Tag: Tales from Outer Suburbia

Hello! My name is Katelyn, and I am a Production Editor at Tundra Books. I am originally from Edmonton, Alberta, but I now live in Toronto, Ontario. In between living in Edmonton and Toronto, I spent five years in England studying and working. Prior to publishing, I worked in public and school libraries, which was great for discovering all kinds of new books.

I have a bad habit of picking up too many hobbies and not having enough time for any of them. Some of my past and current hobbies include drawing, photography, video editing, knitting, stained glass, lockpicking, and kickboxing. Two of my most enduring hobbies are playing the guitar and baking vegan treats.

5 Random Facts About Me

1. I had a goal to travel to as many countries as I was years old, which was going great until I was stopped by global circumstances outside of my control (27 countries and counting!).
2. My Chinese name is 嘉敏 (pronounced Jiamin). Literally no one has ever referred to me by this name.
3. All guests who enter my home unknowingly agree to play a game, the rules of which will only be revealed AFTER winning.
4. I am a certified deep-water scuba diver.
5. I can eat fire. (I can also breathe fire less well – ask me about the part of my eyebrow that has never grown back quite the same.)

Favorite Penguin Random House Titles

Tales from Outer Suburbia
By Shaun Tan
96 Pages | Ages 12+ | Paperback
ISBN 9780735265226 | Tundra Books
Breathtakingly illustrated and hauntingly written, Tales from Outer Suburbia is by turns hilarious and poignant, perceptive and goofy. Through a series of captivating and sophisticated illustrated stories, Tan explores the precious strangeness of our existence. He gives us a portrait of modern suburban existence filtered through a wickedly Monty Pythonesque lens. Whether it’s discovering that the world really does stop at the end of the city’s map book, or a family’s lesson in tolerance through an alien cultural exchange student, Tan’s deft, sweet social satire brings us face-to-face with the humor and absurdity of modern life.

My Self, Your Self
By Esmé Shapiro
48 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774880234 | Tundra Books
From the way you button your coat to the way you tap your toes, from the top of your head to your adorable tummy, there are so many reasons to love your self, and so many reasons to be loved. Join a group of endearing forest creatures as they bake and eat cranberry-butter-pie muffins, sing silly songs at bath time and stop to smell the chestnut-nettle roses, all the while exploring their individuality. This joyously affirming picture book from the inimitable Esmé Shapiro encourages the youngest readers to get to know and love and be kind to their wonderful selves and the equally wonderful selves around them.

How to Teach Your Cat a Trick in Five Easy Steps
By Nicola Winstanley
Illustrated by Zoe Si
52 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735270619 | Tundra Books
Step one: Decide on a trick
Step two: Get some treats ready
Step three: Hold the treat in your hand and ask your cat to do the trick
Step four: Watch your cat do exactly what you asked him to do
Step five: Reward your cat for doing the trick
Simple, right? This spoof on an instruction manual features an increasingly bewildered human, a nonchalant cat, a very good dog and a know-it-all narrator . . . who really doesn’t know it all. How DO you teach a cat a trick? Read on to find out!

If I Had a Gryphon
By Vikki VanSickle
Illustrated by Cale Atkinson
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781770498099 | Tundra Books
Sam just got a hamster for a pet. But the hamster is kind of boring . . . he just eats and sleeps and gets his shavings wet. Inspired by her book of mythological creatures, Sam longs for a more exciting pet. But she soon realizes that taking care of these magical beasts might not be as wonderful as she thought. Sasquatches are messy, unicorns are shy, hippogriffs scare the dogs at the dogpark, and having a fire extinguisher handy at all times makes dragons seem like an awful lot of work. In the end, Sam realizes that her hamster is a pretty sweet and safe pet . . . or is he? If I Had a Gryphon is a raucous rhyming read-aloud about fantastical beasts in everyday situations – and the increasingly beleaguered heroine who has to deal with them.

Petra
By Marianna Coppo
48 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735262676 | Tundra Books
Petra is a little rock who believes she is a mighty mountain . . . until a dog fetches her for its owner, and she is tossed into a bird’s nest. A mountain? No, Petra is now an egg! An egg of the world in a world of possibility. Until she’s flung into a pond, and becomes an amazing island . . . and, eventually, a little girl’s pet rock. What will she be tomorrow? Who knows? But she’s a rock, and this is how she rolls!

Favorite Non Penguin Random House Titles

• Duck, Death and the Tulip by Wolf Erlbruch
• The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• Frog on a Log? by Kes Gray
• The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel #1: Kristy’s Great Idea by Ann M. Martin

Anticipated Penguin Random House Titles

• Strum and Drum by Jashar Awan
• Who Owns the Clouds? by Mario Brassard
• The Pancake Problem (Weenie Featuring Frank and Beans Book #2) by Maureen Fergus, Illustrated by Alexandra Bye
• Banana by Zoey Abbott
• The Song That Called Them Home by David A. Robertson, Illustrated by Maya McKibbin