A Little Halwa and a Big Family

Written by Farid Bazger

Illustrated by Sahar Abdallah

Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides

978-1-998802302

40 pp.

Ages 4–8

March 2026  

 

Halwa is a confectionery traditional to many countries from Central Asia to the Middle East and into Africa and Europe. And when Mama and Papa have a craving for it one night, but little in the way of ingredients for their large family, they plan a secret treat for themselves once their children are in bed. But, unbeknownst to them, everything will change when little Malala overhears their plan.

From A Little Halwa and a Big Family, written by Farid Bazger, illustrated by Sahar Abdallah

Malala tells her older brother Bahir, who tells his older brother Azmoon, who tells his older sister Lima, who tells her older brother Abasim, who tells his older brother Zareen, who tells his older sister Zala. And with that, seven children hatch a plan to be in on the late-night treat.

From A Little Halwa and a Big Family, written by Farid Bazger, illustrated by Sahar Abdallah

When the parents see the children have brushed their teeth and been tucked into bed, they head to the kitchen. But, when Mama starts to prepare all she needs for cooking the halwa, from matches to light the stove, and flour and sugar and other ingredients, she finds them all missing. The children obviously know what Mama will use, and with every staple needed, a child appears to deliver it. And with each delivery, the child is invited to sit and watch and wait to share in the halwa.

 

But the same problem that the parents recognized initially—insufficient ingredients to feed their large family the special treat—is still a problem, with every child getting a little halwa and the parents giving themselves none. Is there a way for a little halwa to feed a big family?

From A Little Halwa and a Big Family, written by Farid Bazger, illustrated by Sahar Abdallah

A Little Halwa and a Big Family is a version of a chain story in that there are seven children and a similar number of ingredients or elements needed to make the halwa. (A recipe is included.) With seven Afghan children to bring in the missing ingredients, it's a tale that emphasizes unity, sharing, and even teamwork, in a very playful way. Originally from Afghanistan, Farid Bazger blends his traditional culture with the mischief of children and the unselfishness of parents. From the tasty treat to the family dynamics, this is a large Afghan family rooted in affection and consideration. While the parents may initially seem a bit selfish hiding their planned treat from their children, they really aren't. It is just Papa having a craving and Mama happy to make it for him. And yet, when she finally starts cooking it, there is never any option other than sharing with their children. The parents are giving and caring and these same traits have been bestowed upon their children who want to do the same for their parents. 

 

Sahar Abdallah, an Egyptian-Canadian artist, uses pencil crayon, soft pastels, and powder pigments (see the video of her creating an illustration here) on brown Kraft paper. Her media give a softness of texture as well as colour, creating a homey feel within the illustrations. It's perfect for a story in an Afghan home with its large family of boys and girls wearing clothes of bright colours of green, orange, white, blue, and gold. Sahar Abdallah gives the story the warmth that Farid Bazger's family shows in its hospitality.

From A Little Halwa and a Big Family, written by Farid Bazger, illustrated by Sahar Abdallah

Whether you try the halwa recipe included or just enjoy being welcomed into this family's abode, A Little Halwa and a Big Family proves that, when there is kindness, there is always enough food to share.

2026 Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children's Literature: Shortlist announced

 

Yesterday, the shortlist for the Ann Conner Brimer Award, one of the Atlantic Book Awards, was announced. This award, established in 1992 and administered by the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia and supported by Gavin Brimer, son of the teacher, researcher and bookseller for whom the award is named, celebrates outstanding contributions to writing for Atlantic Canadian young people, and comes with a $5,000 prize. 

 

Congratulations to the following titles and their authors on being shortlisted for this award.

 

Bertie Stewart Is Perfectly Imperfect

Written by Melanie Mosher

Nimbus Publishing

192 pp.

Ages 7–11

2024 

 

Joe and the Wreck of the Tribune

Written by Jacqueline Halsey

Nimbus Publishing

176 pp.

Ages 8–12 

2025 

 

The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall

Written by Charis Cotter

Tundra Books 

392 pp.

Ages 9–12 

2025 

The Newest Gnome

Written by Lauren Soloy

Tundra Books 

72 pp.

