Q&A with the PRHC Young Readers team

This is the last week for which the Penguin Shop will feature the Tundra takeover for our 50th anniversary. We hope you get a chance to visit (we’re giving away lots of goodies and hosting a contest in-store). Don’t forget, we have story time and crafts on Thursday, June 8, 2017 at 1:00 pm.

While we wait for Thursday to arrive, we thought you’d like this little Q&A we did with some of our team members!

TARA, VP AND PUBLISHER, PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE CANADA YOUNG READERS
Tara WalkerInstagram: @tarawalker19

1. What is your favourite thing about your job?
Reading stories, looking at art and working with incredibly talented and devoted writers and illustrators.

2. Tell us about your favourite book as a child.
I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books with all my heart. I read and reread them all. I drew pictures of the characters: the clothes they wore, the food they ate, their meager belongings. I pretended my Barbies were Laura and her family. There was something so comforting and appealing to me about the little world they occupied, the simplicity of their lives and their close family ties, especially Laura’s relationship with her Pa. And Garth Williams drawings … perfection.

3. Which Tundra character(s) would you want to have dinner with and why?
Winifred Liszt: because she makes lists of her favorite cheeses and favorite Bowie songs.
Narwhal: because he has great banter and loves a good waffle.
Ooko: because I think he’d be my best Debbie.

LYNNE, PUBLISHING DIRECTOR, FICTION, PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE CANADA YOUNG READERS
Lynne MissenTwitter: @LynneMissen1

1. What is your favourite thing about your job?
Working with people who love books as much as I do, especially children’s books.

2. Tell us about your favourite book as a child.
One that I remember vividly is A Fish Out of Water, which (I’ve just discovered) was written by Helen Palmer, a children’s book author and editor, whose husband was Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr Seuss). For some reason this story of a boy who fed a goldfish too much and it kept growing and growing, moving from a bathtub to a pool until help arrives and it goes back to a normal size remains vividly in my mind. I had a series of goldfish around then but they didn’t get bigger, they just died.

3. Which Tundra character(s) would you want to have dinner with and why?
I would love to have Annie Magruder and her dog Carson (Carson Crosses Canada) over — as long as they brought some delicious food from their travels across Canada! I want to drive across Canada myself and would love to hear more about their adventures.

LIZ, SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

Elizabeth Kribs1. What is your favourite thing about your job?
Working with a great group of people who love kids books; reading them, talking about them, creating them.

2. Tell us about your favourite book as a child.
Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends was a wonderfully silly book and seemed to be written just for me!

3. Which Tundra character(s) would you want to have dinner with and why?
I think Narwhal from Narwhal and Jelly would be the life of the party (and he would be more than alright with waffles served for dinner). The Dixie Chicks from Count Your Chickens would be great to have around for musical entertainment. And I’d love to see what Pepper from A Pattern for Pepper would wear to a dinner party!

SAMANTHA, EDITOR
Samantha SwensonInstagram: @Twinkiethekidd
Twitter: @Twinkiethekidd
Tumblr: @Twinkiethekidd

1. What is your favourite thing about your job?
Getting to work with writers and illustrators is such a wonderful thing! I love being able to help creators shape and perfect their work, whether it’s working with an artist on a composition for a picture book or a novelist on a particularly tricky plot point. It’s also nice to know that the work I’m doing helps get books into the hands of children. I loved reading as a kid, and so many books really stuck with me – I’m glad I get to help create that experience for kids reading today.

2. Tell us about your favourite book as a child.
My favourite was definitely Ferdinand the Bull. The black and white illustrations are so fantastic, and the writing is funny and kind of weird. I was also really fond of The Olden Days Coat by Margaret Laurence and The Hockey Sweater by Roch Carrier.

3. Which Tundra character(s) would you want to have dinner with and why?
Arlo the Armadillo, so that he could tell me about his travels. The bed from The Pirate’s Bed because he seems like a nice guy and I could take a nap at dinner that way. And the dinosaur from Adventures with Barefoot Critters because I think we have a lot in common (we are both very clumsy).

JESSICA, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Jessica Burgess1. What is your favourite thing about your job?
The hope that a book I’ve worked on will help a kid out there feel less alone, find out something they needed to know about themselves or the world, or just make them laugh a little.

2. Tell us about your favourite book as a child.
One of my favourite books was The Man Who Didn’t Wash His Dishes – there was something delicious about how he really didn’t learn his lesson (the rain cleaned the dishes so he didn’t have to) and that he drank out of a flower vase and an ashtray rather than wash any dishes!

