CTV Your Morning Kids’ Book Segment on Quarantine Reads and Virtual Storytimes

Your Morning VVOur Marketing & Publicity Associate Director, Vikki VanSickle, was on CTV’s Your Morning today to talk about books to read while in quarantine and virtual events to keep kids occupied. Check out our titles from her recommended list below and don’t forget to watch her segment!

AGES 3-7

Studio: A Place for Art to Start
By Emily Arrow
Illustrated by The Little Friends of Printmaking
ISBN 9780735264854 | Hardcover
40 Pages | Tundra Books
In this charming ode to creativity, noted children’s singer and entertainer Emily Arrow introduces readers to the concept of the studio: a place for painters, dancers, singers, actors, sculptors, printmakers . . . and you! Whether it’s a purpose-made space with big windows, a room filled with equipment, or the corner of a bedroom, your studio can be anywhere–you just have to find it! Check out At Home with Emily Arrow on YouTube!

Alma and the Beast
By Esme Shapiro
ISBN 9780735263963 | Hardcover
44 Pages | Tundra Books
Alma lives happily in her hairy world, where she can braid the trees, comb the grass, pet the roof and feed her plumpooshkie butterfly. Until one day . . . a hairless, button-nosed beast appears in the garden!

If I Had a Gryphon
By Vikki VanSickle
Illustrated by Cale Atkinson
ISBN 9781770498099 | Hardcover
32 Pages | Tundra Books
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. Keep up with all our virtual story times and events using this handy schedule!

AGES 6-9

Megabat
By Anna Humphrey
Illustrated by Kass Reich
ISBN 9780735266957 | Paperback
192 Pages | Tundra Books
The first installment of a sweet and hilarious chapter book series about a boy and a bat, two unlikely friends who bond over loneliness, jellyrolls and Darth Vader.

AGES 8-12

The Last Kids on Earth
By Max Brallier
Illustrated by Douglas Holgate
ISBN 9780670016617 | Hardcover
240 Pages | Viking Books For Young Readers
Told in a mixture of text and black-and-white illustration, this is the perfect book for any kid who’s ever dreamed of starring in his or her own comic book or video game. And then grab the rest of the series, now a New York Times bestseller!

The first season of The Last Kids on Earth is available on Netflix now!

AGES 12+

The Blue Castle
By Tanya Lloyd Kyi
ISBN 9780735265233 | Paperback
288 Pages | Tundra Books
At twenty-nine, Valancy has never been in love, and it seems romance has passed her by. Then a letter arrives from Dr. Trent–and Valancy decides to throw caution to the winds. For the first time in her life Valancy does and says exactly what she wants. Soon she discovers a surprising new world, full of love and adventures far beyond her most secret dreams. Listen to Rachel McAdams narrating Anne of Green Gables for free on Audible.ca!

The Story of Owen
By E.K. Johnston
ISBN 9780823445028 | Paperback
320 Pages | Holiday House
Dragons. In modern day North America. How can sixteen-year-old Owen fight back when he can barely pass algebra? It takes a village to train a dragon slayer, and Owen needs all the help he can get.

Virtual Story Times and Singalongs

Important information for teachers, librarians and booksellers: Penguin Random House Open License Online Story Time and Classroom Read-Aloud Videos and Live Events

If you’re a Tundra, Puffin Canada, or Penguin Teen Canada author or illustrator, and you want to get involved during this time, please reach out to your publicist (Evan or Sam).

In times of need, you can always depend on the KidLit community to band together and help out. Many authors and illustrators are doing live events on social media for kids to tune into from home! We will be compiling a list of our authors and illustrators who are pitching in with virtual events for families to enjoy:

Monday, March 16, 2020 – ongoing

Monday, March 16, 2020

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Friday, March 20, 2020

  • Ben Clanton, the author-illustrator of the Narwhal and Jelly graphic novel series, will be doing Facebook Live author visits at 5:00 pm EST (2:00 pm PST).

Monday, March 23, 2020 – ongoing

  • Ben Clanton, the author of the Narwhal and Jelly series, will be doing Miximal Mondays on his Instagram live at 12:30 pm EST (9:30 am PST).
  • Susin Nielsen, the author of No Fixed Address, will be reading a chapter a day on her Twitter live at 1:00 pm EST (10:00 am PST).
  • David A. Robertson, the author of The Barren Grounds, will be reading a chapter a day on his Twitter live at 1:30 pm EST (10:30 am PST).

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

  • Elly MacKay, the author-illustrator of Red Sky at Night, will be reading her picture book and demonstrating a craft on Tundra’s Instagram Live at 2:00 pm EST (11:00 am PST).

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Monday, March 30, 2020 – ongoing

  • Dan Bar-el, the author of Audrey (cow), will be reading a portion a day of his middle grade novel on his Facebook Live at 2:00 pm EST (11:00 am PST). Download the Character List to follow which of the thirty-three narrators are speaking!

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Friday, April 3, 2020

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

  • We are hosting a Zoom lunch at 12:30 pm EST with Anna Humphrey and Kass Reich to celebrate the Megabat series. RSVP here to get the Zoom link!

Please refer to THIS PAGE for the most up-to-date event information.

