2026 CCBC Book Awards: Finalists announced

On Tuesday, August 15, 2026, the Canadian Children's Book Centre announced the finalists for its 2026 English-language book awards. (See their website for an announcement of finalists.) These awards celebrate picture books, historical fiction, YA, poetry, and more. Over the years, the awards have changed, some discontinued and some transitioned (e.g., the long-awarded Norma Fleck award for Canadian children's non-fiction is now sponsored to honour Sharon Fitzhenry). Still, this year's six awards are a sampling of the extraordinary books for young people created by Canadian authors and illustrators. They are a great resource for exceptional reads from 2025to 2026.

 

This year, the children's book awards include the following: 

• Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000) 
• Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction ($10,000)  
• Amy Mathers Teen Book Award ($5,000) 
• Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award ($5,000)
• David Booth Children’s and Youth Poetry Award ($3,500) 
• Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($3,000) 

• • • • • • •

 

Here are the short lists for each award category, as announced by the Canadian Children's Book Centre:

 

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award

Supported by A. Charles Baillie

This award honours excellence in illustrated English picture books for children ages 3-8 and written and illustrated by Canadians.

Everybelly
Written and illustrated by Thao Lam 

Groundwood Books  

Reviewed here 

Ins and Outs 
Imagined by Elizabeth Withey 
Illustrated by Salini Perera 

Orca Book Publishers

Reviewed here 

My Friend May 

Written and illustrated by Julie Flett 
Greystone Kids

 

The One About the Blackbird 

Written by Melanie Florence

Illustrated by Matt James 
Tundra Books

Reviewed here 

Rock 
Written by Laurel Croza 
Illustrated by Matt James 
Groundwood Books

Reviewed here 

 

 

 

 

 

Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction

Supported by the Fitzhenry Family Foundation 

This award honours excellence in Canadian children’s non-fiction books for Grades 4-12 (ages 8-18).  

 

Game Changers: Stories of Hijabi Athletes From Around the World 
Written by Charlene Smith 
Illustrated by Natalya Tariq 
Orca Book Publishers 

 

Never Silent: A Hiroshima Survivor's Story 
Written by Setsuko Thurlow and Kathy Lowinger 

Illustrated by Michelle Theodore 
Annick Press

Reviewed here 

 

Ours to Tell: Reclaiming Indigenous Stories
Written by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger
Annick Press

The Sustainable School: A Journey Through Time and Energy 
Written by Erica Fyvie 

 Illustrated by Scot Ritchie 
Kids Can Press

Reviewed here 

 

The True Story of Vanilla: How Edmond Albius Made History (Orca Biography)
Written by Ann Richards 
Illustrated by Arden Taylor 
Orca Book Publishers

 

 

 

 

 

Amy Mathers Teen Book Award

Supported by Canadian Children's Book Centre

This award honours excellence in fiction written in English for teens or young adults (ages 13-18) by a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada. 

Among Ghosts 
Written by Rachel Hartman 
Penguin Teen Canada

A Drop in the Ocean  

Written by Léa Taranto 
Arsenal Pulp Press 

The Fragments that Remain 
Written by Mackenzie Angeconeb 
DCB Young Readers 

 

He’s So Possessed with Me
Written by Corey Liu 
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 

Songs for Ghosts 
Written by Clara Kumagai 

Penguin Teen Canada 

Reviewed here

 

You Started It
 Written by Jackie Khalilieh (Markham, ON)

 Tundra Books

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award

Supported by Alice Chase 

This award is given annually to a Canadian children’s title written for an elementary school-aged audience in Grades 4–6 (Ages 9–12) exemplifying Richard’s guiding principles of compassion, kindness, humanity, environmentalism, inclusivity, and connection to the land.

Akemi's Song 
Written by Joanne Kwok 
Illustrated by Yiting Hui 
Plumleaf Press

 

Fantastic Lou: Little Comics from Real Life 
Written and illustrated by Qin Leng 
Tundra Books

 

kisēwātisi / Be Kind 
Written by Elizabeth Merasty 
Illustrated by Brie Phillips 
Woodland Cree translation by Edie Venne 
Your Nickel's Worth Publishing

 

Little Moments in a Big Universe 
Written and illustrated by Todd Stewart 
Owlkids Books

 

Oasis 
Written and illustrated by Guojing 
Godwin Books

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David Booth Children's and Youth Poetry Award

Supported by Shelley Stagg Peterson

Honouring the late David Booth, former Professor Emeritus at OISE, this award recognizes excellence in Canadian youth poetry.

