FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Toronto (February 18, 2025)—Today, Penguin Random House Canada is excited to announce a new imprint at Tundra Book Group, one of North America’s leading children’s publishers. Swift Water Books, led by acclaimed author David A. Robertson, will focus on publishing works by Indigenous writers and illustrators, with its first children’s books slated for release in Spring 2026.
Swift Water Books features the work of emerging Indigenous talent alongside established and celebrated Indigenous voices. The imprint will publish books for young readers of all ages across a broad range of categories of children’s books, including picture books, graphic novels, middle grade and young adult fiction, and more. While there have been Indigenous publishers in Canada for years, Swift Water Books will be the first Indigenous children’s imprint within a major publishing house in Canada.
Robertson, who is a member of Norway House Cree Nation, notes, “I’ve been writing books for fifteen years and have devoted the majority of my time to educating readers—in particular, youth— about our past and our present, so that we can have a better vision of the future we want to see. I’ve been lucky enough to develop a platform where I can open doors for other Indigenous artists to do similar work, so that our truths are more widely available, and we can continue to walk on this path towards healing, both within our communities and as a larger community here on Turtle Island.”
Swift Water Books, as an imprint of Tundra Book Group, the children's division of Penguin Random House Canada, will sell and distribute its books across Turtle Island. The first titles, to be published in early 2026, include Here for a Good Time, a young adult novel by Kim Spencer, and Canada, a picture book based on a poem by the late, iconic Richard Wagamese, originally published by Ronsdale Press, adapted by David A. Robertson and illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley. “This imprint is the realization of a belief that stories can change things for the better, especially when they are written with intention, with truth, and with a focus on the real agents of change: youth,” says Editorial Director Robertson. “With a growing interest in Indigenous storytelling, there is no better time for this imprint than right now.”
Other writers and illustrators who have books forthcoming with Swift Water Books include Yolanda Bonnell, Cherie Dimaline and Wenzdae Dimaline-Manchester, Falen Johnson, Autumn Peltier, Waubgeshig Rice, Tasha Spillett, Kirk Van Brunt, Chelsea Vowel, Luke Swinson, and August Swinson.
Of the imprint’s name, David says, “Swift Water honours my father and his impact on my life and career, in how he helped me to focus on the important things: effecting change in my community and helping others in whatever capacity I can. My father grew up on the land and by the water, and it was the place he found calm. My father was my calm. He used to call the rivers around his ancestral home Swift Water, and I think it’s a fitting way to remember him.”
Kristin Cochrane, CEO of Penguin Random House Canada, said “It has been a profound joy to partner with Dave in the creation of this vital and groundbreaking imprint. When we first spoke about this idea, Dave’s intention was to open doors and create pathways into publishing, and I’m so proud of the ways in which he’s done precisely that as he’s built Swift Water Books alongside the Tundra team. Our world will be richer thanks to his advocacy, vision, and the stories he will help bring to readers everywhere.”
Tara Walker, Tundra Book Group publisher said: “I am immensely proud of the work Dave and our team has done so far to build this imprint and create a space for Indigenous artists to share their stories. Dave is an incredibly talented writer, and it has been an honour to work alongside him and watch him grow into this new role, using his sharp editorial instincts and creative vision to curate an exceptional list of titles. I am beyond excited to see this imprint continue to take shape and for the rest of the world to share in the wonderful stories that emerge.”
More about David A. Robertson:
David A. Robertson (he/him/his) was the 2021 recipient of the Writers’ Union of Canada Freedom to Read Award. He is the author of numerous books for young readers including, When We Were Alone, illustrated by Julie Flett, which won the 2017 Governor General’s Literary Award and the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award. On The Trapline, also illustrated by Julie Flett, won David his second Governor General’s Literary Award and was named one of the best picture books of 2021 by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, The Horn Book, New York Public Library, Quill & Quire, and American Indians in Children’s Literature. David’s picture book The Song That Called Them Home, illustrated by Maya McKibbin, received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and was nominated for the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award, the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize, and the First Nations Communities Read Award. The Barren Grounds, the first book in the middle-grade The Misewa Saga series, received a starred review from Kirkus, was a Kirkus and Quill & Quire best middle-grade book of 2020, was a USBBY and Texas Lone Star selection, was shortlisted for the Ontario Library Association’s Silver Birch Award, and was a finalist for the 2020 Governor General’s Literary Award. His memoir, Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory, was a Globe and Mail and Quill & Quire book of the year in 2020 and won the Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction as well as the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award at the 2020 Manitoba Book Awards. In early 2025, he published All the Little Monsters (a memoir about mental health), and his books 52 Ways to Reconcile (a non-fiction adult book about Truth and Reconciliation), Little Shoes (a picture book illustrated by Maya McKibbin) and The World’s End (the finale of The Misewa Saga) will be released later in the year. Dave is the writer and host of the podcast Kíwew, winner of the 2021 RTDNA Prairie Region Award for Best Podcast. He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in Winnipeg.
For more information or media inquiries, contact:
Evan Munday
Publicity Manager, Young Readers
Penguin Random House Canada
emunday@penguinrandomhouse.com