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Category: Kids

My Favorite Books of 2011: Crystal (Children’s Book Publicist)

by Crystal
Kids + Vancouver + YA Fiction / December 22, 2011

Seriously? You want me to pick my favorite children's books from 2011? That's like a parent choosing which of their kids is their favorite! Impossible. Can't be done. There are just too many FABULOUS choices!

Ok if you really want to twist my arm. Here are a few of my MANY favorite books from 2011. I should also say that I love all of the kids books that my collegues chose, but decided not to have any repeats. 

Not For Parents Travel Book

I first heard that Lonely Planet was planning a line of Children's Books at sales conference 4 years ago. I waited for 4 long years for a Lonely Planet Children's Book to chomp my Kids Publicity teeth into. This book did not disappoint. Like the adult version of The Travel Book it features a page for every country in the world. Fun facts will keep kids turning page after page, trying to find new, gross things to gross mom out, while not even realizing their learning. An example: When Queen Elizabeth II visited Belize in 1985, she was served a local rodent called a gibnut, which some people say looks a bit like a giant rat without a tail (picture below). It tastes like rabbit.

Yeah. Gross. 

When I Was Small

This beautiful picture book is all the lovelier because the author (Sara O'Leary) and illustrator (Julie Morstad) are both really fabulous Canadian women. I also love that the little girl looks an awful lot like my daughter, Bella, if she would only allow me to have her hair chopped off into a bob. The story is of a mother telling her son the story of what it was like when she was little, however she takes it one step further and tells a fantastical story about her not only being little (young) but also little (tiny). My favorite spread is the one below where she feasts upon raspberries.

Zeal Of Zebras

I confess. I have a shelf in my sewing studio of children's picture books that inspire me creatively. I don't let me daughter play with these books (mostly because I know that she will steal them and bring them to her own room.) Zeal of Zebras is one of the books that graces my sewing studio bookshelf. Created by Woop Studios (the graphic designers for the Harry Potter movies) this book of collective nouns is visually stimulating, educational and just plain entertaining. Really who knew that a group of pandas is called an embarrassment of pandas? The page below is the one that I find myself turning to most often as it reminds me of my time snorkeling with the sea turtles on The Big Island.

Glow

I affectionately call this title "The Book That Almost Ruined My Summer Vacation". It was just so good that I couldn't put it down! My husband and daughter were pretty upset that my nose was buried in my book the entire time instead of playing with them in the sand. Like Hunger Games in space, this book is a must read. Here is a trailer to give you a sneak peek.

 

Embrace

Last but definitely not least I'm going to cheat a little bit. One of my favorite things about being a Children's Book Publicist is that I get to read a lot of books well before they hit bookstores.

Embrace is a book coming in March but I read it a few months ago and just can't get it out of my head. Here is a link to a blog post that I wrote on the day that we did the Embrace Cover Reveal. Sourcebooks also created a Making The Cover video which I found to be really fascinating. So much goes into creating a book cover.

 

Embrace Cover Shoot from Sourcebooks Inc on Vimeo.

Wishing you happy reading this holiday season and into 2012!

Crystal 

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My Favourite Books of 2011: Matt (Sales)

by Matt
Fiction + Food & Drink + Kids / December 21, 2011

As the holiday season has already shown, “just one more”, seems to have become my motto. I’ll try and break this habit in choosing from the smorgasbord of delectable books distributed by Raincoast in 2011, difficult as that may be considering my…appetite.

You would think this means I would start with a cookbook, and it does. I will. Two of them actually, both beautifully designed and produced by Chronicle Books.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s (love that name), Plenty, has fast become the must-have foodie cookbook of the year. It is filled with stunning visuals and consistent recipes that promise to sway even the most ardent eaters of faun and fowl into dedicated vegetarians. Five words; Caramelized fennel with goat cheese. Much like with my wife, I fell in love when I saw this book. That love has developed and deepened as I have cooked.  Awkward metaphor? Yes. Great cookbook? Definitely. 

Ruhlman’s Twenty taught me more about salt and water than a day trip to First Beach. I am a better cook for having read, and re-read this book, and you will be too.

Owing to my four year old nephew and six year old niece, both of whom have developed a taste for my next pick, I have read and reread Herve Tullet’s, Press Here, more times than I care to admit, more times than I have the Lord of the Rings. That is saying something. It’s not often a book can elicit visceral responses from me within the first few pages. Even rarer are those books that can engage the reader, young or old, to pick it up, shake it out, turn it sideways, push on brightly painted circles and alternate between clapping, laughing, clapping faster, and laughing noisily in a rising crescendo as the book nears its end. The answer to TV and the internet is in this 8x8 board book, published first in France in 2010, and then picked up by Chronicle Books and brought to the Canadian market in 2011. 