Ages 3–7 

2025 

 

Our Ancestor's Kitchen

Written by Willie Poll

Illustrated by Shaikara David 

Annick Press

36 pp.

Ages 4–7 

2025 

 

 

 Winners of all Atlantic Book Awards, including the Ann Connor Brimer Award, will be announced on Thursday, June 4, 2026 in Halifax.

 

 

 

Raven & Friends: A Roy Henry Vickers Colouring Book for Kids

Written and illustrated by Roy Henry Vickers

Harbour Publishing

978-1-998526543

60 pp.

Ages 6–8

February 2026 

 

Raven & Friends is more than a colouring book. It's an invitation to learn how to draw in the style of Northwest Coast art. It's an offer to visit the animals of the land, water, and sky that inhabit this area. And it's a promise to help us see more than just ourselves.

From Raven & Friends: A Roy Henry Vickers Colouring Book for Kids, 

written and illustrated by Roy Henry Vickers

While the emphasis is on Raven and other animals like Hummingbird, Sealions, and Salmon, Roy Henry Vickers also takes us to see the sun and a Pacific sunset, and as well as a Raven Dancer and our place in the world. With Raven & Friends, Roy Henry Vickers helps us appreciate his Northwest Coast as he sees it: beautiful, natural, and part of something bigger.

From Raven & Friends: A Roy Henry Vickers Colouring Book for Kids, 

written and illustrated by Roy Henry Vickers

Roy Henry Vickers, with whose art I first became familiar through his First West Coast Book series with Robert "Lucky" Budd, will inspire young readers to colour but to also draw. He instructs them how to make shapes used in Northwest Coast art and allows them to practise before helping them put the shapes together into a stylized animal. But even if they aren't interested in trying their hand at drawing—though that would surprise me—Raven & Friends offers an opportunity for colour creativity and relaxation, even stress reduction. The act of putting paint, marker or crayon, pencil or wax, to paper brings calm. But with Roy Henry Vickers's artwork, that calm is sublime, transporting us to the Northwest Coast, compelling us to see beyond our own worries and intrusive thoughts, and inviting us to be present and mindful of the beauty within Raven & Friends and its subject locale.

From Raven & Friends: A Roy Henry Vickers Colouring Book for Kids, 

written and illustrated by Roy Henry Vickers

Roy Henry Vickers's first colouring book, Inspired (2025), was more complex, appropriate for all ages, young and adult. Raven & Friends may be considered more straightforward, less detailed in line and context, but the beauty in his art is accessible to all. For me, a retired teacher librarian, I see such elegance in Roy Henry Vickers's lines and shapes and how they merge into stunning reflections of his home, his cultures and his ancestry—Haida, Heiltsuk, Tsimshian and European—that I'm tempted to visit the Northwest Coast with my own colours and his art. I hope that whether you're six or sixty, you'll let Roy Henry Vickers guide you to a place of organic charm with his art and your colouring tools.

 

• • • • • • •

 

Check out the First West Coast Book series that Roy Henry Vickers created with Robert "Lucky" Budd.

Hello, Humpback!

One Eagle Soaring

Sockeye Silver, Saltchuck Blue

Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak

A is for Anemone

A Flock of Gulls, A Chorus of Frogs

 

Kaboom!: Blast Off

Written by Jay Odjick

Illustrated by KC Oster

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-9836-3 

142 pp.

Ages 8–12

February 2026 

 

Zack seems like a regular kid. He likes riding his bike and imagining himself as a superhero. He is lured by ads for the snack Choco Pops and the energy drink Splurge and is impressed with the fabulously rich like Konstantin Pierce. Compared to his boring parents who sell refrigerators, Pierce looks pretty exciting. But there seems to be another story that the imaginative Zack does not know. While he believes his parents are at a trade show and he's staying with his Auntie Jess, his mom and dad, calling each other Shadowbird and Greywolf, are working for F.U.S.I.O.N. as true superheroes, currently stopping those who steal ancient artifacts. As for Konstantin Pierce, he's more villain than entrepreneurial genius.

