Science Writers’ Association Book Awards Shortlist

We are delighted to announce that one of our titles has been shortlisted as an Outstanding Youth Book for the Canadian Science Writers’ Association Book Awards. Congratulations to Ann Love, Jane Drake, and Bill Slavin!

Pandemic SurvivalPandemic Survival
It’s Why You’re Alive

Written by Ann Love and Jane Drake
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Hardcover | 128 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-268-4
eBook: 978-1-77049-499-2
The Black Death. Yellow Fever. Smallpox. History is full of gruesome pandemics, and surviving those pandemics has shaped our society and way of life. Every person today is alive because of an ancestor who survived–and surviving our current and future pandemics, like SARS, AIDS, bird flu or a new and unknown disease, will determine our future. Pandemic Survival presents in-depth information about past and current illnesses; the evolution of medicine and its pioneers; cures and treatments; strange rituals and superstitions; and what we’re doing to prevent future pandemics. Full of delightfully gross details about symptoms and fascinating facts about bizarre superstitious behaviors, Pandemic Survival is sure to interest even the most squeamish of readers.

Congratulations to the other shortlisted titles:

  • A History of Just About Everything by Elizabeth MacLeod and Frieda Wishinsky
  • Au labo les Debrouillards! by Yannick Bergeron
  • Before the World Was Ready by Claire Eamer and Sa Boothroyd
  • Buzz About Bees by Kari-Lynn Winters
  • Dirty Science by Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone

The winners of this year’s award will be announced in mid-April and the award will be presented during the CSWA awards banquet at the annual conference in Toronto on June 7. You can find the full award announcement on the website here.

Tuesdays with Tundra 31

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

The Pocket MommyThe Pocket Mommy
Written by Rachel Eugster
Illustrated by Tom Goldsmith
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 4-6
ISBN: 978-1-77049-300-1
Saying goodbye to Mom at the kindergarten door can be tough. Samuel hates it and wishes he could have a tiny, pocket-sized mommy to carry around with him all day. His mom slips a pretend mommy into his pocket, and when she comes to life, Samuel is delighted . . . at first. But he soon discovers that having a mom along in kindergarten isn’t as much fun as he thought it would be. Sure, she helps him remember the words to songs and keeps him company. But she also rearranges the bookshelf, corrects his artwork, and tries to clean out the guinea pig cage—all with disastrous (and comic) results. An energetic romp with a sweet core, The Pocket Mommy follows one little boy as he navigates the age-old conflict between the comfort of the familiar and the joy of letting go.

Pandemic SurvivalPandemic Survival: It’s Why You’re Alive
Written by Ann Love and Jane Drake
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Hardcover | 128 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-268-4
eBook: 978-1-77049-499-2
The Black Death. Yellow Fever. Smallpox. History is full of gruesome pandemics, and surviving those pandemics has shaped our society and way of life. Every person today is alive because of an ancestor who survived—and surviving our current and future pandemics, like SARS, AIDS, bird flu or a new and unknown disease, will determine our future. Pandemic Survival presents in-depth information about past and current illnesses; the evolution of medicine and its pioneers; cures and treatments; strange rituals and superstitions; and what we’re doing to prevent future pandemics. Full of delightfully gross details about symptoms and fascinating facts about bizarre superstitious behaviors, Pandemic Survival is sure to interest even the most squeamish of readers.

HijackedHijacked: How Your Brain Is Fooled by Food
Written by David A. Kessler, MD
Hardcover | 192 Pages | Ages 10+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-503-6
eBook: 978-1-77049-505-0
Ever wonder why you love fast food so much? Or why you can’t just eat a single cookie? Well guess what—it’s not just because it tastes good! The food industry is using three things to keep you eating: sugar, fat, and salt. When you eat stimulating combinations of these key ingredients, your brain is hijacked into craving more—and you are hijacked into overeating.
What is really in a hamburger, a candy bar, or even applesauce? How much money are companies making when you supersize your portion? What is the science behind the perfect cinnamon roll? How are restaurants conditioning your eating habits?
The food industry knows how to capture your attention by designing and manufacturing food targeted at you. They want to get you hooked and they want a share of your stomach. In Hijacked: How Your Brain is Fooled by Food, Dr. David Kessler reveals the secrets behind food production and offers new insights and helpful solutions on identifying misleading food labels in order to break this endless cycle of overeating.

NOW IN PAPERBACK

It's a Snap!It’s a Snap! George Eastman’s First Photograph
Written by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Trade Paperback | 32 Pages | Ages 5-8
ISBN: 978-1-77049-513-5
George Eastman had a new hobby: photography. The year was 1877, and photography was not as easy as you might think. It cost a lot and the equipment was bulky, but George was about to change all that. What he lacked in formal education, George more than made up for in ingenuity: he invented dry plates, film, and the Brownie camera! The rest is history.

All Aboard!All Aboard! Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine
Written by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Trade Paperback | 32 Pages | Ages 5-8
ISBN: 978-1-77049-514-2
There were few opportunities for the son of slaves, but Elijah McCoy’s dreams led him to study mechanical engineering in Scotland. He learned everything there was to know about engines—how to design them and how to build them. But when he returned to the United States to look for work at the Michigan Central Railroad, the only job Elijah could get was shoveling coal into a train’s firebox. Undaunted, he went on to invent a means of oiling the engine while the train was running, changing the face of travel around the world.

In the Bag!In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up
Written by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by David Parkins
Trade Paperback | 32 Pages | Ages 5-8
ISBN: 978-1-77049-515-9
Known as Mattie, she was different from most American girls living in 1850. She loved to make things with wood and made the best kites and sleds in town. Her father died when she was only three and by the time she was twelve she was working at the local cotton mill, alongside her two older brothers. One day she saw a worker get injured by a shuttle which had come loose from the giant loom, and the accident inspired her to invent a stop-motion device. It was to be the first of her many inventions. Margaret devoted her life to inventing, and is best known for the clever, practical, paper bag. When she died in 1914 she had ninety inventions to her name and over twenty patents, astounding accomplishments for a woman of her day.

Alien InvadersAlien Invaders: Species That Threaten Our World
Written by Jane Drake and Ann Love
Illustrated by Mark Thurman
Trade Paperback | 56 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-512-8
From killer toads, feral felines, and brown tree snakes to multiple invaders in the Great Lakes and Lake Victoria, Alien Invaders explores the impact on our ecosystems of the wave after wave of invaders and why they have become a worldwide concern. Environmentalists Jane Drake and Ann Love take us on a journey from the days of sailing ships and shipboard rats to the fungus that sparked the Irish potato famine to the beautiful but deadly purple loosestrife strangling native wetlands, while presenting the concepts of biodiversity and endangered species. Learn where the invaders originate, how they travel, what they displace, why the invaded natural system is vulnerable, and what can be done. Discover if you are an invader or a saver and how you can help.

Pub Date Giveaway: In the comments below, please tell us which new August release of Tundra’s you would love to read and one lucky reader will receive their requested book! One request per person and please review our rules. This giveaway ends at midnight on Monday, August 12, 2013!

UPDATE: A winner has been chosen!