At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our creators as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Irma Kniivila!
About the Author:
IRMA KNIIVILA is an artist and writer. Most days she’s working on comics or illustrations, sneaking in an animal any chance she gets. She has done illustrations for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Reader’s Digest, Paper Bag Records, Virgin Mobile and others. She also created the books Year of the Dog and The Crosswind Café. Irma lives in San Miguel, Mexico, with her partner, two cats, and a dog.
Fast Five with Irma Kniivila:
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
More than anything I’d love to live in a new place for a few months every year!
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
A good puppy cuddle, or a nice coffee.
Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
I could live off lunch foods forever – soups, sandwiches, salads . . . what more is there in life?
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
Maybe an LCD Soundsystem concert where sweat was rising and pouring off the ceiling? I also love the symphony and was very lucky to see the pianist Marc-André Hamelin from the second row some years back. Something about an orchestra tuning can already move me to tears, a big and shared sonic experience.
What do you look for in a friendship?
Some mysterious combo of humility and humor.
Books by Irma Kniivila:
Buns Gone Bad: Fluffle Bunnies #1 Written by Anna Humphrey Illustrated by Irma Kniivila 176 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774881262 | Tundra Books This story starts, as stories often do, with a tragedy. Three bunnies are left without their mother when she goes off to Brazil to learn jiujitsu. The bunnies, Flop, Biggie and Boingie, learn some hard truths about life pretty quick: squirrels will take over your cozy nest as soon as you leave and refuse to give it back, dogs are to be avoided at all costs and raccoons will believe anything you tell them. With quick thinking, ingenuity and maybe a little bit of raccoon manipulation, these three buns will take on all comers to be the rulers of the park. Will they win? Well, this IS an origin story . . .
At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our authors as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Rachelle Delaney!
About the Author:
RACHELLE DELANEY is the author of several middle-grade novels, including The Metro Dogs of Moscow, which was a CLA Book of the Year Honor Book, as well as a finalist for the Silver Birch Award and the Red Cedar Award, among others. Its sequel, The Circus Dogs of Prague, was shortlisted for the Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader’s Choice Award. The Bonaventure Adventures won BC’s Chocolate Lily Award in 2019, and Clara Voyant was a Chocolate Lily Award nominee. Her most recent book The Big Sting was shortlisted for the Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society Book Award.
Fast Five with Rachelle Delaney:
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
Maybe the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The scenery is stunning and the towns are so picturesque. Also, Scotland has great bookstores.
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
Time outside. I live near a huge forest in Vancouver, and walking or running on the trails boosts my mood immediately.
Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Breakfast – probably because breakfast features coffee, and I adore coffee.
What’s your “dance like nobody’s watching” song?
I don’t really have one, but my “run like you’re winning a marathon” song is Taylor Swift’s “You’re on Your Own, Kid.”
What is your favorite nature fact?
I love the fact that dolphins call each other by name (or, a distinct whistle that functions as a name). And researchers have found that infant dolphins learn their own individual whistles from their mothers! Dolphins are amazing.
Books by Rachelle Delaney:
Alice Fleck’s Recipes for Disaster By Rachelle Delaney 256 Pages | Ages 9-12 | Paperback ISBN 9780735269293 | Puffin Canada Alice Fleck’s father is a culinary historian, and for as long as she can remember, she’s been helping him recreate meals from the past – a hobby she prefers to keep secret from kids her age. But when her father’s new girlfriend enters them into a cooking competition at a Victorian festival, Alice finds herself and her hobby thrust into the spotlight. And that’s just the first of many surprises awaiting her. On arriving at the festival, Alice learns that she and her father are actually contestants on Culinary Combat, a new reality TV show hosted by Tom Truffleman, the most famous and fierce judge on TV! And to make matters worse, she begins to suspect that someone is at work behind the scenes, sabotaging the competition. It’s up to Alice, with the help of a few new friends, to find the saboteur before the entire competition is ruined, all the while tackling some of the hardest cooking challenges of her life . . . for the whole world to see.
Clara Voyant By Rachelle Delaney 224 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Paperback ISBN 9780143198543 | Puffin Canada Clara can’t believe her no-nonsense grandmother has just up and moved to Florida, leaving Clara and her mother on their own for the first time. This means her mother can finally “follow her bliss,” which involves moving to a tiny apartment in Kensington Market, working at a herbal remedy shop and trying to develop her so-called mystical powers. Clara tries to make the best of a bad situation by joining the newspaper staff at her new middle school, where she can sharpen her investigative journalistic skills and tell the kind of hard-news stories her grandmother appreciated. But the editor relegates her to boring news stories and worse . . . the horoscopes. Worse yet, her horoscopes come true, and soon everyone at school is talking about Clara Voyant, the talented fortune-teller. Clara is horrified – horoscopes and clairvoyance aren’t real, she insists, just like her grandmother always told her. But when a mystery unfolds at school, she finds herself in a strange situation: having an opportunity to prove herself as an investigative journalist . . . with the help of her own mystical powers.