From Kaboom!: Blast Off, written by Jay Odjick, illustrated by KC Oster

Pierce is looking to extort world powers by controlling the weather and he's concerned that F.U.S.I.O.N. agents are going to get in the way. He arranges for them to be eliminated. Not surprising that Zack is shocked when flying robots and a masked man come and take his parents and aunt away. Thankfully his parents have a household security system to protect Zack and he, along with a cute robotic dog rejected by Pierce, are whisked to his parents' underground headquarters where he virtually meets Tana a.k.a. Teknik from New Zealand. Tana/Teknik explains that, like his parents and her Māori father, she is an agent of F.U.S.I.O.N., the First Universal Secret Indigenous Operatives Network, which is tasked with working against any threat to Indigenous Peoples, cultures, and ways of life.

From Kaboom!: Blast Off, written by Jay Odjick, illustrated by KC Oster

So, as Zack and his new robot sidekick Rusty poke around his superhero parents' secret den, Pierce is threatening the U.N. even though he realizes that a thumb drive with the activation codes is missing. But, after finding a special Lycra suit fit for a superhero, Zack, who becomes known as Kaboom, works to help get his parents back and thwart Konstantin Pierce and his villainous henchman and drones. 
 

Looks like there's a new superhero in town as Blast Off! is just the first book in the new Kaboom! graphic novel series. Zack a.k.a Kaboom is a little impetuous, a lot funny, and kind of sweet, and he's a character whose adventures middle graders will want to follow. Jay Odjick, who'd previously illustrated Robert Munsch's Bear for Breakfast / Makwa kidji kijebà wìsiniyàn (2019), gives us a story in which a kid becomes a hero. But Jay Odjick also blends Zack's story with Indigenous superheroes from around the world—Māori, Inuit, Nahua, Khalka, and Algonquin appear in Blast Off—and the importance of doing good. Still Kaboom!: Blast Off is not a story that is told to preach or convey messages of how to live. It's about superhero fun with lots of humour, like when Zack starts pushing buttons he shouldn't or when he mishears Tana when she says kinetic and he hears Connecticut. With Zack just being Zack and Jay Odjick getting all the voices just right for all his characters, Kaboom!: Blast Off entertains completely.

From Kaboom!: Blast Off, written by Jay Odjick, illustrated by KC Oster

But, without the artwork of KC Oster, a new illustrator for me, Kaboom!: Blast Off just wouldn't be the hit it is. I like the style of this Ojibwe-Anishinaabe comic artist, who previously did the art for Rabbit Chase (written Elizabeth LaPensée, 2022). Their graphics are not cluttered, focusing on Zack and the other characters, keeping the details for lively interactions like altercations with the bad guys and fight scenes. And by not limiting their palette of colours, KC Oster makes the art exciting and lavish.

 

An Indigenous superhero organization, a kid hero, a robotic dog, and operations to stop the bad guys sounds like the kind of graphic novel that middle-grade readers will latch onto. I think Kaboom! has just made a dynamite arrival.

The Cedar Mother (Mothers of Xsan)

Written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson)
Illustrated by Natasha Donovan
HighWater Press
978-1-77492-158-6
32 pp.
Ages 9–12

February 2026

 

Eight years ago, Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, who is also known as Brett D. Huson, started his Mothers of Xsan graphic novel series to share his knowledge of the stories of the Gitxsan Nation of the Northwest Interior of BC. This series, now of eight books, has covered insects, fish, birds, amphibians, and mammals, and now I'm delighted to share his book about the cedar tree. Not only does The Cedar Mother speak to the life cycle of a cedar tree and its connection with other living things, but Hetxw'ms Gyetxw also shares his knowledge of the Gitxsan Nation and their Moons.

From The Cedar Mother, written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illustrated by Natasha Donovan

This story of the western red cedar begins in April and the Spring Salmon's Returning Home Moon (Lasa ya'a). This tree, which has been around for over 300 years, now sits by a road that was "only a trail used by the Gitxsan, who had never seen a car, wagon, or horse." (pg. 2) Its growth from a tiny seed is helped by nutrients, rain, and sun. (Words that might be new to young readers, including nutrients, foliage, photosynthesis, and reverence, are defined in info boxes throughout the book.) 

