Tundra Books Turns 40! by Gillian O’Reilly
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PUBLISHER PROFILE Tundra Books turns 40! by Gillian O’Reilly New York. It was here that she started Canadian books – but finding it exploring art galleries – a free form of unprofitable, she decided to concentrate entertainment for an impoverished on the publishing side. student – and developing the knowledge One of her early ventures was the and tastes that she brought to her publication of her own YA book, I Knew publishing venture. An Old Indian Woman – a book that She returned to Montreal in the late was turned down for funding by the 1940s to work as a journalist. In 1967, Canada Council. (This was at the time finding it difficult to integrate her life when publishers had to apply for as a mother of four small children with funding on a painstaking book by book her life as a freelance journalist, she basis, in contrast to the later block decided to start a publishing company. grants which supported the publisher’s There were other Canadian companies entire program.) Cutler went ahead emerging amidst the heightened with publication and, when interviewed nationalism of the time. “A neighbour, in the fall of 2006, she was tickled to Maynard Gertler, seemed to be still be receiving royalty cheques. Kathy Lowinger Catherine Mitchell successfully running his own small In 1971, Tundra published its first In 1995, after almost 30 years as a publishing firm [Harvest House]. So I picture book, Mary of Mile 18. Author spoke to Cutler. Wanting the funds to publisher, May was ready to retire. thought I could do it too,” recalls Cutler. and illustrator Ann Blades was just 20 produce a quality picture book, Cutler She sold the company to McClelland Her first books were a short series when she submitted the manuscript, a again applied to the Canada Council. & Stewart and Tundra’s operations produced for Expo ’67, but she soon story set in and written for the small Mary of Mile 18 did not appeal to the moved to Toronto along with one staff moved to architecture books and northern British Columbia community jury and the book was turned down. member, Catherine Mitchell. Kathy children’s books. For a while, she ran a where she was teaching. The story, and Cutler was furious and decided to Lowinger, formerly of Lester Publishing, bookstore as well – the first to sell only the simple but fresh and colourful art, publish the book anyway; it went on took over as publisher and the company has continued to this day – producing both the fine quality picture books that Cutler championed, as well as a growing list of award-winning non- fiction and fiction. THE ECONOMICAL CHOICE FOR YOUR CLASSROOM There is much more to the story. “Tundra was a pioneer in the quality of books; a pioneer in the quality of ONLINE ORDERING ! DISCOUNTED PRICES ! FREE SHIPPING production; a pioneer in people telling their stories – the books told Canadians May Cutler, founder of Tundra Books about themselves in an honest and AND MOST IMPORTANTLY - BOOKS THAT LAST! “May was a pioneer for us all,” says applaud both the many ways that loving fashion; a pioneer in selling Kathy Lowinger, publisher of Tundra founder May Cutler led the way in the directly to the US and a pioneer in Books, the company founded 40 years Canadian book publishing industry and selling foreign rights,” says Lowinger. Offering the best in children’s literature and so much more! • ago by the remarkable May Cutler. also her successor’s development of a “May opened the door for every other 50,000+ book and audiovisual titles The oldest children’s book publisher strong and multi-facted list of books publisher that came along.” • Crate Collections system to organize classroom reading materials in Canada is celebrating its 40th and talented ensemble of authors and Passionate, funny, fierce, energetic, • Comprehensive Teacher’s Guides that provide superior content anniversary in many ways – the illustrators. original – May Cutler is all of these • On-staff librarians ready to assist you production of two fascinating samplers In 1967, journalist May Cutler things. Born in Montreal, the daughter Unconditional Guarantee: If you are ever dissatisfied with a book in our Perma-Bound binding, we will replace it. from its picture book and fiction founded a small publishing company of a policeman and the product of a collections; a gala on May 15 in that produced architectural and difficult childhood, she attended Perma-Bound Canada O P.O. Box 868, Station Main O Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7A2 Toronto during the conference of the children’s books. Although the McGill University, where she served as Call: 1-800-461-1999 Fax: 1-888-250-3811 www.perma-bound.com [email protected] International