The Big Sting By Rachelle Delaney 224 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Paperback ISBN 9780735269323 | Tundra Books Eleven-year-old Leo is an “armchair adventurer.” This, according to Dad, means he’d choose adventures in books or video games over real-life experiences. And while Leo hates the label, he can’t argue with it. Unlike his little sister Lizzie, Leo is not a risk-taker. So when he, Lizzie, Mom and Dad leave the city to visit Grandpa on Heron Island, Leo finds all kinds of dangers to avoid – from the deep, dark ocean to an old barn on the verge of collapse. But nothing on the island is more fearsome than Grandpa himself – Leo has never met anyone so grumpy! According to Mom, Grandpa is still grieving the recent death of his wife, a beekeeper beloved by everyone on the island. Despite Leo’s best efforts to avoid it, adventure finds him anyway when Grandma’s beehives go missing in the dead of night. Infuriated, Grandpa vows to track down the sticky-fingered thieves himself . . . with risk-averse Leo and danger-loving Lizzie (plus a kitten named Mayhem) in tow.
The Bonaventure Adventures By Rachelle Delaney 288 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Paperback ISBN 9780143198512 | Puffin Canada Sebastian Konstantinov has grown up in a travelling circus, surrounded by talented performers. Seb, however, has no circus skills at all. He can’t even turn a somersault. But he does know this: the old-fashioned circus his father founded is out of date and running low on money. If someone doesn’t figure out how to save it, the Konstantinovs will be in real trouble. Seb thinks he may have the answer, and it involves attending the highly selective Bonaventure Circus School in Montreal, Canada. Seb secretly writes to the school’s Directrice (conveniently leaving out the part about his lack of circus skills), and to his surprise, he gets accepted right away. Now all he has to do is keep his lack of talent a secret. But it turns out that Seb is not the only one with secrets. The school is literally crumbling beneath the students’ feet, and the Directrice is counting on Seb’s “talent” to save it.
The Metro Dogs of Moscow By Rachelle Delaney 208 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Paperback ISBN 9780143184140 | Puffin Canada JR (short for Jack Russell) is an embassy dog. His human, George, works in embassies around the world and so they both travel. A lot. Now George is working at the Canadian Embassy in Moscow. While George loves the globetrotting life, he doesn’t think JR needs any more excitement than hanging out at the park with the other embassy dogs. JR, however, has had quite enough of leashes and perfectly manicured parks-not to mention the boring embassy dogs. Inspired by seeing a stray dog steal a coil of sausages, JR sneaks out of his apartment to do a little exploring on his own and soon meets up with the wily stray and some of his friends. This is the life: amazing city smells! Mouthwatering stuffed potatoes! And best of all, the freedom to travel on the Moscow subway. But then JR’s new friends mysteriously start to disappear. When an embassy dog goes missing as well, JR knows he must use everything he’s learned about his new home to solve the mystery of Moscow’s missing dogs.
The Circus Dogs of Prague By Rachelle Delaney 192 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Paperback ISBN 9780143184164 | Puffin Canada JR and his embassy friends Robert, Pie, and Beatrix are on their way to Prague! Having solved the mystery of the missing dogs in Moscow, JR is ready for a vacatio with his human, George, and George’s Russian girlfriend, Nadya. And where better to distract themselves than in Prague, taking in the sights and meeting Nadya’s brother, a circus performer. But something is amiss at the circus-the animals are unhappy. The boxing kangaroo doesn’t want to box, the dancing chimpanzee doesn’t want to dance. Not only that, but a fancy new circus is coming to town, threatening to put everyone out of a job. It’s up to JR and the embassy dogs to save the show, with the help of some unlikely accomplices.
At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our authors as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Eva Montanari!
About the Author:
EVA MONTANARI was born in Rimini, five minutes away from the sea. She has always loved reading and has been inventing her own stories for as long as she can remember. Using traditional techniques – pencil, chalk, oil and acrylics – she creates playful tableaux populated with endearing characters. Since 2000, her books have been published all over the world, and her work has been featured in many exhibitions such as the Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators’ Exhibition, the Original Art Show at the New York Society of Illustrators, the Sarmede International Illustration exhibition, the Nami Island International Children’s Book Festival and the Sharjah Book Fair.
