Tundra Book Group

December 9, 2025December 8, 2025

Creator Spotlight: Esmé Shapiro

At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our creators as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Esmé Shapiro!

About the Author:

ESMÉ SHAPIRO grew up in Laurel Canyon, California and Ontario, Canada, and is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. Her picture books include Ooko, which was nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award in 2016; Alma and the Beast; Carol and the Pickle-Toad; Ruthie; My Self, Your Self, which has received two starred reviews and Roy is Not a Dog which she co-wrote with her husband, Daniel Newell Kaufman. Esmé also illustrated Yak and Dove by Kyo Maclear, Eliza: The Story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton by Margaret McNamara and A Garden of Creatures by Sheila Heti. She has exhibited at the Society of Illustrators, and her work has been featured in Taproot and Plansponsor magazines. Esmé lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband, and their two dogs.

Q&A with Esmé Shapiro:

Why did you want to return to Ruthie, a minor character from your first picture book, Ooko, published about ten years ago?

I returned to Ruthie so many years after his little debut ten years ago because — let’s face it — that little blob of a dog has a mysterious glamour that endures through time and space. Every time I would read Ooko, I was drawn to Ruthie’s aura of confidence and would wonder to myself, who is Ruthie?! There were a few clues in the book. His warm, knowing smile was one. The framed pictures of him that adorn his Debbie’s wall were another. It was clear this dog was beloved! And so, one day I caught myself daydreaming about who he was, and all of the places he might go.

Ruthie goes on an adventure in the wild. How did you decide on the woodland creatures Ruthie encounters who aid him on his journey?

For Ruthie, every element of the woods outside of his castle were completely brand-new to him. The creatures he met needed to reflect the variety of animals one might meet in the forest. Ruthie speaks to creatures big (moose), very small (cricket), bushy tailed (squirrel), and winged (owl). What I wanted to make exceedingly clear in all of his conversations with the forest creatures was that none of them had any clue what a “prince” was. Outside in the woods, the animals do not care about a royal hierarchy. They are simply going about their lives, while the story Ruthie tells himself slowly breaks apart so he can make room for a new one — one where he can be a real friend.

How was the art made? Did you use collage in this book? And as writer and illustrator, do you start from the images, or do you begin with a written script?

For Ruthie, my journey started with the manuscript. It was really fun to imagine what could possibly be going on with him while Ooko was on her journey. And because Ooko was written ten years ago, I had to go back to how I worked in my early days. Each illustration is painted traditionally with watercolor and gouache. I paint the background first, almost like a stage backdrop. Then I paint the characters separately, cut them out with an x-acto knife, and collage them into the scene. Sometimes I can use the same “stage” more than once, for different illustrations in the book.

Ruthie is served butterberry pancakes by her queen. What is your go-to breakfast?

In my house, we have chickens and ducks in our yard! So I usually start my day with a fresh egg and a piece of buttered toast! But I wish I had a butterberry pancake every morning. Perhaps if I did, I would be as stylish as Ruthie.

Ruthie imagines his royal subjects are building boats in the shape of him, their prince. If you could own a boat in anyone/anything’s likeness, what would it be?

I would really like to have a boat in the shape of a giant goblin wearing a tiny hat. I think that if I were sailing around the world in a boat in the shape of a goblin, we could persevere through any storm, and scare away any seagull trying to steal our sandwiches.

Every Esme Shapiro book seems to feature fancy boots in some fashion. Why is that?

Because boots give us confidence, even when we feel like rumpled up toads. And I respect them for that!!

Nominate Ruthie by January 5 to be a Kids’ Indie Next Pick!

Books by Esmé Shapiro:

Ruthie
By Esmé Shapiro
48 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774885659 | Tundra Books
Available: March 17, 2026
Ruthie is a prince (a dog) who has it all: a bone, a fish, and a piece of cake he’s been saving for three years. He lives in a castle (a house), is beloved by his queen (his owner), and enjoys beauty-naps, butterberry pancakes and staying squeaky clean with a daily bubble bath. But still, Ruthie longs to explore beyond the castle walls. When a chance to escape presents itself, Ruthie soon finds exploring isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. He is cold, hungry and worst of all: STINKY! Ruthie’s royal subjects (forest animals) do their best to help, but nothing is as perfect as it was in his castle and, worst of all, he misses his queen. Will Ruthie ever be able to find his way home? And will he be able to make some friends along the way?

