Tag: Nan Forler

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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!

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Celebrating the Year’s Best

In the December 2009 issue (Volume 15, Number 2) of Resource Links, they included their annual The Year’s Best. These titles have been designated as Excellent by their reviewers.  Here are the Tundra titles that made the 2009 list, organized by author’s last names in their categories:

PICTURE BOOKS

Bird Child
By Nan Forler
Illustrated by François Thisdale
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-894-1
“… As a thematic book dealing with the issue of bullying, this story excels. It is not preachy or didactic…. illustrations are also a standout…. A final word of praise has to go out to the author for the use of language in this story. Word choices approach the finely tuned standard of poetry…. Highly recommended.” – Resource Links

A Wizard in Love
By Mireille Levert
Illustrated by Marie Lafrance
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-901-6
“Although we don’t see it happen, I am positive Hector’s heart grows in this book… The colours used in the book A Wizard in Love reflect Hector’s shifting moods… Marie Lafrance’s illustrations are not typical of your average love story, but this is not your average love story!” – Resource Links

Timmerman Was Here
By Colleen Sydor
Illustrated by Nicolas Debon
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-890-3
“… Nicolas Debon’s gouache and wax pencil illustrations are dark and mysterious…. The atmosphere is nostalgic, from the 1940s setting to the reflective nature of the narrator. This is a quiet gem for all school and public libraries.” – Resource Links

FICTION: GRADES 3-6

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
By Lewis Carroll
Illustrated by Oleg Lipchenko
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-932-0
“… a beautiful book that stands up to careful scrutiny in appreciating the playful complexity of his unique interpretation and rich imagination…. Lipchenko’s sophisticated version is obviously driven by a commitment to faithfully represent his personal joy in a story that continues to enchant, amuse, and provoke delight and discussion among readers of all ages.” – Resource Links

Jacob Two-Two on the High Seas
By Cary Fagan
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-895-8
“A delightful, imaginative tale…. a wonderfully silly, child-like adventure of ridiculous characters…. This story is a great yarn and hooks the child-like imagination in every reader….” – Resource Links

Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur
By Mordecai Richler
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-926-9
“This book would be a great addition to a unit on dinosaurs. Highly recommended for public and school libraries.” – Resource Links

Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang
By Mordecai Richler
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-925-2
“… DuÅ¡an Petričić’s new illustrations complement the tone of the story and bring Richler’s characters to life, especially the Hooded Fang. This book would be a fabulous read aloud.” – Resource Links

Jacob Two-Two’s First Spy Case
By Mordecai Richler
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-927-6
“…kids will delight in the hilarious downfall of adults who take advantage of their authority…. The story’s suspense is fun…. Highly recommended….” – Resource Links

NON-FICTION: GRADES K-6

Brigadier: Gentle Hero
By Judy Andrekson
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-904-7
“… fascinating detail of the rigorous training and wide variety of skills these animals must master, while keeping the plot moving at a quick pace…. Andrekson excels at vividly recreating the lives of horses she writes about for her readers…. This book is highly recommended.” – Resource Links

Wild Animals!
By Eduardo Bustos
Illustrated by Lucho Rodriguez
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-946-7
“… the animals seem to burst off the page…. encourage independent thinking and interaction with the storyteller. …a great non-fiction picture book for toddlers and preschoolers. Dramatic colours, attention-grabbing use of graphics and shapes and short interactive passages will keep young readers interested…” – Resource Links

Getting There
By Marla Stewart Konrad
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-867-5
“…stunning photographic essays …a book about various and sundry forms of transportations. … Konrad’s interest and concern for children is evident in both these books. I hope to see many more books from her, and additional titles in this series that is ideal for schools and libraries, wherever diversity is celebrated.” – Resource Links

Mom and Me
By Marla Stewart Konrad
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-866-8
“… small children will be fascinated by the scenes and people revealed by Konrad’s pictures. And older ones may begin to learn empathy for children who on the surface might seem quite different from them, but who all share a common humanity….” – Resource Links

It’s a Snap!
George Eastman’s First Photograph
By Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-881-1
“…accessible picture book biography… The strong narrative is peppered with snappy dialogue. Bill Slavin’s pen, ink and watercolour illustrations are equally engaging. …This first book in the Great Idea Series is a picture-perfect introduction to biographies for beginning readers.” – Resource Links

What Came First?
By Sandro Natalini
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-901-8
“… This book presents the theory of evolution in language that is easily accessible to young readers…. Natalini skillfully touches the important points in current evolutionary theory…. highly recommend….” – Resource Links

FICTION: GRADES 7-12

Tyranny
By Lesley Fairfield
Paperback
ISBN 978-0-88776-903-0
“… The illustrations also show the reader the devastation to her body that Anna cannot see. Fairfield aptly shows the insidious nature of eating disorders as well as the control of the disorder…. Clearly portrays how difficult recovery can be…. Highly recommended.” – Resource Links

Brothers
By Michael Mazo
Illustrated by Michael Soloviov
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-922-1
“…a visually appealing book – Soloviov’s illustrations are humorous and lively, and one cannot help but laugh at the situations in which the two dogs find themselves….” – Resource Links

Puppet
By Eva Wiseman
Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-88776-828-6
“…a tale of shocking prejudice and a kind of petty corruption that chills one to the bone… Wiseman’s unflinching descriptions of the conducts of officials, the trial itself, and subtext of Julie’s life mixed with her reactions to and participation in the events around her are compelling and believable….” – Resource Links

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A Roundup of Ten Questions with…

Open Book Toronto logoOnce again, the wonderful team at Open Book: Toronto interviewed some of our Fall 2009 authors and illustrators. Many thanks to Clelia and Amy for their hard work! Click on the links below to read Open Book: Toronto’s Ten Questions with:

You can take a look at the Spring 2009 Ten Question interviews here. Stay tuned for interviews from our Spring 2010 authors and illustrators!

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Guest Post: Nan Forler

Here is a guest post from Nan Forler, author of Bird Child, about her reading at Elmira Library! Photos courtesy of Nan Forler and Kevin Coates.

Nan Forler: Recently, I had the unique pleasure of doing a reading of Bird Child in my hometown of Elmira, with the students of the elementary school I attended so many years ago.  Bette Cummings, the Children’s Librarian at the Elmira Library has passed on her love of books to hundreds of children over the years.  I used to drive my own children up to Elmira for storytime with “Miss Bette,” as they lovingly referred to her, to enjoy her patient and gentle manner.  Bette has followed the path of Bird Child and was eager to have me come in for a reading. 

Bette had everyone and everything well-prepared for the reading.  The display case at the entrance was decked out with a Bird Child scene, complete with snowy roads, tiny houses, a school bus, and a raven perched on a fence.

The children not only had uniquely hometown comments such as, “I know your sister,” and “Do you know my parents?” but also insightful thoughts on how to be a bystander who challenges the power of a bully.  Rather than ideas for taking revenge, responses such as “How would you feel if someone did that to you?” showed a deep understanding of how to take an active and positive role as a bystander.

The children were amazingly attentive and demonstrated a strong sense of empathy in our role-playing.  Empathy, along with the ability to respond with courage and compassion, are learned behaviours that I hope we can all pass on to the children in our lives.

At the end of the reading, Bette presented me with a beautiful, festive wreath she had created, decorated with items from the story of Bird Child, including a school bus, fence, paintbrush, and music, and invited us to a reception of Christmas cookies and juice.  I left feeling that we all need more “Miss Bettes” in this world.

Read Nan Forler’s previous guest post about her first bookstore reading!

Tundra Book Group