Fast Five with Eva Montanari:
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I’d say in Barcelona. Now that I live in Milano I miss the seaside a lot. But to be honest, I really like exploring, so if I lived in Barcelona, maybe I’d wish to be somewhere else.
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
A hug!
Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Breakfast, I think. I cannot start my day without it!
What’s your “dance like nobody’s watching” song?
I really like swing music but when I was young and growing up in Rimini, a city full of nightclubs, I used to dance to house music a lot.
What is your best birthday memory?
As a child, I used to celebrate my birthday in my grandmother’s apartment. My parents, who are pastry chefs, would prepare a huge cake and we all wore carnival costumes even if the birthday wasn’t carnival-themed. Once, my mum made me a Cleopatra costume with a gold (plastic) snake on my head! I think the preparation of everything and how my mother got us involved was one of the best parts of birthday parties!
Books by Eva:
What Does Little Crocodile Say? By Eva Montanari 40 Pages | Ages 2-5 | Hardcover ISBN 9780735268135 | Tundra Books What sounds does the Little Crocodile hear on the first day of preschool? The alarm clock goes ring, ring The car goes vroom vroom The elephant says peekaboo The drum goes rat-a-tat The food goes nom nom nom And the crocodile says . . . WAHHHH! In this charming book of sounds, a little crocodile experiences the highs and lows of preschool, ultimately enjoying their day . . . after a small meltdown, of course! Little ones will delight in the adorable illustrations and fun read-aloud, and parents will delight in the sly humor and familiar emotional rollercoaster of a toddler’s day.
What Does Little Crocodile Say at the Park? By Eva Montanari 40 Pages | Ages 2-5 | Hardcover ISBN 9780735268159 | Tundra Books What sounds does Little Crocodile hear on a trip to the park? Grandma says “Sweet Pea!” The pigeons go flap, flap The dandelion goes pffff The chatter goes chit chat The merry-go-round goes wheee And the crocodile says . . . WAHHHH! In this charming book of sounds, Little Crocodile visits the park with Grandma and Grandpa and experiences being left out, kindness and independence, ultimately enjoying their day . . . after a small meltdown, of course! Little ones will delight in the adorable illustrations and fun read-aloud, and parents will delight in the sly humor and familiar emotional rollercoaster of a toddler’s day.
What Does Little Crocodile Say At the Beach? By Eva Montanari 40 Pages | Ages 2-5 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774881552 | Tundra Books What sounds does Little Crocodile hear on a trip to the beach? The sunscreen goes squirt The wave goes splash The fish goes blub The seagulls go ark, ark The watch goes tick, tock And the crocodile says . . . WAHHHH! In this charming book of sounds, Little Crocodile goes camping and visits the beach with Big Crocodile and experiences sand, sun, independence and play, ultimately enjoying their day . . . after a small meltdown, of course! Little ones will delight in the adorable illustrations and fun read-aloud, and parents will delight in the sly humor and familiar emotional rollercoaster of a toddler’s day.
What Does Little Crocodile Say At the Birthday Party? By Eva Montanari 40 Pages | Ages 2-5 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774881576 | Tundra Books What sounds does Little Crocodile hear at their own birthday party? The decorations go whirr whirr The band goes ooom pa pa The wish goes whoosh The cameras go click The balloon goes pop And the crocodile says . . . WAHHHH! In this charming book of sounds, Little Crocodile experiences the highs and lows of a birthday with friends and family, ultimately enjoying their day . . . after a small meltdown, of course! Little ones will delight in the adorable illustrations and fun read-aloud, and parents will delight in the sly humor and familiar emotional rollercoaster of a toddler’s day.
At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our authors as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Kern Carter!
About the Author:
KERN CARTER is the author of Boys and Girls Screaming, along with two self-published novels, Thoughts of a Fractured Soul (novella) and Beauty Scars. In addition to his writing, Kern is a filmmaker and also teaches professional writing at a local college, committed to supporting emerging writers and helping them find their voice. He lives in Toronto.
Fast Five with Kern Carter:
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
This is a tough question, so I’m going to cheat and give a couple of different answers. If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live part of my life in Grenada. My mother and grandmother were both born there and the stories they tell me speaks to my soul. The other place I would live is in Laguna Beach, California. I spent a few days there and you’re literally in between the ocean and these gorgeous mountains. I didn’t want to leave.
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
One thing that instantly makes my day better is eating my first meal. I absolutely love food, good food, and eating usually puts me in the best mood.
Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Dinner is definitely my favorite meal. There are so many options and I get the most excited thinking about all the different possibilities. Plus all of my favourite dishes are dinner dishes.