Ooko
By Esmé Shapiro
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781101918449 | Tundra Books
Ooko has everything a fox could want: a stick, a leaf and a rock. Well, almost everything . . . Ooko wants someone to play with too! The foxes in town always seem to be playing with their two-legged friends, the Debbies. Maybe if he tries to look like the other foxes, one of the Debbies will play with him too. But when Ooko finally finds his very own Debbie, things don’t turn out quite as he had expected! A quirky, funny, charmingly illustrated story about finding friendship and being true to yourself.

Roy Is Not a Dog
By Esmé Shapiro and Daniel Newell Kaufman
48 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735265967 | Tundra Books
On Lilypod Lane, everyone knows everything about everybody . . . or so they believe! When curious paperboy Weasel encounters his mysterious neighbor Roy on his route, he becomes convinced that Roy is actually a dog! But when his friend Pam Pam disagrees, Weasel must put on his detective cap and do his best sleuthing to reveal Roy’s extraordinary secret, and prove that not everything is as it seems, once and for all! An endearingly offbeat picture book that celebrates neighbors and neighborhoods, Roy Is Not a Dog delivers laughs and lessons about accepting others for who they are as well as the risks and rewards of showing your true self.

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.

A Garden of Creatures
Written by Sheila Heti
Illustrated by Esmé Shapiro
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735268814 | Tundra Books
Two bunnies and a cat live happily together in a beautiful garden. But when the big bunny passes away, the little bunny is unsure how to fill the void she left behind. A strange dream prompts her to begin asking questions: Why do the creatures we love have to die, and where do we go when we die? How come life works this way? With the wisdom of the cat to guide her, the little bunny learns that missing someone is a way of keeping them close. And together they discover that the big bunny is a part of everything around them – the grass, the air, the leaves – for the world is a garden of creatures.

November 17, 2025November 14, 2025

Creator Spotlight: K-Fai Steele

About the Creator:

K-FAI STEELE is the author-illustrator of A Normal Pig and All Eyes on Ozzy! and has illustrated several other books. She has a forthcoming graphic novel with Kokila. She was a James Marshall Fellow at the University of Connecticut, a Brown Handler Writer in Residence at the San Francisco Public Library, and an Ezra Jack Keats/Kerlan Memorial Fellow at the University of Minnesota. Born in Charlton, Massachusetts, K-Fai now lives in Stockholm, Sweden.

Q&A with K-Fai Steele:

What was the best part about designing Lena’s look?

I love chickens and I’ve always loved drawing them. I’d been trying to manifest a chicken book to illustrate for a while, so when I got the chance to make Lena I was READY. She came running straight out of central casting.

Were there any challenges in balancing her chicken features with her dinosaur side?

Drawing her as an actual dinosaur was hard. It felt like I was reverse engineering evolution. I also don’t have a lot of practice drawing dinosaurs, I think I’d much rather draw chickens with dinosaur energy.

Do you have a favorite spread?

I loved drawing Lena terrorizing Madeline’s family and the aftermath of them complaining about her being so aggressive. There was nothing in the text that suggested her parents were tending their wounds, so I think that’s a good example of how a drawing can deepen a character or a narrative. I also drew Madeline unscathed because I don’t think Lena would ever hurt a kid like Madeline (who I see as a stand-in for the reader). These two drawings give you a sense of how tough but also considerate and sweet she is! Also I really love the detail of the bandaid on Madeline’s dad’s balding head; I feel like that hit a really good humor note.

Lena is such an expressive chicken, showing a whole range of emotions. How did you make such an egg-spressive chicken face?

I love drawing chickens so much that it’s gotten easy for me to use them as templates for emotions. I know exactly what their eyes, eyebrows and beaks are going to do when they’re happy, sad, anxious, etc. I think that’s what happens when you know how to draw something so well and why drawing is so powerful; once you figure something out you can do anything with it.

The book has a die-cut cover. If money were no object, what other special features would you have included in this book?

I originally wanted a lenticular cover so that it would flicker between a chicken and a dinosaur as you walked past it, but I think this idea of a die cut cover (art director Gigi Lau’s idea) works beautifully. Hmm but if money were no object, I’d have it so that every time you read this book you’d have Lena in your lap reading it with you, pointing out all the funny details.