 

But Hetxw'ms Gyetxw also explains how Nox Sim Gan (the cedar mother) is connected to other organisms in the ecosystem. She provides shelter and feeds animals with foliage and oxygen. She gives materials to the Gitxsan for clothing, for home-building, for medicines and, at the end of her life cycle, she will become a story pole. Because of her persistence and vitality, "she is a beacon of hope and a symbol of the enduring strength of the natural world. (pg. 15)

From The Cedar Mother, written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illustrated by Natasha Donovan

Hetxw'ms Gyetxw writes with reverence for Nox Sim Gan in The Cedar Mother and for the role she plays in the environment and for the Gitxsan Nation. From birth through death, she provides. And, because of this, Hetxw'ms Gyetxw gently reminds us that attention must be paid, and our stewardship is required so that she may continue to share herself with the earth and its living things. Not a boring life cycle story, The Cedar Mother tells us how a western red cedar is a part of something far greater. It is part of a community.

From The Cedar Mother, written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illustrated by Natasha Donovan

Natasha Donovan, who illustrated the earlier books in Mothers of Xsan series and Tasha Spillett's Surviving the City series, takes readers into the forests where Nox Sim Gan grows and flourishes, giving and sharing. Its majesty is evident from the scale at which she draws it, and the benevolence of its presence is clear in all illustrations as it interacts with other species. Natasha Donovan keeps the focus on Nox Sim Gan always, whether at the base of its trunk or buried in its foliage, preserving the natural elements in earthy colours of browns and greens. With Natasha Donovan's illustrations and Hetxw'ms Gyetxw's occasional contributions of formline art (see the spirit pole above), as well as his text, The Cedar Mother is a respectful acknowledgement of the connection between the natural world and the Gitxsan, and the reverence necessary to appreciate and to sustain its place.

 • • • • • • •

 

Mothers of Xsan series

The Sockeye Mother (2018)

The Grizzly Mother (2019)

The Eagle Mother (2020)

The Frog Mother (2021)

The Wolf Mother (2021)

The Raven Mother (2022)

The Bee Mother (2024) 

The Cedar Mother (2026) 

2026 Forest of Reading Kid and Teen Ambassador Committees: Applications now being accepted (deadline April 1, 2026)

  

Since 2017, the Forest of Reading program has organized its Forest Kid and Teen Committees to compile summer reading lists for Silver Birch, Red Maple, and White Pine readers. These reading lists are assembled every spring by young people to help their peers find great new Canadian books to read. 

 

If you are an avid reader in Grades 4 to 12, whether in school or homeschooled, there's a committee looking for you to help by sharing your opinions on Canadian books for young people. 

 

 

How to get on a committee:

• Any Canadian student (from any province or territory) in Grades 4 to 12 (including those homeschooled) can apply. 

 

• Applications are completed online HERE

        In addition to contact details, you will be asked about your favourite Canadian authors and books. (Make sure you know whether the author is Canadian.)

 

• The deadline for applications is Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

(Note: These committees will only move forward if there are significant applications for each program. )

 

 

What the committee will do:

• Committees will meet virtually in May via ZOOM (9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. EST; times may be subject to change depending on locations of committee members) to discuss books.

• Silver Birch Kid Committee (students in Grades 4–6) will meet on Tuesday, May 5, 2026
• Red Maple Kid Committee (students in Grades 7 and 8) will meet on Wednesday, May 6, 2026
• Teen Ambassador Committee (students in Grades 9–12) will meet on Thursday, May 7, 2026

• Committee members will be sharing and championing books written by Canadian authors from the last 2 years (and not previously included on Forest of Reading lists of nominees or on Forest Kid Committee summer reading lists). 

 

If you love books, specifically Canadian books, this is your chance to talk to other readers about what you love and help others find great books to read over the summer. You can include fiction, non-fiction, short story collections, graphic novels, etc. appropriate for the age group of your committee.