Grandpa Green is Lane Smith’s newest children’s title after It’s a Book. It is a memoir, a personal narrative on growing old and on being young, on imagination and forgetting, on the ingenuity of telling a story, whether your own or someone else’s, in a way that remains true to the heart. This book has my heart in its pages, for the beauty of the story and the images both. It’s one I’ll read to my child and savor for myself in the quiet moments.

Among Others, by Jo Walton treads softly, using echoes of the fantastic and a decidedly non-urgent magic to tell a fictional tale that could be otherwise completely more or less mostly real. It is a fairy tale and an elegant curtsy to the great stories and writers of the sci-fi and fantasy genres. Thanks to Dan for pointing this book out to me – I’ve never read anything quite like it. Here is what I emailed him after I was finished:  “The way in which she weaves magic into the fabric of her life, and the story reminds me of the film Pan's Labyrinth, where, as the audience you aren't sure if magic really does exist or if her telling is something that is purely fantastical and without truth. The complexity of that question has kept me gnawing at it the last few nights, it's definitely a book I'll pass on to some friends for discussion when I'm done. PS — I think I saw a fairy this morning.”

Lastly, Paula Scher MAPS, Published by Princeton Architectual Press, surprised me with its beauty and with its complexity. Whether you take to this book for its visuals or prefer to delve into the theory behind the project, there is no doubting its resonance as an artifact of modern culture, and a remembering of an art form quickly becoming anachronistic.  Sher uses language to (re)create her maps; some familiar and some less so. They are drawn from, “memory, from impressions from media, and from general information overload”, and her brief introduction, titled “All Maps Lie” outlines how all maps are fallible objects influenced by factors as trivial as personal preference, inaccurate information, and imagination. The maps themselves keep me coming back to them with new questions in mind, curious as to how the world looks through her copious and particular lens. Every page engages and invites us to follow along and recognize the unfamiliar in what is quite clearly a familiar landscape. 

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My Favourite Book of 2011: Sandy (Sales)

by Sandy
Kids / December 20, 2011

If I had to pick just one book for this season... and that's almost impossible with the choice we have here at Raincoast... it would be the Chronicle children's book Press Here. It's a book that is difficult to describe because it has to be experienced. It is an action book that requires your full participation and attention. With so many electronic games, and plastic toys with batteries taking the attention of young brains these days (goodness I sound like my Grandmother...) this book is a delight for kids and adults alike. I read it to my 5 year old Grandson and he was so delighted he wanted to read it over and over again. My 12 year old Grandson was watching and then wanted to read it with us as well. It's good for all ages. The long lost art of imagination is alive and well in this special book by Hervé Tullet.

Originally published in France in 2010, Chronicle bought rights for North America. Give yourself and treat and take a few minutes to play...cover to cover in Press Here. 

 

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Distribution Change: Owlkids

by Dan
Kids + News / December 08, 2011

Effective January 1, 2012 Owlkids Books will be distributed in Canada by UTP
Distribution. Returns of Owlkids books will be accepted by UTP as of this date.

Raincoast Books will also accept returns of Owlkids product until March 31, 2012.

Canadian sales will be handled by ampersand inc., formerly known as Kate
Walker & Company.

Owlkids Books and Maple Tree Press ISBN prefixes are:
978-1-897066
978-1-897349
978-1-926818
978-1-926973
978-2-89579

New distribution contact information:
University of Toronto Press
5201 Dufferin Street
Toronto, ON, M3H 5T8

(PH) 1-800-565-9523 (North America) / (416) 667-7791
(FAX) 1-800-221-9985 (North America) / (416) 667-7832

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Rebecca Dart at Lucky’s on Friday

by Dan
Events + Graphica + Kids / October 19, 2011

Local cartoonist Rebecca Dart will be signing copies of the wonderful Nursery Rhyme Comics anthology at Lucky's Comics in Vancouver on Friday evening! 

Nursery Rhyme Comics features 50 classic nursery rhymes illustrated and interpreted in comics form by 50 of today’s leading cartoonists and illustrators. Chock full of beautiful full-colour art and favourite characters (Jack and Jill! Old Mother Hubbard! The Owl and the Pussycat!), it's a great anthology for kids AND grown-ups!

Rebecca Dart 
Nursery Rhyme Comics Launch
October 21st, 7pm - 9pm
Lucky's Comics
3972 Main Street, Vancouver, BC

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Selective Learning and Goodbyes

by Brian
Board Books + Fiction + Graphica + Humour + Kids + Parenting + Picture Books + Vancouver / August 09, 2011

Sad news everyone — it's my last day at Raincoast (cue crying and wailing of Raincoast staff here) and I'm still having trouble coming to grips with having to leave all this behind. But mostly I'm having trouble leaving...