Books by K-Fai Steele:

Lena the Chicken (But Really a Dinosaur!)
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by K-Fai Steele
56 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774880135 | Tundra Books
Lena lives in a chicken coop, and she looks a lot like a chicken. But deep down, she’s convinced that she’s a . . . DINOSAUR! She can feel it in her bones. Lena just doesn’t understand the scaredy chickens in her family, and they don’t understand her either, with her ferociousness and big ideas. The people on the farm are also baffled . . . except for little Madeline, who thinks Lena has PERSONALITY. And then, when a dastardly weasel turns up and threatens the coop, Lena’s fearful family chickens out AGAIN. It’s up to Lena to unleash her inner dinosaur like never before — to save the coop and show this silly bunch of chickens how to stand up for themselves. And when Madeline’s science fair project shows that chickens are the closest living relatives in the world to dinosaurs, Lena’s family finally starts to see that — holy hen house! — they are all dinosaurs too!

That Always Happens Sometimes
Written by Kiley Frank
Illustrated by K-Fai Steele
42 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781984852434 | Knopf BFYR
Do you have a list of things to do every morning before school, but you get . . . distracted? Or maybe you’re the only one with tennis balls on the feet of your chair and your teacher has to remind you to keep your sounds to yourself? Or maybe you like to listen to the way water sloshes in your stomach when you run down the hall, slo-mo, after the water fountain? That always happens sometimes to Max in this warm, hilarious picture book that humorously chronicles the pitfalls and celebrates the successes of a very familiar kid . . . one who may not be the most compliant or organized but who is full of energy, creativity, and kindness.

Lone Wolf Goes to School
Written by Kiah Thomas
Illustrated by K-Fai Steele
56 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780823457779 | Neal Porter Books
Wolf has just the right amount of friends: NONE. He loves to be alone. Unfortunately, everywhere he goes, other people are there too. At school, the teacher says if he can’t get along with the other students, he has to leave. So he goes to the movies. More people! He tries the beach. No peace there, either. He flees to the remote peak of a mountain, and even there, someone comes along to bother him. Finally, Wolf hatches a plan. All these people arrive for a party at Wolf’s house . . . while Wolf makes a quick exit.

Lone Wolf Goes to the Library
Written by Kiah Thomas
Illustrated by K-Fai Steele
48 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780823457809 | Neal Porter Books
Wolf’s library book is overdue, and the librarian says if it’s not returned today, he will never ever be able to check a book out again. Wolf loves books. He can’t let this happen. Even worse: the book is due by the end of story time. Story time means tons of children having noisy fun. Can Wolf get to the library in time while avoiding his nemeses —other people — and preserve both his books . . . and his sanity?

Lone Wolf Goes on Vacation
Written by Kiah Thomas
Illustrated by K-Fai Steele
48 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780823457793 | Neal Porter Books
Wolf is excited for a peaceful, refreshing vacation: There, there’ll be nobody he knows. Nobody he doesn’t know. Nobody to bother him at all. Total relaxation. But from a sing-along bus ride to a broken elevator to a hotel room snafu, Wolf can’t seem to catch a break. And worst of all, some familiar old characters have somehow chosen the same dream destination. Will Wolf ever find solitude? Maybe the best vacation is a trip to an all-too-familiar place . . .

November 10, 2025November 5, 2025

Creator Spotlight: Suzy Levinson

About the Author:

SUZY LEVINSON is a children’s author and poet. Originally from Massachusetts, she now lives in New York with her husband and their most excellent cat. Her poems have appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines, including Highlights and Cricket. Her critically acclaimed debut picture book, Animals in Pants, was published in 2023.

Q&A with Suzy Levinson:

The combination of poetry, dinosaurs and driving is such a fun and unique idea. How did the idea for this book come to be?

It all started when I was deciding on a birthday gift to send my little nephew in Montreal. He wanted candy, but I figured I could do a bit better than that. I googled “cool presents for three-year-olds,” and this extremely disturbing-looking set of toy cars popped up. They were dinosaur heads, just the heads, on wheels. Really weird. I scoffed, then immediately bought them because how could I not? It was ridiculous! Some evil genius had taken two random things that kids love, dinosaurs and cars, and smashed them together in a way that utterly defied reason! Then I thought, hmm . . . I could do that, too. That’s when the title, Dinos That Drive, hit me like a lightning bolt, and I knew it was time to get to work on an exciting new poetry collection.

How much dinosaur research did you have to do?

