Tag: Robin Muller

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Telling Tales: A Festival of Stories

On Sunday, September 18th the third annual Telling Tales Festival took place in Westfield Heritage Village in Rockton, Ontario. Hundreds attended and there was no shortage of things to do in this replica of a 19th century village which was also a filming location for the popular Anne of Green Gables film series. Many authors including Tim Beiser, Jo Ellen Bogart, and Robin Muller read from their books and the staff of the Village demonstrated crafts and trades that were common for the time.

On behalf of everyone at Tundra Books, a huge thanks to the organizers, staff and volunteers of the Telling Tales Festival and of Westfield Heritage Village for a fantastic day!

Author and artist, Robin Muller presents original sketches of his stunning picture book, The Nightwood, outside the One Room School House.

Author and Storyteller, Itah Sadu performs to a rapt audience at the Bandstand.

The general store was well stocked with candy and other treats!

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Telling Tales 2011

This year, the 3rd annual Telling Tales: A Family Festival of Stories is being held on Sunday, September 18, 2011 at the Westfield Heritage Village. Gates open at 9:30am and the festival ends around 4:00pm. You don’t want to miss it, Telling Tales won the 2010 Tourism Hamilton Award of Excellence – Festival of the Year!

Don’t forget to meet our authors at the festival this year:

Bradley McGogg
The Very Fine Frog
By Tim Beiser
Illustrated by Rachel Berman
Trade Paperback | 24 Pages | Ages 2-5
ISBN: 978-1-77049-276-9
Tim Beiser was born on April Fools’ Day in Los Angeles, California. After earning a degree in Economics at Rocky Mountain College in Montana, he moved to New York City where he spent sixteen years as a playwright and science fiction short-story writer. He was a writer-in-residence at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico, and he founded the creative writing studio The Writer’s Workout in Manhattan. Like most New York artists, Tim has had many day jobs: a pastry chef, an architectural draftsman, a college teacher, a waiter, a nightclub performer, a computer repairman, and, lastly, an emergency medical technician for the Fire Department of New York, driving an ambulance. Tim received a B.A.A. in Journalism from Ryerson University and started a career as a freelance magazine writer. For his work in such publications as National Post Business, Toronto Life, Elm Street, Reader’s Digest, and Saturday Night, Tim has been nominated for four National Magazine Awards. Bradley McGogg, the Very Fine Frog is his first book for children. Tim Beiser is the proud dad of twins Rowan and Daniel, and he and his family split their time between Toronto, Canada and Grignan, France.

Capturing Joy
The Story of Maud Lewis
By Jo Ellen Bogart
Illustrated by Mark Lang
Trade Paperback | 32 Pages | Ages 8-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-262-2
Jo Ellen Bogart is the author of many best-selling children’s books, including Big and Small, Room for All; Jeremiah Learns to Read; Daniel’s Dog; and Gifts. She has degrees in elementary education and psychology from the University of Texas, and she now writes full time. Jo Ellen has won the Ruth Schwartz Award and has been shortlisted for the Mr. Christie’s Book Award. Her first book for Tundra was a biography of Maud Lewis called Capturing Joy: The Story of Maud Lewis. Born in Houston, Texas, she now lives in a pet-filled home in Guelph, Ontario.

The Nightwood
By Robin Muller
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 5-8
ISBN: 978-1-77049-209-7
Robin Muller is an internationally acclaimed author and illustrator of children’s books. He received the Studio Magazine Award for Illustration (silver) for The Nightwood, the Governor General’s Award for The Magic Paintbrush, and the 1995 IODE Award for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. He was a medalist for the Ezra Jack Keats Memorial Award. Robin Muller lives in Toronto.

Click here for photos from the festival’s first year!

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A roundup of features with…

Open Book Toronto logoIf you haven’t visited Open Book: Toronto yet, we recommend that you do! They have a great team working on bringing you the latest books news. Last season, they featured some of our Fall 2010 authors and illustrators. Many thanks to Clelia, Amy, Erin, and Nadika for their hard work.