3. Which Tundra character(s) would you want to have dinner with and why?
I think I’d like to have dinner with the Fitzgerald-Trouts and Mr. Knuckles. Maybe we could have a picnic at his laundromat (and shake down the vending machine for dessert).

LIZA, SALES DIRECTOR
Liza MorrisonInstagram: @Lizamo67
Twitter: @Lizamo67

1. What is your favourite thing about your job?
Talking about kids books all day!

2. Tell us about your favourite book as a child.
Are You My Mother? By P.D. Eastman

3. Which Tundra character(s) would you want to have dinner with and why?
Miss Moon so we could talk about our dogs!
Lydia Blankenship from The Serpent King so she could take me shopping and we’d hang out and talk about our lives.
Miss Petitfour – we would have a picnic dinner of pastries and cheese surrounded by adorable cats!

PAMELA, PUBLICITY & MARKETING MANAGER
Pamela OstiInstagram: @pamelaosti
Twitter: @pamelaosti

1. What is your favourite thing about your job?
Meeting our readers and seeing their faces when they meet their favourite author. It’s incredibly moving and rewarding.

2. Tell us about your favourite book as a child.
Bread and Jam for Frances.

3. Which Tundra character(s) would you want to have dinner with and why?
Miss Mousie because she rocks, Sadie because she is my childhood spirit animal.

SYLVIA, MARKETING & PUBLICITY COORDINATOR
Sylvia ChanInstagram: @sincerely.syl
Twitter: @sincerelysyl

1. What is your favourite thing about your job?
The rare chance I get to see sketches or final art when it comes in. We have so many talented illustrators!

2. Tell us about your favourite book as a child.
A Bargain for Frances by Russell Hoban, I wanted my own tea set so badly! I showed signs of wanting to host dinner parties at a very early age.

3. Which Tundra character(s) would you want to have dinner with and why?
Colette because she would tell me fabulous stories about the Mile End. Narwhal and Jelly because they also love to eat waffles for dinner.

2017 ALA Midwinter

Hello!

Tundra Books is exhibiting at ALA Midwinter this year with a very special anniversary in mind.

Please say hello to our wonderful marketing and publicity managers, Pamela and Vikki; our esteemed publisher, Tara; and our amazing sales director, Liza at booth #1926. They will be happy to tell you about our new and upcoming books or to answer any questions you may have.

While you’re there, you can also pick up a Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt lanyard, Little Blue Chair art cards, postcards for Carson Crosses Canada and The Fog, posters for Sam Sorts and Can You Find My Robot’s Arm?, Father’s Day cards for It’s Great Being a Dad, bookmarks for Jay Versus the Saxophone of Doom, and bookmarks for Maud. We’ll have ARCs for The Bonaventure AdventuresJay Versus the Saxophone of Doomand Maud available too.

If you’ve got your aisle-by-aisle coupon filled out, you can exchange it for our Tundra 50th Anniversary tote bag (while supplies last)! And don’t forget our 2017 catalog featuring Pepper from A Pattern for Pepper as our cover girl. That’s not all, come by the booth on Saturday, January 21 at 2:00 pm for some celebratory cupcakes and milk.

tundra50_alamw

On Saturday, January 21 at 10:00 am, Cary Fagan will be at our booth signing Little Blue ChairBe sure to line up early, as these complimentary copies will be given out on a first come, first serve basis.

Wait, there’s more! On Sunday, January 22 at 10:30 am, Publisher Tara Walker will be presenting at the Book Buzz Theater. Tara will be looking back at Tundra’s most innovative titles from the past fifty years and introducing our new books for 2017.

Follow @TundraBooks on twitter or instagram. You can also follow #alamw17 for the latest news and updates! We’ll be posting reminders using the ALA hashtag for everything mentioned here on twitter.

2016 ALA Annual Conference

ALAMy how time flies! For those of you planning your ALA Annual schedule already, we wanted to let you know that Tundra Books will be exhibiting at the conference. Please visit Pamela and Vikki in the exhibit hall at booth #2331 to learn about our new and upcoming books – and to pick up notepads, dry-erase calendars, buttons, educators’ guides, posters, art cards, recipe cards, ARCs, and more!

Here are some events you should make note of to attend:

  • At the Book Buzz Theater on Saturday, June 25, 2016 from 12:30 – 1:15 pm, Ben Clanton will be presenting Narwhal.
  • Ben Clanton will be signing Narwhal on Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 2:00 pm at booth 2331.
  • Vikki VanSickle will be signing If I Had a Gryphon on Sunday, June 26, 2016 at 11:30 am at booth 2331.

