The Mosquito – Page 2 – Tundra Book Group

July 19, 2020May 7, 2025

Tundra Bug Club

Natsumi’s Song of Summer
By Robert Paul Weston
Illustrated by Misa Saburi
40 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN 9780735265417 | Tundra Books

Natsumi’s nervousness about meeting her cousin from across the sea quickly disappears when she discovers that her cousin is a lot like her: they both love summertime’s hot sandy beaches, cool refreshing watermelon, festivals and fireworks. Then Jill asks Natsumi about the strange buzzing sound that comes from the nearby trees, and Natsumi is nervous once again. What if Jill is frightened of Natsumi’s cherished cicadas, the insects that sing the music of summertime? This sweet and gentle picture book celebrates summer in Japan, as one little girl shares her love for bugs with her cousin who is visiting from America.

The Bug Girl
By Sophia Spencer and Margaret McNamara
Illustrated by KERASCOET
44 Pages | Ages 4-8
ISBN 9780735267527 | Tundra Books

Sophia Spencer has loved bugs ever since a butterfly landed on her shoulder–and wouldn’t leave! – at a butterfly conservancy when she was only two-and-a-half years old. In preschool and kindergarten, Sophia was thrilled to share what she knew about grasshoppers (her very favorite insects), as well as ants and fireflies . . . but by first grade, not everyone shared her enthusiasm. Some students bullied her, and Sophia stopped talking about bugs altogether. When Sophia’s mother wrote to an entomological society looking for a bug scientist to be a pen pal for her daughter, she and Sophie were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response – letters, photos and videos came flooding in. Using the hashtag #BugsR4Girls, scientists tweeted hundreds of times to tell Sophia to keep up her interest in bugs – and it worked!

The Mosquito
By Elise Gravel
32 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN 9780735266452 | Tundra Books

The Mosquito covers habitat (mosquitos live everywhere except Antarctica and Iceland!), species (over 3,500!), history (the oldest recorded mosquito was 79 million years ago!) and much more. Although silly and off-the-wall, The Mosquito contains factual information that will both amuse and teach at the same time. Hilarious illustrated nonfiction about mosquitos perfect for beginning readers. Conversational text and silly illustrations will have you up all night reading about the most annoying bug on Earth!

The Bug Girl-spider

Downloads

Natsumi’s Song of Summer – Share your tanka poems about bugs with us by using #TundraBugClub on social media!
The Bug Girl – Share your bug list by using #TundraBugClub on social media!
Disgusting Critters
The Fly
The Spider

Quiz!

Find out which disgusting critter you are!

July 14, 2020May 7, 2025

Tuesdays with Tundra

Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. The following book is now available in stores and online!

It Happened on Sweet Street
By Caroline Adderson
Illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch
44 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781101918852 | Tundra Books
Cakes, cookies or pie? A rivalry among local bakers is the basis for this deliciously sweet, off-the-wall picture book. Monsieur Oliphant’s cake shop, the only bakery game in town, has long had customers lining up outside its door for Oliphant’s delicious jelly rolls and marvelous wedding cakes . . . until the day cookie concocter Mademoiselle Fée takes over the old shoemaker’s shop. And it isn’t long before the divine piemaker Madame Clotilde soon moves into the old bric-a-brac shop. Three different bakers all trying to outclass one another means their little cul-de-sac is packed with customers every day and night, so, one morning, when everyone is bumpling and jostling each other with their cakes, cookies and pies, a food disaster – a massacre of cream, a devastation of crumbs – is inevitable! Only one little girl has the drive (or appetite?) to find a solution, but can it last? This madcap tale of frenzied cooks and zany eats (and one very lucky town) will delight readers with a sweet tooth of any age!

The Mosquito
By Elise Gravel
32 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735266452 | Tundra Books
Hilarious illustrated nonfiction about mosquitos perfect for beginning readers. Conversational text and silly illustrations will have you up all night reading about the most annoying bug on Earth! The Mosquito covers habitat (mosquitos live everywhere except Antarctica and Iceland!), species (over 3,500!), history (the oldest recorded mosquito was 79 million years ago!) and much more. Although silly and off-the-wall, The Mosquito contains factual information that will both amuse and teach at the same time.

