topics. These books would work very well in a classroom or as a health primer.” – Quill & Quire

EXTRA! EXTRA!

  • Co-author, Liza Fromer, has written a piece about how the series came to be on the Yummy Mummy Club.
  • Win 1 of 10 Body Works Prize Packs from the Yummy Mummy Club!

The Word on the Street: Toronto

Sunday, September 25th was The Word on the Street held coast to coast in Vancouver, Lethbridge, Saskatoon, Kitchener, Toronto, and Halifax.

In Toronto, Tundra had eight authors participating, which included Helaine Becker, Cary Fagan, Nan Forler, Liza Fromer, Francine Gerstein, Monica Kulling, Shane Peacock and Heather Hartt-Sussman. We also had a booth on Kidstreet, which was well stocked with backlist titles for sale. Hardcovers were $10 and paperbacks were $5. It was a gorgeous day (sorry, Vancouver) and thousands of Torontonians flocked to Queen’s Park for this ever-growing festival.

Here are some of the highlights of the day:

First up, Shane Peacock participated in a Mastering the Mystery panel with Norah McClintock and Evan Munday, and moderated by Toronto Life’s Nathan Whitlock at the This Is Not The Shakespeare Stage.

At the Children’s Activity Tent, Nan Forler demonstrated a quilting craft then signed copies of her new book, Winterberries and Apple Blossoms: Reflections and Flavors of a Mennonite Year.

Heather Hartt-Sussman signs Noni Says No. Check out this CTV clip of her reading in the Children’s Reading Tent!

Liza Fromer and Francine Gerstein MD answer kids’ medical questions, interestingly many were about farts and burps, and then sign copies of their series, Body Works.

Shane Peacock reads from the 5th book in The Boy Sherlock Holmes series, The Dragon Turn, at the Bestsellers of Tomorrow event with authors Brian Francis and Ian Hamilton. The event was hosted by Mary Ito.

Monica Kulling reads from Merci Mister Dash! in the Children’s Reading Tent and signs book for her fans.

Helaine Becker reads from Juba This, Juba That. She also led the audience in a spirited hand-clapping routine.

Many thanks to our authors who participated and to the staff and volunteers of The Word on the Street. A special thanks goes to Festival Director, Nicola Dufficy for working so tirelessly on programming a fantastic day and for her incredible support of our authors and illustrators!