First things first, I sat down and wrote a list of the dinosaurs I knew off the top of my head, which was about three. So I obviously had to read some dinosaur books to fill out that list to twenty or so. Then came the task of matching up specific dinosaur traits to specific modes of transportation, which entailed more research. Because I couldn’t just plop random dinos in random vehicles, willy-nilly. These poems were only going to work if I maintained a certain level of weird internal logic, where the nonsensical made sense. For instance, I learned that “brontosaurus” means “thunder lizard,” so of course he had to ride a motorcycle! I mean, let’s face it: Thunder Lizard is the ultimate biker name.

You cannot miss the humor in this book. How do you make sure your poems are playful, funny and easy to read?

The most important part is establishing a silly and subversive premise right at the top, like hello, welcome to a world where dinosaurs drive. That’s the reality we live in now, take it or leave it. From there, my only job is to present perfectly reasonable scenarios in this weird driving-dino world, each written in rhyming verse. Writing in rhyme is the biggest challenge. It’s also my favorite part. There’s nothing more fun than writing poems that sound loose and conversational, all while maintaining strict-strict-STRICT rhyme scheme and meter! I’m basically creating impossible word puzzles that I then have to solve. The only way to ensure that these poems stay playful is if I’m super-duper tough with myself. No stumbly and distracting meter, no flat and uninspired word choices, no awkward phrasing! I have to read my work aloud, over and over again, plus share it with trusted critique partners who won’t hold back. The poems should feel effortless, almost like I didn’t tear my hair out making them just so.

What do you love most about writing poetry for kids?

I didn’t read much poetry when I was a kid, but I was fairly obsessed with Shel Silverstein’s collections. A Shel Silverstein poem always felt like a thrilling gift. Like a dino head on wheels, you might say. The fact that I can now sit at my desk whenever I want and play around with language, find the perfect word combination that paints a picture, that makes kids laugh and see the world a little differently? Well, that feels like a pretty thrilling gift, too.

Do you have a favorite dinosaur?

I’ll admit, I’ve never thought about my favorite dinosaur before. But now that you’re asking . . . I’m going with stegosaurus! By all accounts, a gentle herbivore. Meaning if I ever bump into one, he probably won’t eat me.

Books by Suzy Levinson:

Dinos That Drive
Written by Suzy Levinson
Illustrated by Dustin Harbin
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774885239 | Tundra Books
You’ve never seen a dinosaur that’s into driving cars? Well, buckle up! Brontosaurus, Triceratops, Pterodactyl and T. rex are all here to show off their driving, flying and diving skills in this riotous, fully illustrated book of poems about dinosaurs and their favorite things-that-go! From flighty Bambiraptor’s traffic chopper to hardheaded Pachycephalosaurus’s garbage truck to mama Maiasaura’s kid-carting minivan, and even to the stars beyond — these dinos on the go have no time to slow down. Each spread is full of fun details for young readers to pore over, but with our intrepid dino guides providing helpful dino facts on each page, you’ll never need a GPS again!

November 3, 2025October 31, 2025

Creator Spotlight: Linda Bailey

About the Author:

LINDA BAILEY has written nearly forty books for children, including The Three Little Mittens, Carson Crosses Canada, Princesses Versus Dinosaurs and If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur. Her books have been translated into twenty languages and have won multiple awards such as the Ontario Blue Spruce and Silver Birch Awards, the California Young Reader Medal, the Georgia Children’s Picturebook Award and the UK School Library Association Information Book Award. Linda has been honored for her exceptional body of work in children’s literature with the Vicky Metcalf Award. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Q&A with Linda Bailey:

Lena the Chicken (But Really A Dinosaur) is such a fun, imaginative and unique story. What sparked the idea for this story?

Chickens! And dinosaurs! I am fond of both. I once spent a few weeks “chicken-sitting” for my friend Margriet Ruurs, looking after her flock of chickens on Salt Spring Island while she went on holiday. As for dinosaurs, the first Jurassic Park movie really pulled me in and then I got hooked on all the stunning paleological discoveries that have happened over the past 30 years. In the end, it was the connection between birds and dinosaurs that triggered this story.

What is it about dinosaurs that inspires you to keep including them in your stories?

Well, they’re just so . . . odd. Aren’t they? There’s such incredible variety and eccentricity in the way they looked and behaved. Also, sheer size! And how amazing is it that they lived hundreds of millions of years ago — and we can still walk among their gigantic fossilized skeletons in museums? Generally what I feel is awe and wonder.

Was there someone that was the inspiration behind Lena?

I have never met an actual chicken like Lena. But I have known plenty of brave girls and women who have faced up to bullies like the weasel in this story. And on a personal level, I once faced a scarily large wild emu on a solitary walk in back-country Australia. I wasn’t as brave as Lena, but I did let out a loud squawk of fright. (Happy ending: the big bird ran away — just like the weasel in my story.)