The Toad
By Elise Gravel
32 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Paperback
ISBN 9780735267176 | Tundra Books
“Using a cartoon framework, Gravel rattles off fast facts accompanied by wisecracking amphibians, giving spreads the feel of a gag strip…. Young readers will squeal and squirm…. Kids will readily respond to Gravel’s hilarious illustrations, simple sentences, and dynamic fonts, as well as her call to help toads by keeping the planet clean.” – Booklist

He Must Like You
By Danielle Younge-Ullman
336 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735265691 | Penguin Teen Canada
“There are few writers of any stripe capable of tackling important, tough topics with as much grace, heart, humor, and righteous fury as Danielle Younge-Ullman, and nowhere is that more abundantly on display than in He Must Like You. This is a must-read.” – Jeff Zentner, Morris Award-winning author of The Serpent King

We can’t wait to see you reading these! If you share these books online, remember to use #ReadTundra in your hashtags so that we can re-post.

April 21, 2020May 7, 2025

TLA 2020 Virtual Booth

We hope everyone is staying safe and doing well. These are difficult times, there’s no doubt about it. Travel and trade shows have been taken off the table this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t all stay connected virtually!

The above image is what our booth banner looks like, featuring the artwork from Story Boat by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh. Story Boat is an imaginative, lyrical, unforgettable picture book about the migrant experience through a child’s eyes.

We invite you to take a flip through our January to June 2020 catalog over here (the cover image features art from What’s Up, Maloo? by GeneviÃ¨ve Godbout):

We can’t hand out or send everyone a physical ARC, but please request a review copy from NetGalley here:

PICTURE BOOKS:

MIDDLE GRADE:

YOUNG ADULT:

We haven’t forgotten about award reading lists! The 2020-2021 Texas Bluebonnet Award list includes:

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster
By Jonathan Auxier
368 Pages | Ages 8-12
ISBN 9780735264373 | Puffin Canada
Click here to watch Jonathan Auxier reveal the cover and introduce the story of Sweep.
Click here to watch Colby Sharp talk about Sweep.
“This dazzling, warmhearted novel contemplates selflessness and saving, deep love and what makes a monster.” – Starred Review, Publishers Weekly
“As heartbreaking as bleak midwinter – and as hopeful as early spring.” – Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews
“Nan’s fiery personality will attract readers like moths, and Auxier’s unusual blend of mythology and history will keep them transfixed.” – Starred Review, Booklist
“Auxier crafts a beautiful, hopeful story out of some ugly realities of nineteenth-century British life.” – Starred Review, Horn Book Magazine
“Jonathan Auxier weaves a magical spell that draws readers right into the stark, gritty streets of Victorian London . . . Readers will be entranced.” – Starred Review, School Library Connection

While the current Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List includes:

Narwhal’s Otter Friend
By Ben Clanton
64 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN 9780735262492 | Tundra Books
Click here to watch our book trailer!
Click here for a Narwhal educators’ guide.
Click here for coloring and drawing activity sheets.
Click here to make your own Narwhal tusk!
Click here for the Narwhal and Jelly song by Emily Arrow.
Check out this Narwhal and Jelly Pinterest collection!
Learn how to draw Narwhal here.
Ben Clanton is doing Miximal Mondays on his Instagram Live!
“Clanton’s Narwhal and Jelly follow in the grand tradition of early reader buddy tails like Frog and Toad or Elephant and Piggie, and this latest tale is sure to find an honored place alongside them on young readers’ bookshelves.” – New York Journal of Books
“The text is short, sweet, and funny; this, combined with the memorable characters, makes dipping one’s toes into independent reading a pleasure.” – Booklist

We hope you found our virtual TLA booth helpful! We look forward to the day we can all safely travel and attend conferences again. If you have any questions about these titles or would like more resources, just reach out to our booth staff at YoungReaders@penguinrandomhouse.com. We also have a list of activity kits and educators’ guides here and our virtual event listing here.

Photos from our booths at ALA Midwinter 2020 and PLA 2020 have been posted to our Facebook page!