The Lightning Circle 
Written by Vikki VanSickle 
Illustrated by Laura K. Watson 

Tundra Books

 

Lights at Night 
Written by Tasha Hilderman 
Illustrated by Maggie Zeng 
Tundra Books  

 

A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests 
Written by Caroline Adderson 
Illustrated by Lauren Tamaki 
Groundwood Books

Reviewed here 

 

Reasons to Look at the Night Sky 
Written by Danielle Daniel 
Tundra Books 

 

Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams 
Written by Shari Green 
Andrews McMeel Publishing  

 

This Is a Tiny Fragile Snake
Written by Nicholas Ruddock 
Illustrated by Ashley Barron 
Groundwood Books  

Reviewed here 

 

 

  

 

 

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People 

Supported by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Bilson Endowment Fund

This is given annually to reward excellence in the writing of an outstanding work of historical fiction for young readers by a Canadian author.

I Won't Feel This Way Forever
Written by Kim Spencer 
Orca Book Publishers 

Joe and the Wreck of the Tribune
Written by Jacqueline Halsey 
Nimbus Publishing 

Saving Wolfgang 
Written by Gregor Craigie 
Orca Book Publishers 

Seabird
Written by Michelle Kadarusman 
Pajama Press 

A Storm Unleashed 
Written by Carol Matas 
Scholastic Canada 

 📚📚📚

The winners of these awards will be announced on October 26, 2026 at a ticketed event in Toronto. 

 

Julia and Romano

Written by Eric Walters
DCB Young Readers 

978-1-77086-823-6
Ages 13+
304 pp.
March 2026

 

When sixteen-year-old Julia Anderson's mom, Susan Eden, moves the two of them to Campbell River, BC, Julia a.k.a. Jules is not impressed. Not only is she leaving her boyfriend Paris, and friends like Jodi, Shannon, and Beth behind, she must leave the big city Toronto for a smaller community where the major industries are forestry and fishing. But, because Mom caught Jules's dad cheating and wanted a new start, she accepted a job as the executive director and lawyer for the environmental group Eco-Guardians at Campbell River.

 

So, while Mom is busy dealing with a logging company eager to cut a disputed tract of forest, as well as with associated businesses like the mill, Jules goes exploring. When she is accosted by dangerous Steller sea lions, she meets local teen Cody who takes her for fish and chips. She doesn't know much about him, as he goes to the other high school in town, but the two bump into each other a few times, and he shows her around town. Cody is smitten and becomes very protective of her. He warns her to be careful around some people, like the Devil Dogs, a local biker gang, and at her first bush party.

 

Even as the two teens are falling in love, they learn that Julia's mom has been fighting Cody's dad, Raphael Romano, who owns Royal Lumber Mill. The two teens had never realized that the conflict their parents had was with each other because Jules has her father's last name. And his dad and her mom are not pleased about Cody and Jules's relationship.

 

As in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet which inspired Julia and Cody's story, there is conflict between families, a secret relationship, and a love that cannot be broken. Even the teens see the similarities, they anticipate a happier ending.

“This isn’t Romeo and Juliet,” Cody said. “This is Julia and Romano. We’re free to write our own story and this one can have a happy ending.” (pg. 148)

I'm glad the Forest Kid Committee (Red Maple) put this novel on its summer reading list because that means teens (and late middle-grade readers) have already been enjoying the story of Jules and Cody. I'm also glad that I finally got to review this novel. Beyond its sweet Shakespearean inspiration, Julia and Romano is influenced by the unique location of Campbell River, focusing on the land, its people, and its industry. Campbell River becomes a character in itself, shaping the way people interact, the struggles they have, and how the environment dictates so much. Eric Walters, extraordinary storyteller and observant writer of the human condition, tells Jules and Cody's story as a function of their place: how they meet, how they date, and how they are conflicted. He gives them latitude to be themselves and to grow to be new people. This is how Julia and Romano differs from Shakespeare's play. Eric Walters's characters are not doomed by their circumstances. They can be more than the legal and environmental feud between their families. They can make change happen and continue to love.

 

Don't worry that Jules and Cody's story will end as Romeo and Juliet's did. Eric Walters has written a love story that will endure.

The Sea We Call Home

Written by Dominique Demers

Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard 

Pajama Press

978-1-772783674

36 pp.

Ages 4-8

April 2026 

 

Little Gnouf and Mirabelle are two Gnoufs—I don't know what they are but they're adorable—who are excited about going to the sea for the first time. But when they arrive, they spot a baby whale caught in a fishing net and stranded on the shore. 