Please click on the links below to read Open Book: Toronto’s features with:

You can take a look at previous interviews here and here. Keep an eye out for interviews from our Spring 2011 authors and illustrators on Open Book: Toronto!

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Keep Toronto Reading 2011

Keep Toronto Reading starts tomorrow! Start celebrating books and reading! The festival is a month long, April 1-April 30, with events in many of the library branches. You can view the full schedule of  programs on the Toronto Public Library’s website. Here are some events featuring Tundra authors and illustrators from the KTR page:

Meet Author Robin Muller
Friday, April 01, 2011 from 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
At Albert Campbell (496 Birchmount Road, Toronto, ON M1K 1N8)
How did author and illustrator Robin Muller become a children’s book star? Come find out! For more information, contact the branch at 416-396-8890.

Get Creative with Robin Muller
Saturday, April 09, 2011 from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
At Fairview (35 Fairview Mall Dr., Toronto, ON M2J 4S4)
Wanna be an author or illustrator? Get the ins and outs of the creative process from a pro. Ages 6 to 12.

BOOK BASH!! Children’s Literature Festival

Writing Workshop with Marthe Jocelyn
Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
At Northern District, Program Room (40 Orchard View Blvd., Toronto, ON M4R 1B9)
Meet Marthe Jocelyn, winner of the first TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature, and get creative in this hands-on writing workshop. Ages 10 and up. Space is limited.

Meet Author Richard Scrimger
Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
At Northern District, Urban Living Room (40 Orchard View Blvd., Toronto, ON M4R 1B9)
Richard Scrimger is the winner of the Mr. Christie Book Award for The Nose from Jupiter, a book about a wise-cracking alien who inhabits a little boy’s nose. Many of his other books have also been nominated for awards. He wrote a series of picture books starring baby Bun Bun, and also writes novels for young adults. Ages 8 and up.

Meet Author Cary Fagan
Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
At Northern District, Urban Living Room (40 Orchard View Blvd., Toronto, ON M4R 1B9)
Cary Fagan is an award-winning children’s author, a writer of adult novels, an editor and a contributor to a number of magazines and newspapers. Cary has written several picture books, including Gogol’s Coat and The Market Wedding. Daughter of the Great Zandini, winner of a Mr. Christie Silver Medal, was Cary’s first novel for children and The Fortress of Kaspar Snit was his second. Ages 8 and up.

Meet Author Shane Peacock
Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
At Northern District, Urban Living Room (40 Orchard View Blvd., Toronto, ON M4R 1B9)
Shane Peacock’s books are peopled with high-wire walkers, sumo wrestlers, the world’s most dangerous man and literature’s most famous detective. To research his books, he learned the art of tight-rope walking and sumo eating. His latest novel is The Secret Fiend: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His 4th Case. The Boy Sherlock series has garnered multiple awards. Ages 9 and up.

Tundra is having fun transforming into books too:

Let books transform you this April! Take your photo and share it with the Toronto Public Library on twitter or facebook.

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Tuesdays with Tundra 5

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

Avalanche Dance
By Ellen Schwartz
ISBN 978-0-88776-958-0
US $9.95 / CAN $11.99
Ages 10-12
Gwen lives for dancing. When she has the chance to take an intensive – and expensive – course far from home, she knows her parents will object. She raises the subject when skiing with her father, but the discussion turns into an angry confrontation that is cut short by a sudden dreadful avalanche that almost kills her dad. She is left wracked with guilt and injuries that may end her career as a dancer. Gwen must find a way to make peace with her family, and with her own conscience if she is ever again going to experience the freedom that dancing brought her.

