Tag: Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms

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Evanston Public Library’s 101 Great Books for Kids (2018)

Evanston Public Library has shared their 101 Great Books for Kids list for 2018. We’re happy to share that Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms and Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein made the list. Congratulations to our authors and illustrators!

Sakura's Cherry BlossomsSakura’s Cherry Blossoms
By Robert Paul Weston
Illustrated by Misa Saburi
Hardcover | 40 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN 9781101918746 | Tundra Books
A warm, gorgeous exploration of a little girl’s experience immigrating to a new country and missing her home and her grandmother, who still lives far away. Sakura’s dad gets a new job in America, so she and her parents make the move from their home in Japan. When she arrives in the States, most of all she misses her grandmother and the cherry blossom trees, under which she and her grandmother used to play and picnic. She wonders how she’ll ever feel at home in this new place, with its unfamiliar language and landscape. One day, she meets her neighbor, a boy named Luke, and begins to feel a little more settled. When her grandmother becomes ill, though, her family takes a trip back to Japan. Sakura is sad when she returns to the States and once again reflects on all she misses. Luke does his best to cheer her up — and tells her about a surprise he knows she’ll love, but she’ll have to wait till spring.

Mary Who Wrote FrankensteinMary Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Júlia Sardà
Hardcover | 56 Pages | Ages 5-8
ISBN 9781770495593 | Tundra Books
How does a story begin? Sometimes it begins with a dream, and a dreamer. Mary is one such dreamer, a little girl who learns to read by tracing the letters on the tombstone of her famous feminist mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, and whose only escape from her strict father and overbearing stepmother is through the stories she reads and imagines. Unhappy at home, she seeks independence, and at the age of sixteen runs away with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, another dreamer. Two years later, they travel to Switzerland where they meet a famous poet, Lord Byron. On a stormy summer evening, with five young people gathered around a fire, Byron suggests a contest to see who can create the best ghost story. Mary has a waking dream about a monster come to life. A year and a half later, Mary Shelley’s terrifying tale, Frankenstein: or, the Modern Prometheus, is published — a novel that goes on to become the most enduring monster story ever and one of the most popular legends of all time.

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Instagram Stories to Read Bedtime Stories to Kids

IG storiestimeInnovative new series uses Instagram to help parents engage kids in storytime by reading picture books on Instagram Stories.

Tundra Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada, has teamed up with advertising agency Rethink Canada to develop and produce the reading series “StoriesTime” launching September 10th, 2018. The new initiative designed to encourage families to read together, shares celebrated children’s books on Instagram through a series of bedtime Instagram Stories.

New stories featured on @tundrabooks Instagram each Monday and Thursday showcase beautifully illustrated children’s books from a collection of best sellers and new favourites, including Almost a Full Moon, written by Juno Award-winning musician Hawksley Workman. The stories, shot against a cozy home-like setting, and charmingly read, are designed to create an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

IG storiestime titles

“Bedtime reading is a wonderful way for parents to bond with their children, and we are excited to introduce our books to families in this new Instagram approach,” said Vikki VanSickle Associate Director, Marketing & Publicity, Young Readers at Penguin Random House Canada, and also a children’s book author herself.

The idea was inspired by a desire to promote an important childhood ritual, bedtime reading. “Every child should get that experience of bedtime stories. Using Instagram Stories we can use technology to give every kid that chance.” said Mike Dubrick, Partner, Creative Director at Rethink Canada in Toronto. “We see this as a way to encourage greater participation in an essential part of childhood.”

Tundra Books will host two different stories on their Instagram (@tundrabooks) each week over a four week period, the first having debuted September 10th. Each Story will remain active for a 24 hour period.

For more information or for high-resolution photographs please contact Vikki VanSickle at 416.928.2419 or vvansickle@penguinrandomhouse.com.

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International Children’s Book Day 2018

International Children's Book Day
Since 1967, on or around April 2, Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday, people around the world celebrate International Children’s Book Day to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children’s books.

We thought we’d spotlight our incredibly talented international authors and illustrators today. Here are 10 books that you should look out for:

Can You Find My Robot's ArmCan You Find My Robot’s Arm?
By Chihiro Takeuchi
ISBN 9781101919033
07/04/2017
Hardcover | Ages 2-5
Chihiro Takeuchi is a renowned paper cut artist living in Osaka, Japan. In 2015 and 2016, Chihiro was part of a select group of artists to exhibit at the prestigious Bologna Book Fair. She has created several books in Japanese. Can You Find My Robot’s Arm? is her first children’s picture book in English.

From the Heart of AfricaFrom the Heart of Africa
Collected by Eric Walters
ISBN 9781770497191
01/02/2018
Hardcover | Ages 6-9
Illustrators in this book include Joe Morse, Canada; Maaike Beker, South Africa; Eugenie Fernandes, Canada; Sindiso Nyoni, Zimbabwe; Toby Newsome, South Africa; Eva Campbell, Canada; Thomas Gonzalez, USA; Roge, Canada; Xanale Puren, South Africa; Loveis Wise, USA; Iain McIntosh, UK; Melinda Josie, Canada; Jeannie Phan, Canada; Setor Fiadzigbey, Ghana; and Eliscer Elliott, Canada.

