• Age: 5 to 8
• Grade: 2 to 12

Strawberry-sized pals Poppy and Sam return for their fourth adventure

Hibernation is hard when a craving comes! Especially for Sam, who wakes up his pal Poppy in the middle of their winter slumber with a hankering to make rosehip jam. Full of determination, Sam sets out to find his friends in the snowy forest and collect the necessary ingredients.

All seems well, but on his way home, Sam gets trapped in a winter storm! He finds shelter in a cave, only to discover someone else is already hibernating there—a giant bear! It turns out that Ursula the bear is also hungry for a mid-hibernation treat. Luckily, Ursula is not craving miniature panda, and helps Sam get back to Poppy and the safety of home—where at last they enjoy some tasty snacks!

The adorable, cartoon-like illustrations and charming storyline will keep readers rooting for Sam’s success in the latest installment of the Poppy and Sam series.

Montréal-based artist Cathon makes children's books and comics. After self-publishing a couple of critically acclaimed zines, she published her first professional book, La liste des choses qui existent, in 2013 -- an absurd encyclopedia co-created with established cartoonist Iris. Her first solo book, Les ennuis de Lapinette, was published in April 2015 by Comme des géants. Vampire Cousins sees her exploring moodier territories, while still retaining her uninhibited drawing style.

Alexandre Fontaine Rousseau spends most of his time writing film reviews and comic books. His first graphic novel, Pinkerton, created in collaboration with François Samson-Dunlop, was nominated for a Joe Shuster Award. His second book, Poulet grain-grain, pondered the subjects of chickens and revolution. With Vampire Cousins, he conjures up a humorous homage to old-school Hammer horror and Jean Rollin's cult vampire classics.

Cathon's profile page

Susan Ouriou is an award-winning literary translator who has translated the fiction of Quebec, Latin-American, French and Spanish authors. She won Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Award for Translation in 2009 for Pieces of Me by Charlotte Gingras, after first being shortlisted for The Road to Chlifa by Michèle Marineau and then for Necessary Betrayals by Guillaume Vigneault. The Road to Chlifa was also awarded an honour list placing by IBBY (International Board of Books for Youth) as were Naomi and Mrs. Lumbago by Gilles Tibo, This Side of the Sky by Marie-Francine Hébert and Pieces of Me. Necessary Betrayals was also voted one of the 100 best books of 2002 by the Globe and Mail. Another translation, The Thirteenth Summer by José Luis Olaizola, was runner-up for the John Glassco Translation Prize. She has worked as the director of the Banff International Literary Translation Centre and as faculty for the Banff Centre's Aboriginal Emerging Writers residency. She is the editor of the 2010 anthology Beyond Words – Translating the World.

Susan Ouriou's profile page

"Adorable. The cartoon illustrations are charming. [Feels] like an early reader graphic novel."

Kiss the Book

"This is a picture book, graphic-style, with boxed entries of between two and four per page. The colors are bright and cheerful with cute animals perfect for the younger group."

Youth Services Book Review

"Poppy & Sam and the Hunt for Jam would be equally great for reading with a grownup or reading on one's own... Highly Recommended."

Canadian Review of Materials

"An endearing early reader graphic novel ... Perfectly portrays the bonds of friendship and teamwork, making it a great addition to any library collection."

School Library Journal