Ghost Trackers: The Unreal World of Ghosts, Ghost-Hunting, and the Paranormal
By Chris Gudegon and CCI
ISBN 978-0-88776-950-4
US $14.95 / CAN $15.99
Ages 9+
“…By the creator of the youth-oriented television reality show Ghost Trackers, this book provides young fans of the fantastic all the information and tools they’ll need for their own ghost-hunting expedition.” – VIA Destinations

Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales
It’s Not About the Apple! ISBN 978-0-88776-955-9
It’s Not About the Crumbs! ISBN 978-0-88776-953-5
It’s Not About the Hunter! ISBN 978-0-88776-948-1
It’s Not About the Pumpkin! ISBN 978-0-88776-949-8
It’s Not About the Rose! ISBN 978-0-88776-9542
By Veronika Martenova Charles
Illustrated by David Parkins
US $5.95 each / CAN $7.99 each
Ages 5-8
Here are five first books for fledgling readers that offer the enjoyment of a good story along with the thrill of accomplishment that comes from independent reading. Written in short, easy phrases with carefully selected vocabulary and plentiful illustrations, each book helps youngsters achieve success as they have fun. The series follows three friends who love to share stories. In each book, one is reminded of a well-known story: Little Red Riding Hood in It’s Not About the Hunter!, Beauty and the Beast in It’s Not About the Rose!, Snow White in It’s Not About the Apple!, Cinderella in It’s Not About the Pumpkin!, and Hansel and Gretel in It’s Not About the Crumbs! As one friend starts, the others are reminded of versions they know so each volume has three stories within one framework. The stories come from around the world, and Veronika Martenova Charles provides a note at the end of each book to describe the origins.

The Nightwood
By Robin Muller
ISBN 978-1-77049-209-7
US $18.95 / CAN $20.99
Ages 6+
“Written in true fairytale style with a passionate and soulful text that could standalone as a short story without the illustrations. But, the illustrations bring this story to a different level. Muller’s paintings are exquisite and finely detailed. Filled with emotion, atmosphere and magic they make this a book to own….” – Back to Books

Rude Stories
By Jan Andrews
Illustrated by Francis Blake
ISBN 978-0-88776-921-4
US $19.95 / CAN $21.99
Ages 6-9
Meet Mr. Mosquito, drawn from a Gypsy story. He’s cantankerous and nasty enough to raise belly laughs along with the eyebrows of the polite. In a story inspired by Australian bush tales, we meet Ella and Bella, two hilarious (and flatulent) sisters. Angelina’s earthy wit is memorialized in a story from Swahili tradition. The eight stories in Rude Stories have roots from Japan to Canada, from Africa to Eastern Europe, but they all share a sense of irreverence, and, because they are the work of a true storyteller, they beg to be read aloud, told aloud and shared.

Vanishing Girl: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His 3rd Case
By Shane Peacock
ISBN 978-1-77049-234-9
US $9.95 / CAN $11.99
Ages 11+
Now in paperback!
“… Fast paced and filled with clues readers can follow, this is a fun read.” – School Library Journal
“… The richly descriptive prose offers a vivid sense of both Victorian life and the diverse characters, especially complex, intriguing, and sympathetic Sherlock” – Booklist

Winter Shadows
By Margaret Buffie
ISBN 978-0-88776-968-9
US $19.95 / CAN $21.99
Ages 11+
“…Buffie’s characters and the conflicts they face are deeply engaging, more than compensating for the well-worn time-travel plot device. Of special interest is the rare portrait of a multiracial community when informal marriages among British and First Nations people were common.” – Kirkus Reviews

Yes You Can! Your Guide to Becoming an Activist
By Jane Drake and Ann Love
ISBN 978-0-88776-942-9
US $12.95 / CAN $14.99
Ages 11+
Every time our society takes steps forward, segregation becomes illegal, child labor is exposed, and companies that poison our air are called to account. Behind those steps are people who identified problems, worked together, and created change. Lifelong environmental activists, Jane Drake and Ann Love present the nine steps to social change and much more. From fascinating accounts about the founding of organizations such as Amnesty International, Pollution Probe, and Greenpeace to the nuts and bolts of how to run an effective meeting or write a petition, to words of inspiration.

Pub Date Giveaway: Which book would you love to get your hands on? Leave us a comment below and one lucky reader will receive a copy of their requested book (the Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales count as one request for all 5 books in the series), courtesy of Tundra! One request per person and please read our rules. This offer ends on Wednesday, October 13th, 2010!