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
The best concert I’ve ever been to was Kanye’s West’s Yeezus tour. I’ve never seen a production like that in my life. I also want to give a shoutout to Jill Scott. I saw her perform in New Orleans and her show was probably the most memorable. Her voice and stage presence was all she needed to command the audience.
Who do you consider a fashion icon?
When I was growing up, I remember waking up on Saturday mornings and flipping the TV to a show called Raw hosted by Jeanne Beker. Jeanne would take you behind the scenes of fashion shows all across the world and do these unscripted, random interviews and it was my first exposure to that level of fashion. So to me, Jeanne Beker is a fashion icon because she gave kids like me access at a time when it was limited.
Books by Kern:
And Then There Was Us By Kern Carter 232 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover ISBN 9781774883402 | Tundra Books Coi is just eighteen years old, but has already survived years of physical and verbal abuse from her mother. After being kicked out of her mother’s house at age fourteen, Coi has lived with her father, and together they’ve created a peaceful life. That peace ends suddenly when her mother dies. While Coi struggles to find kindness in her heart for the woman who only hurt her, she starts having lucid dreams, forcing her to relive moments of abuse and emotional trauma that eventually led to Coi’s abandonment. Her mother’s passing also reopens the door to her mother’s side of the family, including her beloved younger half-sister, Kayla, her stepfather and her grandmother. Each of them challenge Coi’s long-held views about her mother, especially Kayla, who, Coi realizes, is taking their mother’s loss hard. As she reconnects with her family, Coi learns to see parts of her mother she never experienced, and for the first time since she was abandoned, opens her heart to forgiveness.
At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our authors as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Tasha Hilderman!
About the Author:
TASHA HILDERMAN graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Saskatchewan. A member of SCBWI and co-owner of a home retail store and garden café in Lloydminster, Tasha has been a panelist and featured speaker at numerous business-industry events, including the 2019 Facebook Communities Summit at Facebook’s Menlo, California headquarters. She is of Métis descent through her mother’s side and a registered member of the Métis Nation of Alberta, and lives with her husband and three children in Alberta.
Fast Five with Tasha Hilderman:
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I haven’t found the perfect place yet. I’m looking for somewhere sunny (we get over 300 days of sunshine on the Canadian prairies) with the charm and comforts of a European town, lush natural beauty with lots of trees and flowers, all 4 seasons (but winter is only 3 months long), kind and happy residents and a pleasant average temperature of 25°C with a gentle breeze. If you’ve found this wonder, please let me know.
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
Tea! I love iced tea and hot tea. I love the smell. I love the color. We actually had a pet alpaca we named “Pekoe” after the color of Orange Pekoe tea. One of my favorite childhood memories is my Baba brewing a pot of Red Rose in her clear Pyrex teapot.
Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
My favorite meal is not a meal, it’s a snack. We have a print in our house that says “Snacktime is kind of a big deal around here.” Snack is fun to say and fun to eat and you can do it whenever you want. But if I had to pick a meal my favorite would be “midnight lunch.” If there is a wedding or a party and they are serving a midnight lunch, I am a happy girl. Midnight lunch is a snack in disguise.
What’s your “dance like nobody’s watching” song?
I don’t have a “dance like no one’s watching” song but I am fond of “singing like no one is listening!” I don’t have a genre, it could be something from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, or an 80’s commercial jingle or a country song. And, if my children happen to be not listening to me, they will likely receive the request via song, typically something like “please pick up your socks! [uptempo] I have asked you a thousand times [operatic baritone]. Just do it, do it, do it, do it, do it [youth improv theatre style] pick.. up.. your SOCKS!” [crescendo]. [Fin].
What do you look for in a friendship?
Thoughtfulness, a shared sense of humor, wit, a good listener and a good storyteller, someone I can be my true self with, someone that helps me see the world in a different way.
Books by Tasha:
Métis Like Me Written by Tasha Hilderman Illustrated by Risa Hugo 40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774881125 | Tundra Books Are you Métis like me? A group of children of Métis descent share and explore all the ways they celebrate and experience their heritage – enjoying traditional foods like bannock bread and Saskatoon berries; crafting with beads; sharing stories, dance, music and songs. Each child shares a different way they enjoy honoring their backgrounds and weaving parts of the rich tapestry that makes up Métis culture. One child, though, has grown up disconnected from their history, and can’t join in with the others in the same way. But they soon see it’s never too late to learn, celebrate or become a part of a community in which Métis and non-Métis alike can discover the richness of an often-overlooked culture. This rhythmic, jubilant book will encourage young readers of all backgrounds to celebrate their own heritage and learn more about Métis history, and contains back matter including an author’s note, recipe and dictionary to further inspire.