• My Star Wars themed desk
• Our warehouse full of books
• And getting to flip through all the awesome ARCs and Samples

Oh, and the people — they were great too.

Seeing as how this is my last day, I think it'll be a good idea to take a moment and reflect on all that I've learned here at Raincoast.

(I've also been watching a lot of late night talk shows)

The 10 Most Important Things I’ve Learned at Raincoast Books

#10 - You can put Zombies in anything

 

#9 - "Baby Rage” is real. And IS frightening.

#8 - Women really DO want to trade husbands for housekeepers

#7 – Taco in a Bag is delicious

#6 – "Moleskine" isn’t the same as “Vole Skin”

#5- Vegetables are the “New Meat”

     

#4- Hand puppets and books DO go hand-in-hand

#3- There’s no such thing as “too much Darcy.”

   

#2- It takes 1 determined intern, 2 weeks and 3 americanos a day to input sales data for 800 titles into an e-catalogue.

#1 Googling The Naked Roommate at work does not produce the best results.

*I had a great time and learned a lot this past year. Thanks for reading about all the quirky things that happen at Raincoast Books through the eyes of a 20-something and I hope you continue to read about all the awesome people here and their love for books.

Cheers,

Brian

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What to expect… When you are expecting at Raincoast

by Liz
Fashion & Textiles + Gift & Stationery + Health & Wellness + Humour + Kids + Parenting / April 28, 2011

When you are having a baby, and work in an office, you can expect a number of things:

- Doors will be held

- Food is always  being offered

- Co-workers will discuss upcoming business while simultaneously rubbing your belly

But when you are having a baby in an office that deals with the distribution of top publishers from every genre, you can expect the extra gift of 'how to' and 'how not to' manuals of pregnancy and parenting to pile up on your desk (it's like little stork-elves appear in the night and hide baby books around my work area)

This is what has been delivered so far:

Pregnancy Planner: Essential Advice for Moms-to-Be (Chronicle Books)

- This is a great weekly planner that gives you facts, tips and hints about what is going on every week of your pregnancy. This week's interesting tidbit: My baby's teeth are already growing!

I'd Trade My Husband for a Housekeeper: Loving Your Marriage After the Baby Carriage (Chronicle Books)

- While I'm not ready to trade my husband in yet (thank goodness he cooks AND cleans!) this is an excellent book to keep on the bookshelf for after the babe is born and I need reminding of why I got into this whole mess in the first place.

After the Stork: The Couple's Guide to Preventing and Overcoming Postpartum Depression (New Harbinger)

- I can't really predict what will happen when our kid arrives but I can try to prepare in advance for what I can only imagine is an incredible emotional and physical upheaval. This book provides powerful tools for dealing with all the many changes that will come our way.

My Mom, Style Icon (Chronicle Books)

- Based on the awesome blog, Piper Weiss reminds us that our moms were people—young, hip, fashionable people—before we came along to monopolize their time. This book is an excellent reminder that having a baby doesn't mean I have to change who I am.

Mama's Big Book of Little Lifesavers: 398 Ways to Save Your Time, Money, and Sanity (Chronicle Books)

- As a first time parent any advice is appreciated. This book is full of hints and tips to help parents keep their sanity. Such as always carrying wipes, and if our child is messy eater don't let it stop us from eating out—just tip well! (as a former waitress I really like this one)

Fortune-Telling Book for Moms-to-Be (Chronicle Books)

- This is a fun little gift book full of ancient wisdom and old wives tales to decode everything from your baby's gender to their post-natal temperament. So far things I have learned are that tying knots during pregnancy can make labour difficult (note to self: give up macramé asap), and that I should eat avocados for a healthy and beautiful baby (but that a beautiful baby will make a homely adult... oh the dilemma...)

And I can't even get started on the baby name books we have. I'll save those for another post.

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Favourite Books 2010: Heather Camlot, MySweetBaby

by Dan
Kids + News + Parenting / December 28, 2010

Create Your Own Planet
Todd Parr
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811871464
$16.99

Trying to explain the world beyond the window to young children such as my own is tough, but this fun “doodle and draw” book makes them to think about life around them, from whether caterpillars wear shoes to what makes people happy.

 

Shadow
Suzy Lee
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811872805
$17.99

Imaginative play at its best — while the young girl in Shadow creates her own world with simple items found in the attic, young readers create their own story to the simple, striking images in the wordless book. 

 

Every Day's A Holiday: Year-Round Crafting with Kids
Heidi Kenney
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811871440
$26.95

I can’t get enough of craft books — they are without hesitation my favourite reads. I love this one for the range of techniques and materials, from fruit-stamping onto fabric to constructing a garden basket out of mini fencing, as well as for the list of unusual holidays — World Origami Days, who knew?