Illustration by Gabrielle Grimard in The Sea We Call Home, written by Dominique Demers

Fortunately, Little Gnouf has been reading "The Big Book of the Sea," and the two friends know they need to return him to the water. And with his mother waiting off shore, they have a big job. With the help from a sand crab that cuts the ropes binding the baby whale, and some seagulls that help lift it to the sea, it is finally reunited with its mother. 

Illustration by Gabrielle Grimard in The Sea We Call Home, written by Dominique Demers

To add to their extraordinary day at sea, Little Gnouf and Mirabelle enjoy underwater sights that remind them that the sea is home to many amazing creatures.

 

While The Sea We Call Home is a picture book, Dominique Demers has used a story to share information about sperm whales, thereby installing it as a STEM resource too. Dominique Demers, whose books always include whimsical characters, first introduced her gnome-like Gnoufs in her French-language series Le petit Gnouf that includes titles Le Noël du petit Gnouf (2011) and La magie de l'hiver (2013). Now, with this English edition, new readers can learn about empathy, helping others, and kindness along with information about sperm whales from these charming characters.

Illustration by Gabrielle Grimard in The Sea We Call Home, written by Dominique Demers

Just as the French-language series is illustrated by award-winning artist Gabrielle Grimard—see my reviews of Melanie Florence's Stolen Words (2017) and Bahram Rahman's The Library Bus (2020)—so too is The Sea We Call Home. And Gabrielle Grimard brings the whimsy of Dominique Demers's Gnoufs and the colour and wonder of the sea with her artwork. Typically using watercolour, gouache, oil, and pencil, Gabrielle Grimard integrates subtlety with boldness to amalgamate the two story components: an environmental tragedy of a stranded baby sperm whale, and the marvel that is the sea. Her art, through colour and shape, makes us feel sadness and joy, concern and relief.

 

For learning about the sperm whale, you can head to the non-fiction section of a library. But for discovering more about the sea and its elements, including the sperm whale, while appreciating how kindness and empathy can help support the natural world, then The Sea We Call Home should be your choice.

Makade Asin / Black Stone

Written by Darcy Whitecrow and Cail Judy

Illustrated by Maya McKibbin

Translated by Waskonegabowiik / Pamela Johnson 

Groundwood Books

978-1-77946-015-8

32 pp.

Ages 3–8

August 2026

 

There is never one way to deal with fears. But Makade Asin / Black Stone is based on an Ojibwe story of dealing with fears through a vision quest. The text of the book is minimal, even when presented in two languages (Anishnaabemowin and English), with much told through the digital art of Maya McKibbin.

Illustration by Maya McKibbin from Makade Asin / Black Stone, 

written by Darcy Whitecrow and Cail Judy

When a child awakens from a nightmare, he goes to his grandfather, Mishoomis. Mishoomis comforts him and advises him to search for the black stone if he wants to stop being afraid.

...  when you do, your fears

will lose their power,

Ninoozhis. (pg. 8)

 

Illustration by Maya McKibbin from Makade Asin / Black Stone, 

written by Darcy Whitecrow and Cail Judy

His fears are many, including everything from being chased by a leopard, stepping into quicksand, having eyes watching him, falling from a boat, being attacked by a whale and a snake, and surviving the desert. But through the practice of a vision quest, always guided by the words of his Mishoomis, the boy faces all these fears and more. 

Illustration by Maya McKibbin from Makade Asin / Black Stone, 

written by Darcy Whitecrow and Cail Judy

In an appended note, translator Waskonegabowiik / Pamela Johnson, a member of Mitaanjigamiing First Nation, describes the vision quest as a cultural practice whereby the vision seeker goes out without food, water or warm clothing, and, in isolation, experiences dreams that take them back to the elders. And, although authors Darcy Whitecrow, a member of the Seine River First Nation,  and Cail Judy, tell of a boy facing his fears through a vision quest, this story could be for any person, child or adult, with fears. Just as the boy faces his fears and ends up being guided by them, we must all face them or be ruled by them. Whether there is a black stone to be found or just peace of mind will be determined by the nature of the person seeking solace.

 

As mentioned, even with the story in both Anishinaabemowin and English, the text of Makade Asin / Black Stone is sparse. As such, Maya McKibbin's digital illustrations have to convey much of the story. And she shows us the breadth of the boy's fears in the swirling masses of dark threats, toothed creatures, and alarmingly powerful waters. Her main illustrations speak to the formidable power of the boy's fears, using double-spreads and larger-than-life depictions to reveal their magnitude. Maya McKibbin also uses spotlight illustrations, bordered in a tight zigzag stitch similar to those used to keep fabric from fraying, to focus on the boy's personal experiences. From those borders to the colours of a dry desert or a raging storm on the water, Maya McKibbin gives a visceral experience to the boy's vision quest through her art.