If Lena were to leave the farm, what kind of adventures do you think she would want to experience?

That’s easy. In this book, Lena ends up being a guest of honor at a school science fair — and she just loves being the center of attention! I’m pretty sure Lena would want to visit lots of schools and repeat that experience again and again.

What do you hope children, and even their parents, take away after reading this book?

I hope they take away a smile and a few laughs, along with some curiosity about the evolutionary connection between dinosaurs and chickens. I also hope kids will notice that Lena was able to find her inner courage in a scary situation. And if a chicken can do that, so can they!

Books by Linda Bailey:

The Great Dinosaur Sleepover
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Joe Bluhm
44 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735269231 | Tundra Books
Jake loves dinosaurs, so with his birthday coming up, he knows just what kind of party he wants — a dinosaur sleepover! Dino games, dino balloons, dino cake. Dino everything! But when the big day arrives, his friends all come down with the flu, and the party seems to be on the edge of extinction. Then, in the middle of the night, Jake hears a strange noise and goes to investigate. To his surprise, he finds some prehistoric party guests right there in his living room! They’ve invited themselves in to make sure Jake has a birthday he’ll never forget — just don’t tell the T-Rex! An unforgettable birthday tale with huge laughs and heart, this newest picture book from acclaimed author Linda Bailey celebrates friendship, inclusion and fun – and is brought to life with magnificent, cinematic artwork from award-winning animation director and illustrator Joe Bluhm.

If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Colin Jack
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Paperback
ISBN 9781774887707 | Tundra Books
If you happen to have a dinosaur, lying around your living room, and you don’t know what to do with it . . . why don’t you use it as a can opener? It will make a terrific nutcracker too! There are oodles of uses for a dinosaur — from a fine umbrella to an excellent kite and a dandy pillow, not to mention a reliable burglar alarm and the perfect excuse to forget your homework. This delightfully absurd exploration of the domestic uses of dinosaurs — and the things dinos just aren’t good for at all — is guaranteed to tickle funny bones and spark imaginations. If you read carefully, you’ll learn how to make your dinosaur last a very long time.

Princesses Versus Dinosaurs
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Joy Ang
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Paperback
ISBN 9781774883655 | Tundra Books
This is a princess book! No, it’s a dinosaur book! No, it’s . . . a T. rex book? A dragon book? A rubber ducky book?! From Linda Bailey, award-winning and critically acclaimed author, and Joy Ang, Adventure Time-artist and illustrator of the Mustache Baby series, comes an irresistibly irreverent picture book in which plucky princesses and determined dinosaurs have a battle royale over whose book this is. When they start calling in the big guns — or rather, the big carnivores — and decide to build a wall to resolve their differences, princesses and dinosaurs alike learn a thing or two about open-mindedness and sharing.

October 29, 2025October 27, 2025

Window Wednesday

#WindowWednesday: We are incredibly fortunate to have stores create window features of our books. We want to highlight their amazing work here on our blog for you to see (and perhaps you’ll discover a new local bookstore).

Another Story Bookshop
315 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto, ON M6R 2M6

Photo by: @anotherstorybookshop

Babar Books
Suite 2, 46 rue Ste-Anne, Pointe-Claire, QC H9S 4P8

Photo by: @babarbooks

Back Cove Books
651 Forest Ave, Unit 1, Portland, ME 04101

Photo by: @backcovebooks

Wild Rumpus
2720 West 43rd St., Minneapolis, MN 55410

Photo by: @wildrumpusbookstore

McNally Robinson Booksellers
1120 Grant Avenue, Unit 4000, Winnipeg, MB R3M 2A6

Photo by: @mcnallyrobinson

Inspired by:

Broken
By X. Fang
48 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774882009 | Tundra Books
When Mei Mei accidentally breaks her ama’s favorite cup, she’s convinced it’s the end of the world. What if Ama is angry? What if she yells? What if she kicks Mei Mei out of her house? Mei Mei can’t face it. But when Mimi, the innocent cat who witnesses her crime, ends up being blamed, the guilt is too much! Mimi’s accusing eyes follow Mei Mei until she just can’t take it anymore, and the truth comes spilling out. With vibrant and moody cinematic illustrations and pitch-perfect pacing, X. Fang’s newest picture book is filled to the brim with comedic drama and the comforting sweetness of a grandparent’s forgiving hug.