If I Had a GryphonFor the author and illustrator signings at our booth, we will be handing out complimentary copies of the books at a first come, first serve basis. So don’t forget, there’s a limited number of signed books.

NarwhalAnd if you picked up your 2016 Aisle-by-Aisle coupon book, make sure you drop off your entry to win a podtastic Narwhal gift package! The prize includes a copy of Narwhal, a tusk headband, a Narwhal button, a Jelly button, a Narwhal poster and activity guide, a “I don’t think you’re ready for this Jelly” T-shirt, and a “Narwhals: they’re real and they’re spectacular” T-shirt.

Or if you ever fancied yourself with a tusk, we’ll have a photo booth with lots of fun props. #PodGoals right?

Follow @TundraBooks, @Clantoons, and @VikkiVanSickle on twitter or instagram. You can also follow #alaac16 for the latest news and updates! We’ll be posting reminders using the ALA hashtag.

2016 ALA Midwinter

ALAMW16Tundra Books will be exhibiting at ALA Midwinter this year! Please visit Tara and Charidy at booth #1855 to learn about our new and upcoming books. You can also come by to pick up ARCs, posters, educators’ guides, buttons (who doesn’t love buttons), art cards, and dry-erase calendars! Or come have fun and take a photo with Andrew the chickadee!

Saturday, January 9, 2016
Shane Peacock will be signing The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim at 2:00 pm.
The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim
The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim
Written by Shane Peacock
Publication Date: May 3, 2015
Hardcover | 256 Pages | Ages 12+
ISBN: 9781770496989
eBook: 9781770497009

The first in this dark and dramatic new Gothic trilogy is set in the late Victorian era, in its haunted country manor houses, dark London streets and the desolate Scottish moors. It tells the story of Edgar Brim, who at age sixteen, battling debilitating inner fears, but armed with the help of an eccentric collection of comrades, embarks upon the pursuit and assassination of “the evil three.”

IMG_1195We can’t wait to see you at the Grand Opening Reception on the exhibit floor on Friday! Hellooo Boston! Please follow @TundraBooks and @Shane_Author on twitter. You can also follow #alamw16 for the latest news and updates.
Andrew and Charidy
If you’d like a preview the Spring and Summer 2016 titles, click here to view our brochure. And we have story time kits, activity kits, and educators’ guides here.

2015 ALA Midwinter

MW15_WereExhibitingWe’re back from the Windy City! It was a whirlwind weekend as Editorial Director Tara and Publishing Coordinator Sylvia flew in to set up booth #4829. We met many librarians, all excited and passionate about the books. Then, we survived the fifth-largest blizzard to ever come down on Chicago, but luckily none of our flights were canceled! Of course, that didn’t overshadow the highlight of every Midwinter, the Youth Media Awards! Congratulations to all the deserving authors, illustrators, and publishers!

01ALAMW15We heard many praises for our beautiful bunting hanging on the front table. Most of the flags on the bunting feature the end papers from our books!

02ALAMW15Thanks to Samantha Devotta, we had lots of sneaky dwarfs hanging around our booth!

03ALAMW15There’s another one, sleeping on the job! They’re from Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs by Davide Cali and illustrated by Raphaëlle Barbanègre.

04ALAMW15Not letting the dwarfs run the whole show were the disgusting critters. Creeping out of our nonfiction section were spiders and head lice.

05ALAMW15On the other end, our middle grade and young adult novels. Such stunning covers!

06ALAMW15It felt like Sadie came and decorated this spot with paper dolls and fox masks. Which, by the way, you can learn how to make from this activity kit!

07ALAMW15Giveaway table! ARCs for Best Friends through Eternity, Heartache and Other Natural Shocks, and Every Word. We had beautiful art cards for This Is Sadie and Adventures with Barefoot Critterspostcards for An Armadillo in Paris, bookmarks for Audrey (cow), Every Breath, and If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur. Memory card activity sheets for Nancy Knows, recipe cards for Julia, Child and a door hanger for Bob’s Hungry Ghost. Lots and lots of posters too!

08ALAMW15We spotted Mister Dash and the Cupcake Calamity in our neighbor’s booth.

09ALAMW15We also went to check out our publishing partners in the US, Catch You Later, Traitor by Avi is with Algonquin Young Readers.

10ALAMW15Our US publishing partner for Outstanding in the Rain by Frank Viva is Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Such a great show, we can’t wait for ALA Annual in San Francisco! If you’d like a look at our 2015 books, please click here for our brochure. For MORE photos from ALA Midwinter, you can see the full album here on facebook.