Reading Association; and architecture list was short-lived, Tundra features editor at the McGill Daily an online contest to win the best of soon became a thriving publisher of newspaper. She then went on to study Tundra’s backlist. This is a year to high-quality children’s picture books. journalism at Columbia University in 16 canadian children’s book news spring 2007 spring 2007 canadian children’s book news 17 to national and international success. impress for idea, content or technical Song Nan Zhang; and Italian-Canadian She didn’t reapply to the Canada proficiency, but they had one quality Montrealer Antonio de Thomasis. Council until block grants were that is less common that you would “They were talking, sharing their instituted a few years later. think: strong colour sense.” experiences and their differences. Song Tundra’s second book was A Child Cutler initially commissioned Khalsa Nan Zhang sang a song in Chinese and in Prison Camp, Shizuye Takashima’s to create a series of board books full of the Zemans sang the same song in illustrated memoir of the internment published before. Always on the bright colours and simple images, but Czech. It kind of typified what May of Japanese-Canadians, a story not lookout for fresh and original stories the books did not appeal to adults. had been able to achieve, that she previously told in Canadian literature. and images, Cutler would ask them if Then Khalsa brought in her next book. had allowed these people to tell their In the next two decades, the Tundra they could write something about their “Dayal talked about the Grandma book expensive, printing. “I felt I owed it stories and share their experiences.” list grew to include William Kurelek, childhood or if they would be long before she showed it to us. I to the artists,” she says. The initial Kathy Lowinger, who took over as Ted Harrison, Warabé Aska, Dayal Kaur interested in illustrating certain stories. remember staring, incredulous, at the advances to the authors might not have publisher in the spring of 1996 recalls, Khalsa, C.J. Taylor, Stéphane Poulin and The results were books like William first illustrations, at grandma taking an been large, but the company’s vision “It was a very intimidating prospect.” Song Nan Zhang. Tundra’s sophisticated Kurelek’s memoir of his Ukrainian- orange-juice bath on a train, at the also included keeping the books in A former Executive Director of the picture book format included non- Canadian childhood, A Prairie Boy’s fridge filled with borsch in case the print for a long time. Today, Kathy Canadian Children’s Book Centre, she fiction – from Bonnie Shemie’s books Winter – a book which went on to sell Cossacks came back. Here was a unique Lowinger speaks proudly of the number adds, “We had known at the Centre on architecture to Song Nan Zhang 250,000 copies in nine countries. talent.” In the next seven years, Tundra of books from Tundra’s early days that what an enormous act of creativity it books on China – and fiction like A sense of how May Cutler looked for published 10 more books by Khalsa, are still in print. was to build Tundra Books.” list for the company – with many Stephane Poulin’s Josephine books or new talent can be found in an obituary who named her spunky protagonist To help finance the production of award-winners among its fiction, Dayal Kaur Khalsa’s I Want a Dog. for Dayal Kaur Khalsa, published in May, after her publisher. high-quality picture books, Cutler made non-fiction and picture books. Its Many of Cutler’s illustrators were CM Magazine in 1989. In it, Cutler May Cutler’s concept of “Canadian a point of attending international book wide range of authors include Marthe people she had found through their remembered meeting the self-taught children’s books as works of art” fairs in Bologna and Frankfurt and Jocelyn (winner of the inaugural gallery exhibitions, several were self- artist when she brought in her meant that Tundra books were always selling foreign rights to her books – an $20,000 TD Canadian Children’s taught, and most had never been illustrations in 1982. “They did not characterized by high quality, and thus example which led newer Canadian Literature Award in 2005 for publishers to do the same. To better Mable Riley), Linda Holeman, Richard reach the American market, she opened Scrimger, Cary Fagan, Gena Gorrell, an office in upstate New York from Jack Batten, Irene Watts and which US buyers could easily order – a Barbara Nichol. ÿ ÿ ÿÁÂ Ã ÿÁ practice emulated by other Canadian Carrying on the traditions founded publishers and distributors. by May Cutler has required three ÿ ÁÂÃÄÂ Â Â ÁÂÃÄÂ !"Â While observers have described conditions, says Lowinger: “We have ÿÿ ÁÂÃ ÄÃÄ ÿÿ 2 ÁÂÃ ÄÃÄ Tundra’s picture book output as a to be brave ourselves.