 

 

Full details, including past lists, are available at https://forestofreading.com/kid-teen-committees/

You can check out earlier reading lists at the links below:

• 2019 (Silver Birch, Red Maple, White Pine)
• 2020 (Silver Birch, Red Maple, White Pine)
• 2021 (Silver Birch, Red Maple, White Pine)
• 2022 (Silver Birch, Red Maple, White Pine)
• 2023 (Silver Birch and Red Maple)
• 2024 (Silver Birch and Red Maple)
• 2025 (Silver Birch and Red Maple)
• 2025 (White Pine) 

Apply before April 1^st, 2026

for your chance to be on 

one of thse exciting and worthwhile committees

 

Canada: We Are the Story

Written by Richard Wagamese

Illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

Swift Water Books (An imprint of Tundra Books)

978-1-77488-638-0

32 pp.

Ages 3–7

Releases March 17, 2026

 

The cover of Canada: We Are the Story announces this book as bold, beautiful, and powerful. From its flow of luminous colours and glowing shapes, this picture book, one of the first releases from Tundra's new Indigenous imprint, Swift Water Books, declares itself to be what it is: momentous.

From Canada: We Are the Story, written by Richard Wagamese, art by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

Based on a poem by Richard Wagamese, Canada: We Are the Story speaks to a child tasked with a school assignment, "What makes you proud to be Canadian?" Struggling, the child is guided to listen and feel so that they might sense their ancestors and what they could impart.

Close your eyes and tell me if you can hear your Ancestors in the Spirit World exhaling all at once. They are standing beside you even now. They are talking. Listen. (pg. 7)

From Canada: We Are the Story, written by Richard Wagamese, art by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

It doesn't matter whether the ancestors speak in Dene, Cree, Inuktitut, or German, Mandarin or English, because they are the Old Ones and their souls had "fallen head over heels in love with the spell of this country." (pg. 13) More importantly, the ancestors tell us that we are all in this together, no matter whether we're on the East Coast, on the prairies, or at the Arctic Circle. (Richard Wagamese mentions more than several place names like Belle Isle, Labrador; Wynyard, Saskatchewan; Revelstoke, BC; Okotoks, Alberta; the archipelago Haida Gwaii, and Pangnirtung on Baffin Island.) The message is that the ancestors come from throughout the country, and if we just listen, they'll tell us its story.

We are the story of our time here,

they have come to say.

 

It is all we bring with us

and all we leave behind. (pg. 24)

From Canada: We Are the Story, written by Richard Wagamese, art by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

Richard Wagamese's message is one of inclusivity and acknowledgement. His free verse poetry recognizes that everyone is part of the land and part of its story, whether Indigenous or immigrant. And this child, once they listen to the ancestors and hear their stories, can accept and cultivate themself as part of it. The voice of Richard Wagamese's narrator is profound and sweepingly affirming of all. They want this child to feel connected and embraced from their ancestors and from the people of the country to which they belong.

 

Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, whose illustrations I first enjoyed in Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh / This is How I Know (written by Brittany Luby, 2021) and Biindigen! Amik Says Welcome (written by Nancy Cooper, 2023), has acknowledged the message of Canada: We Are the Story with his simple but weighty dedication: "For all my relatives, Indinawemaaganidog." His Ojibwe (Anishinaabemowin) words invite all of his people to enjoy the art of this book, just as all readers will. Every page is a delight of colour and shapes. Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley draws his main character as a unique individual, wearing a personalized jacket with badges like a thunderbird, an NDN sweater, and a plaid skirt. They are unique and fit in because they belong. Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley has made this child any child, from an Indigenous community or one of a diverse background. They are Canadian by being part of the land. And with their meaningful background of ancestors, from all cultures and traditions, Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley urges us to see ourselves as part of the story.

From Canada: We Are the Story, written by Richard Wagamese, art by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

From words to art, Canada: We Are the Story is a stunning picture book, as valuable in its message for young children as it would be as a visual art book for the adults who might purchase it. It should give us all pause to think about how we belong, perhaps in our way, perhaps like others, to this country, and our stories will become part of it, now and forever.