Last updated on: Monday, April 13, 2020 at 10:27 am EST.

Employee Appreciation Day

Employee Appreciation Day
Friday, March 6 is Employee Appreciation Day and we asked our colleagues to put a little spin to it. In honor of the themes in Teddy Bear of the Year, we kindly requested our friends share their childhood plush stuffed toy so that we could acknowledge and appreciate them in public.

Evan-Munday-Shardim
Shardim from Evan Munday, Publicity Manager
Francesca-Conte-Brussers
Brussers from Francesca Conte, Operations Coordinator
John-Martz
[no name] from John Martz, Art Director
Lavanya-Narasimhan-Fitzwilliam
Fitzwilliam from Lavanya Narasimhan, Special Markets & Business Development Manager
Sam-Devotta
Ernie from Samantha Devotta, Associate Publicist
Sam-Swenson
Cookie Monster from Samantha Swenson, Senior Editor

The Teddy Bears’ Association is dedicated to excellence in teddy care. Here are some ideas to host your own Teddy Bear Services Awards to celebrate your favorite plush stuffed toy.

SNACK IDEAS: The most important part of an event is food! Here are some bear-y delicious treats to consider serving…

  • Gummy bears
  • Bear Paws
  • Bear-shaped cookies
  • Anything with honey!

TEDDY BEAR SERVICE AWARDS: Now for the main event…

  • Read Teddy Bear of the Year by Vikki VanSickle, illustrated by Sydney Hanson.
  • Have each child fill out a Teddy Bear of the Year certificate (download here).
  • Ask each child to share their name, the name of their teddy, and why their teddy has earned a certificate.
  • Provide a star-shaped sticker for each child, which can be added to the certificate or affixed to the teddy.

Teddy

CTV Your Morning Kids’ Book Segment on I Read Canadian Day

CTV Your Morning Feb 19 2020
Our Marketing & Publicity Associate Director, Vikki VanSickle, was on CTV’s Your Morning today to honour of #IReadCanadian Day by providing Canadian “readalike” choices for kids. Check out our titles from her recommended list below and don’t forget to watch her segment!

AGES 3-7

For fans of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond read:
how to give your cat a bathHow to Give Your Cat a Bath in Five Easy Steps
By Nicola Winstanley
Illustrated by John Martz
ISBN 9780735263543 | Hardcover
40 Pages | Tundra Books
In this hilarious and clever “how-to,” a little girl and a know-it-all narrator are thwarted by a cat who refuses to take a bath. Watch as the steps keep changing, the cat keeps escaping, the girl keeps eating cookies and the mess keeps escalating. Soon it’s not just the cat who needs a bath–it’s the whole house!

AGES 6-9

For fans of the Narwhal and Jelly series by Ben Clanton, read the Disgusting Critters series by Elise Gravel:
The BatThe Bat
By Elise Gravel
ISBN 9780735266483 | Hardcover
32 Pages | Tundra Books
Hilarious illustrated nonfiction about bats perfect for beginning readers. Conversational text and silly illustrations will have you up all night reading about the only flying mammal on Earth!

AGES 8-12

For fans of the Guinness Book of World Records and National Geographic, read: Innovation NationInnovation Nation: How Canadian Innovators Made the World Smarter, Smaller, Kinder, Safer, Healthier, Wealthier, Happier
By David Johnston and Tom Jenkins
Illustrated by Josh Holinaty
ISBN 9780735263017 | Hardcover
128 Pages | Tundra Books
Successful innovation is always inspired by at least one of three forces – insight, necessity and simple luck. Innovation Nation moves through history to explore what circumstances, incidents, coincidences and collaborations motivated each great Canadian idea, and what twist of fate then brought that idea into public acceptance.

For fans of realistic fiction master Judy Blume, read:
Me and BanksyMe and Banksy
By Tanya Lloyd Kyi
ISBN 9780735266919 | Hardcover
272 Pages | Puffin Canada
Dominica’s private school is covered in cameras, and someone is hacking into them and posting embarrassing moments for the whole school to see. Who has access to the school security cameras and why are they doing this? Dominica and her best friends, Holden and Saanvi, are determined to find out, and in the process start an art-based student campaign against cameras in the classroom.

For fans of mystery queen Agatha Christie, read:
Aggie Morton Mystery Queen The Body Under the PianoAggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Body Under the Piano
By Marthe Jocelyn
Illustrated by Isabelle Follath
ISBN 9780735265462 | Hardcover
336 Pages | Tundra Books
A smart and charming middle-grade mystery series starring young detective Aggie Morton and her friend Hector, inspired by the imagined life of Agatha Christie as a child and her most popular creation, Hercule Poirot.

For fans of the classic survival story Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, read:
The Skeleton TreeThe Skeleton Tree
By Iain Lawrence
ISBN 9781101918371 | Paperback
288 Pages | Tundra Books
Less than 48 hours after twelve-year-old Chris casts off on a trip to sail down the Alaskan coast with his uncle, their boat sinks. The only survivors are Chris and a boy named Frank, who hates Chris immediately. Chris and Frank have no radio, no flares, no food. Suddenly, they’ve got to find a way to forage, fish and scavenge supplies from the shore.

Feb 19 2020

Tundra Book Group