 

Heather Camlot is the editor of MySweetBaby.

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Favourite Books 2010: Annemarie Tempelman-Kluit, YoYoMama

by Dan
Kids + News + Picture Books / December 28, 2010

Play All Day
Taro Gomi
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811871211
$22.99

Trust Taro Gomi to take it to the next level. While everyone else is now doing doodle books he’s moved on to playing. Play All Day is filled with things to punch out and make from games to toys to finger puppets. It’s literally hours of engaging entertainment and would be great for holiday travel with kids.

Shadow
Suzy Lee
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811872805
$17.99

Shadow, a two-word, two colour book about a dark attic, a light bulb and an imaginative little girl can be “read” right side up or upside down as one side shows what’s really in the attic while the other shows how the shadows of ordinary household items like a vacuum cleaner and a ladder morph into a tropical jungle complete with exotic animals, rampant vegetation and just a hint of danger. Kids of all ages are entranced by the shadow world and Lee's lovely art.

 

Ivy + Bean What's the Big Idea
Annie Barrows
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811866927
$16.99
I've enjoyed reading this whole series with my now seven-year-old and the latest book in the series. The adventures of this unlikely BFF duo are everyday in a lovely way that kids can relate to and parents will appreciate. With nary a licensed character in sight, Ivy and Bean's shenanigans are based on imaginary play and they're just "naughty" enough that kids will thrill to it but parents won't be dismayed. Plus I was thrilled to be able to meet Annie Barrows when she came to town this fall, my kids thought I was a rock star!
 

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Favourite Books 2010: Monique Trottier

by Dan
Food & Drink + Health & Wellness + Kids + News + Vancouver / December 20, 2010

Tartine Bread
Chad Robertson
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811870412
$46

I know this book is a favourite among the Raincoast staff, but I have to call it out as well. 

I am most certainly not the professional baker or bread-maker in our home, but thankfully neither is my sweetie James. Chad Robertson, however, has promised me that his detailed descriptions and step-by-step inspiration will result in the perfect loaf of bread. I'm totally game! 

Those in my family who make bread are like magi. They understand the feel of the bread, the smell of the starter. I understand the taste of awesome warm bread melting in my mouth, and the smell of good bread from the oven. We'll see how my training goes. 

My resolution for 2011 is to make bread, and I'm putting my eggs and flour into Chad Robertson's Tartine Bread basket. 

 

Just an Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure
James L. D'Adamo
Hay House ISBN 9781401927196
$29.95    

I'm infinitely fascinated by natural medicine and how little Western nations have invested in understanding natural remedies, diet, exercise and meditation. I'm also frightened by the reactive approach the medical system, insurance industry and government take to health. I truly believe that we have to take responsibility for our own health and wellness, and Dr. D'Adamo's teachings add one more piece of the puzzle. 

WHO defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. 

If I needed to cheerlead, this is the book that gets two pom-pom fist pumps. 

 

Vancouver Then and Now
Francis Mansbridge
Thunder Bay ISBN 9781592239177
$22.95]

The previously mentioned non-baker in our house is also a big fan of Then and Now photography. We have quite a digital collection of historic and contemporary photos of Winnipeg, and are constantly on the look out for cool before and after shots of Vancouver. Why? Why not. Getting to know a place requires you to know what came before. One of the things that impressed me while travelling in the Middle East was the street directions--go north to the old hotel, turn left ... (by "old hotel" they mean something that was there 50+ years ago that is no longer there but is still in recent memory and continues to be because of the instructions). By the way, never get lost with me. Bring money and your phone.  

Speaking of travel, James and I were recently in Wanderlust on 4th Ave and we spent a long time perusing this book instead of buying my suitcase and clipping through the rest of our shopping list. (Needless to say, someone has a book in his stocking.) 

 

Day and Night
Teddy Newton
Chronicle Books ISBN 9780811876643
$16.99

Since Pete has already called out the wonders of Tartine Bread, I'll add Day and Night to my list of favourites. 

Part of going to a Pixar movie is the joy of watching the Pixar shorts in advance of the feature film. I first saw Day and Night as the short before Toy Story 3, and I was equally charmed by the picture book. Pixar is magical in all its formats. 

In Day and Night, Day meets Night and Night meets Day. There's confusion, a bit of fighting, and a moment of realization that blossoms into a lovely ending. Super cute. 

Monique Trottier is the founder of Boxcar Marketing and the blogger behind SoMisguided.com, a site about books, writing, perfume, technology and other amusements. She runs amok in Vancouver and on twitter @somisguided.

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