PetraPetra
By Marianna Coppo
ISBN 9780735262676
02/06/2018
Hardcover | Ages 3-7
Marianna Coppo is an author/illustrator from Italy. She studied editorial illustration at MiMaster in Milan, and now focuses on freelance illustration in Rome. She is one of the curators of Tentacoli, an independent label which specializes in fanzines and handmade products. Petra is her first picture book.

Sakura's Cherry BlossomsSakura’s Cherry Blossoms
By Robert Paul Weston
Illustrated by Misa Saburi
ISBN 9781101918746
02/20/2018
Hardcover | Ages 3-7
Robert Paul Weston was born in Dover, England, but did most of his growing up in the small town of Georgetown, Ontario. Since then, he’s also spent time living in the US, Japan, Switzerland, and the UK. He holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and has been nominated for the Journey Prize and the Fountain Award for Speculative Fiction. He has written several novels for young readers, including Zorgamazoo, Dust City, and Blues for Zoey. Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms is his first picture book. He currently lives in London, England.

The Adventures of Miss Petitfours - paperbackThe Adventures of Miss Petitfour
By Anne Michaels
Illustrated by Emma Block
ISBN 9780735263222
03/27/2018
Trade Paperback | Ages 6-9
Emma Block is the author and illustrator of Tea and Cake and has illustrated several books for children. She has worked for clients including Orla Kiely, UNIQLO, Anthropologie, Time Out, and Hallmark. She likes charity shops, tea and very sharp pencils. Her art is inspired by the people she meets in her everyday life, old photos, vintage clothes, travel, 1950s illustration, and 1930s jazz.

The Golden GlowThe Golden Glow
By Benjamin Flouw
ISBN 9780735264120
5/15/2018
Hardcover | Ages 4-8
Benjamin Flouw graduated from a CG animation school in France and moved to London to create backgrounds for Cartoon Network’s show The Amazing World of Gumball. He is now based in Paris where he works as a freelance designer and illustrator for films and advertisements, with clients such as Variety, Martha Stewart Living, and American Express. His influences run from mid-century illustrators like Miroslav Sasek and Mary Blair to 90’s low-poly video games. The Golden Glow is the first picture book he has both written and illustrated.

Great DogGreat Dog
By Davide Cali
Illustrated by Miguel Tanco
ISBN 9781101919170
5/29/2018
Hardcover | Ages 3-7
Davide Cali began his career in 1994 as a cartoon writer for the Italian magazine Linus. He began writing children’s books in 2000, and since then he has published over one hundred books for children, including Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs and Cinderella and the Furry Slippers. Cali has won a Bologna Ragazzi Special Award, the Switzerland Enfantaisies Prize, the Baobob Prize, the Belgium Libbylit Award, and France’s SNCF award. His books have been published in France, Italy, Austria, the United States and Canada, and translations of his books have been published in eighteen countries. Davide lives in Genoa, Italy.

Award-winning artist Miguel Tanco is a children’s book author and illustrator. He teaches illustration and organizes creative workshops for kids in Spain, where he was born and raised, and in Italy. He has published over forty children’s books including You and Me, Me and You; Les Farfelus; and The Story of Cyrano de Bergerac. He lives in Milan with his wife Federica and their two great sons, Pablo and Javier.

If a Horse Had WordsIf a Horse Had Words
By Kelly Cooper
Illustrated by Lucy Eldridge
ISBN 9781101918722
06/05/2018
Hardcover | Ages 4-8
Lucy Eldridge is a traditional artist who works primarily in watercolor and gouache to create beautiful, whimsical illustrations. She finds inspiration for her work from a variety of things, including pebbles found on the beach, biscuits, origami paper, dictionaries, maps, Chinese brush painting, clouds, trees, trinkets, and cats. Lucy illustrated the middle-grade novel Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird. This is her first picture book. She is based in Brighton, UK.

Mary Who Wrote FrankensteinMary Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Júlia Sardà
ISBN 9781770495593
08/28/2018
Hardcover | Ages 5-8
Júlia Sardà is an artist who has illustrated many books for children, including The Liszts by Kyo Maclear, and number of classics such as Alice in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Her work has been published around the world in many languages. She lives in Barcelona, Spain.

Cover Coming SoonTales from the Inner City
By Shaun Tan
ISBN 9780735265202
10/02/2018
Hardcover | Ages 12+
Shaun Tan is an artist and author living in Melbourne, Australia. He has written and illustrated numerous acclaimed books that have enjoyed tremendous crossover appeal, including The Arrival, The Red Tree, and The Singing Bones, as well as picture books for children including The Rules of Summer. Shaun has worked as a theatre designer, a concept artist for Pixar, and has directed a short film, The Lost Thing, which won an Academy Award. He has won many awards for both individual works and his body of work, including a World Fantasy Award for Best Artist in 2001, a Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist, and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, both in 2011.