OLA Best Bets 2009

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 selections are presented at OLA Superconference. Here are the Tundra titles that made their 2009 lists:

Picture Books:

Bird Child
By Nan Forler
Illustrated by François Thisdale
ISBN 978-0-88776-894-1
Hardcover
32 Pages
Ages 5-8
Bullying and the ability to rise above it are at the heart of this strikingly beautiful picture book.

Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion
By Jane Barclay
Illustrated by Renné Benoit
ISBN 978-0-88776-951-1
Hardcover
24 Pages
Ages 4-7
Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion has relevance to a growing number of families, as new waves of soldiers leave home.

Same Same
By Marthe Jocelyn
Illustrated by Tom Slaughter
ISBN 978-0-88776-885-9
Hardcover
24 Pages
Ages 2-5
Forget about differences! Here’s a wonderful new concept book to explore and enjoy!

Timmerman was Here
By Colleen Sydor
Illustrated by Nicolas Debon
ISBN 978-0-88776-890-3
Hardcover
32 Pages
Ages 4-7
Timmerman Was Here is a charming tale of mystery, perception, and the gift of friendship.

Children’s Fiction:

The Battle for Duncragglin
By Andrew Vanderwal
ISBN 978-0-88776-886-6
Hardcover
320 Pages
Ages 11+
Set in the time of William Wallace, this is historical fiction at its bloody best!

Watching Jimmy
By Nancy Hartry
ISBN 978-0-88776-871-2
Hardcover
160 Pages
Ages 9+
A novel of danger, warmth, and dark humor – about a brain-damaged young boy and the friend who knows a terrible secret.

Vanishing Girl
By Shane Peacock
ISBN 978-0-88776-852-1
Hardcover
320 Pages
Ages 10-14
The third case in the compelling Boy Sherlock Holmes series is full of as many twists and turns as the backstreets of Victorian London.

Children’s Non Fiction:

It’s a Snap! George Eastman’s First Photograph
By Monika Kulling
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
ISBN 978-0-88776-881-1
Hardcover
32 Pages
Ages 5-8
Monica Kulling’s spunky, playful text is beautifully complemented by the stunning pen-and-ink with watercolour illustrations of artist Bill Slavin.

Which books do you think will make the 2010 list?

OLA Wrap Up

The expo portion of the Ontario Library Association‘s Super Conference is now over. Another great show and thank you to everyone that came to visit our booth. Here are some photos from the two day show:

Before the show began, all is quiet…

Books on display: OLA Best Bets and OLA Forest of Reading nominees!

Heather Hartt-Sussman came in to sign Nana’s Getting Married on Thursday.

Ann Love came in to sign Talking Tails: The Incredible Connection Between People and Their Pets. Are you dog person or a cat person? Maybe both?

Monica Kulling signing All Aboard! Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine.

Shane Peacock signing Death in the Air: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His 2nd Case.

Illustrator Laura Beingessner came in to sign Sail Away with Me by Jane Collins-Philippe.

Rona Arato signing Mrs. Kaputnik’s Pool Hall and Matzo Ball Emporium. She even brought in a giant matzo ball for display!

Not pictured, but Richard Scrimger, Theo Caldwell, Marla Stewart Konrad, and J. Torres also braved the weather to come in to sign their books:

   

National Inventor’s Day

Have you heard about our Great Idea Series? These are biography books for young readers:

It’s a Snap!
George Eastman’s First Photograph

By Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Hardcover
32 Pages
ISBN 978-0-88776-881-1

“Cameras were once huge and bulky. Then along came George Eastman, who put photography within reach of us all. Based on a true (and fascinating) story.” – Scholastic Parent & Child

“Monica Kulling and Bill Slavin offer a unique look at the interesting life and many accomplishments of George Eastman…. This book is a great way to introduce your children to the wonders of photography.” – Shutterbug Magazine

“Monica Kulling’s charming It’s a Snap! … tells Eastman’s story with panache and Bill Slavin’s entertaining pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations push the humor up a notch. This is terrific storytelling that will work as a read aloud in any class.” – Curriculum Connections, School Library Journal

Look for All Aboard! in August 2010:

All Aboard!
Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine

By Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Hardcover
32 Pages
ISBN 978-0-88776-945-0

For anyone who is fascinated by steam engines and the joy of invention, All Aboard! Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine, with its playful, informative text and lively illustrations, is a wonderful introduction to biography, to invention, and to the man whose mind was so full of ideas that he was able to create an oil cup that made train travel faster and safer for everyone.

OLA Super Conference 2010 in Toronto

Will you be attending the 2010 OLA Super Conference? The conference will be taking place on February 24-27, 2010 in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Tundra will be at booth #720 to tell you about our new and upcoming books! You can also come by to pick up our catalogues, posters, postcards, and bookmarks.

We are also hosting author signings at our booth! Be sure to line-up early, the first 50 people will receive a complimentary copy (finished books, unless noted otherwise). The only catch is… you have to meet the author! Not bad at all…


 

Thursday, February 25, 2010:

  1. 10:30am – Heather Hartt-Sussman will be signing finished copies of Nana’s Getting Married
  2. 11amAnn Love will be signing finished copies of Talking Tails: The Incredible Connection Between People and Their Pets
  3. 11:30amMonica Kulling will be signing F&Gs of All Aboard!
  4. 12:15pmShane Peacock will be signing ARCs of Death in the Air
  5. 1pm – Laura Beingessner will be signing finished copies of Sail Away with Me
  6. 2pmRichard Scrimger will be signing finished copies of Me & Death
  7. 3pmTheo Caldwell will be signing finished copies of Finn the half-Great

 

Friday, February 26, 2010:

  1. 10:30am – Marla Stewart Konrad will be signing finished copies of Grand and I Like to Play
  2. 1pm – Rona Arato will be signing finished copies of Mrs. Kaputnik’s Pool Hall and Matzo Ball Emporium
  3. 2pmJ. Torres will be signing chapbooks of Alison Dare, The Heart of the Maiden

Also, be sure to check out Session #1229:

Friday, February, 26, 2010 at 2:10pm

Read Fresh: Why we need Canadian books
Kathy Lowinger, Past Publisher, Tundra Books

For years hardly a single children’s book was published in Canada. Now we have a rich, diverse body of literature to call our own, but we may lose this hard-won national treasure. Why should we care? What should we do? And what are the must-have Canadian books for every library?

Reading for the Love of It 2010

Will you be attending Reading for the Love of It this year? The conference will be taking place on February 11-12, 2010 at the Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto.

Tundra will be at booth #431 to tell you about our new and upcoming books! You can come by to pick up catalogues, F&Gs (Folded & Gathered pages), chapbooks, posters, postcards, and bookmarks. We will also have author signings at our booth!

On Thursday, February 11th at 12:15, Nan Forler will be signing finished copies of Bird Child

On Friday, Feburary 12th at 11:00am, J. Torres will be signing chapbooks of Alison Dare, The Heart of the Maiden. Then at 1pm, Monica Kulling will be signing finished copies of It’s a Snap! Finally, at 2pm, we have Theo Caldwell signing finished copies of Finn the half-Great.

  

Be sure to line-up early, there are a limited amount of signed books for you to take home and read!

Tundra Book Group