 

Makade Asin / Black Stone has a deeply Indigenous perspective on tackling one's fears, but it's message of facing them and letting them guide us, along with some help from others, is one that transcends the Ojibwe culture and will speak to all.

 

All the Water on Earth (CitizenKid)

Written by Rochelle Strauss

Illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight

Kids Can Press

978-1-525310881 

40 pp.

Ages 5–8

June 2026

 

Kids Can Press's CitizenKid series has brought world issues to the attention of young readers for over twenty years. The series is all about making children global citizens who are aware of how children live in other countries, of environmental issues, and of their own roles in making the world a better place. Because of scarcity, pollution, and waste, water is an important global issue, and All the Water on Earth focuses on its importance to life and in our lives.

Illustration by Madelyn Goodnight in All the Water on Earth, written by Rochelle Strauss

Using a picture book format, Rochelle Strauss tells the story of water: where it is, what it does and how it's used, why we need it, how it connects us, and what we can do to ensure that there is enough clean water for all. Her text is comprehensive and yet uncomplicated. Instead of loading her book with facts and maps, infographics and tables, Rochelle Strauss makes it into a story. It's the story of water: past, present and future.

Illustration by Madelyn Goodnight in All the Water on Earth, written by Rochelle Strauss

I love this format for bringing information through storytelling. Rochelle Strauss is an accomplished writer of non-fiction for the CitizenKid series (e.g., Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth, 2004; One Well: The Story of Water on Earth, 2007; The Global Ocean, 2022) and can tell a story in a multitude of ways. This picture book format is perfect for younger readers and will be a great introduction to water. (Additional references, including discussion questions, will help teachers direct science lessons on the topic.)

From All the Water on Earth, written by Rochelle Strauss, illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight

Because All the Water on Earth is told as a picture book, the illustrations are key. Oklahoma's Madelyn Goodnight, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, created the artwork with graphite, coloured pencils, watercolour paper, and digital painting software. She gives an innocence to the scenes of children playing by the water, in puddles, and on the ice. She also takes us to a well in Kenya, to farmlands and gardens, and to cities where water is used in industry, energy production, and more. The naturalness of her illustrations matches water's commonplace essence while still demonstrating the complexity of its nature.

Introduce young children to water in all its greatness with All the Water on Earth. They will learn and become aware of water's many capacities and forms, beyond what may come out of a tap or a water bottle. Perhaps with a new appreciation for water and our connections to it, young readers will become truer citizens concerning all the water on Earth.

I Will Not Walk to School

Written by Naseem Hrab
Illustrated by Kelly Collier

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-1439-1
40 pages
Ages 3–7

May, 2026

 

School will be starting again soon and undoubtedly there are parents and guardians wondering how challenging it will be to get little ones to school. (Maybe not so little ones too.) Perhaps children are nervous about starting a new school or a new class, or maybe school has always been a challenge for them, whether academically or socially. But what if they like school?

Monster does not want to get out of bed in this illustration by Kelly Collier from I Will Not Walk to School, written by Naseem Hrab

We’ve seen collaborations between Governor General Award-winning writer Naseem Hrab and illustrator Kelly Collier (e.g., Otis & Peanut series, Snail and Stump series), but now we’ve got Monster, a little one, who doesn’t like going to school. It’s not school he hates—he actually loves school— but it’s the getting there that is the problem. But today is Pancake Breakfast Day and, with pepperoni pineapple pizza pancakes on offer, it may be enough to get him going. But Monster is a pro at delaying. Even prodded by Bird, it is unclear whether he will get to school to enjoy those tasty treats.

Monster tries delaying his walk to school in this illustration by Kelly Collier from I Will Not Walk to School, written by Naseem Hrab

With characters unlike any Naseem Hrab and Kelly Collier have created, I Will Not Walk to School understands every parent who has to get a child ready to go to school, to go to bed, or to do anything they don’t want to do. It’s about perseverance, patience, and prodding. Young readers will laugh at Monster’s antics, from not wanting to leave his stuffie Captain Donutface behind to the need for repeated potty breaks. Perhaps they’ll even be familiar with his strategies for avoidance or for delay. I Will Not Walk to School may not change their own behaviours, but they’ll get a chuckle, as will their parents, about how exasperating they can be, and how creative too, when attempts are made to coax a child, or monster, to do which they are reluctant to undertake.