Lemming's First Halloween

Written by Jamesie Fournier

Illustrated by Faiza Khan

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-660-2

28 pp. 

Ages 3–6

September 2026 

 

Two years ago, Lemming celebrated her first Christmas (Lemming's First Christmas, written by Jamesie Fournier, illustrated by Tim Mack, 2024), but this year she has a little lemming pup, Lemmingkulu, who will be learning about "the chilly, dark night of Arctic Halloween." (pg. 9)

 

When Lemmingkulu sees all the children and monsters milling around, he cries out to his Anaana (mother). Frightened by a bandaged creature, a bony skeleton, and a pale ghost, Lemmingkulu wonders why their friends are wearing masks and costumes. His Anaana explains that "When the summer days cool and make way for icy, wintery blue, there is one dark night when the monsters come out to fright, and we join them as they do." (pg. 14)   

Illustration by Faiza Khan from Lemming's First Halloween, written by Jamesie Fournier

Though the text of Lemming's First Halloween is not obviously written in verse, Jamesie Fournier tells his story with rhyming that carries the reader from fright to fun easily. Very young children, like Lemmingkulu, might be frightened by some of the things they see on Halloween, but Anaana has wise words for them all.

In fact, to be brave we must first be afraid, to know what scares us true. So when the going gets tough, as always it must, we're ready through and through. For in our hears we're all scared little lemmings who can be bold too. (pg. 17) 

This will be something that Lemmingkulu takes to heart when Qallupilluk, that mythical Inuit creature that grabs children who venture too close to the water, approaches. Then Lemmingkulu's new lesson and grit help protect all his friends.

Illustration by Faiza Khan from Lemming's First Halloween, written by Jamesie Fournier

Lemming's First Halloween is not a simple story of Halloween. Author Jamesie Fournier, an Inuit writer from Thebacha/Fort Smith, may have a story ready for the October holiday shelves, but he also gives us a story of character, of family, and of Inuit and Arctic cultures. Halloween in the North is very different, especially because of the temperatures, the snow, and the darkness. But when you include the Inuit mythological creature Qallupilluk, a new layer is added to the story. Jamesie Fournier brings us something that truly is frightening, but Lemmingkulu is able to handle it because of the wisdom his Anaana shared.  

Illustration by Faiza Khan from Lemming's First Halloween, written by Jamesie Fournier

I was surprised to learn that the illustrations for Lemming's First Halloween were not created by the same illustrator who did Lemming's First Christmas. Faiza Khan, a Toronto-based illustrator, emulates the style of the earlier book (illustrated by Tim Mack) and gives it her own spin with art that speaks to the mystery of Halloween and the singularity of the holiday in the North. Faiza Khan's digital art keeps the joy and the fun in her bold colours and rounded shapes but gives us the cold and the frightfulness of Halloween with shades of blues and black and the sharpness that comes with ice and cold.

 

Teachers love holiday books, and they will love Lemming's First Halloween. But don't stop at using it as a Halloween story. Read it for its incorporation of Inuit culture and language (a glossary of Inuktitut words is included), of character education, and of life in the Arctic. Lemming and Lemmingkulu, and all their friends, have much to teach us.

2026 Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picture Book of the Year Award: Winner announced

 

 

On September 14, 2026, the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable announced the winner of its Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picture Book of the Year Award from a fabulous shortlist of picture books.

 

Congratulations to this year's winner:

 

Little Shoes 

 

Written by David A. Robertson

Illustrated by Maya McKibbin

Tundra Books
978-1-77488-172-9
48 pp.
Ages 3–7

2025 

 

Reviewed here 

 

 

The Medicine Way / māskīkīy miskanaw (Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak, Book 3)

Written by William Dumas

Illustrated by Rhian Brynjolson

HighWater Press

978-1-77492-174-6

60 pp.

Ages 9–12

September 2026 

 

It's the season of tākwākin, when many birds are flying south, and Ācapi Okimaw and his family are travelling with his brother's family to the heartland to learn from the teachers who live there. There they would  connect with a medicine women and a midwife, they would hunt and fish, and they would learn new stories and songs from their relatives.

Illustration by Rhian Brynjolson from The Medicine Way, written by William Dumas

Ācapi Okimaw has three children, Pīsim, Amō, and Mwakwa, all of whom look forward to the guidance they will receive. This is Mwakwa's story, and he wants to learn what his gifts are. As the community hunts, fishes, and harvests, Mwakwa has new opportunities to learn. He meets a singer, sees his cousin Mikisiw celebrate his First-Take ceremony after hunting, and listens to a stargazer speak of the stars and how they guide. Ultimately, Mwakwa decides to apprentice to the stargazer, and will remain behind to learn from Opimotiho about how their stories and language are linked to the stars.

Illustration by Rhian Brynjolson from The Medicine Way, written by William Dumas

William Dumas's story of The Medicine Way speaks to how everything is medicine. There is medicine food, and medicine tea, medicine talk, and even dogs as medicine people. 

With our words, we give each other medicine. (pg. 13) 

Even as he speaks to medicine being in every facet of life, from a puppy to the stars, in the songs and in the need to follow the sacred laws, Rocky Cree Knowledge Keeper and storyteller William Dumas explains and describes so much of the community's practices. From clothing to dwellings, fishing and hunting tools, medicinal teas, and going to the spirit world, William Dumas gives us a sense of how the Cree are connected to each other, to the natural world, and beyond. Cree vocabulary is highlighted throughout, and a comprehensive "Cree Glossary" is included, adding to the richness of the text and the connection with the people through their language and cultural practices.  

Illustration by Rhian Brynjolson from The Medicine Way, written by William Dumas

The Medicine Way suggests a focus on medicine but when everything is the medicine way, the book becomes a sweeping examination of people and culture. Rhian Brynjolson, who also lives in Manitoba, focuses her art on the people and how they live. Her illustrations are a blend of media, including digital, and emphasizes through shape and colour the organic nature of the interactions, of the significance of the natural world in how the Cree live with purpose and with respect. There is a reverence to William Dumas's words, supported by an extensive list of story contributors, and in Rhian Brynjolson's art that add dignity and gratitude for this culture's essence.

The Medicine Way, and all the books in the Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak series, including its companion book The Gift of the Little People (2022), would be a useful teaching tool. But don't stick it on a shelf to gather dust as a reference book. It is too comprehensive to be ignored. Instead, read it as the story it is, and delve into the teachings and the learning that is presented by recognizing it as medicine in its own way.

 

 

• • • • • • •

 

Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak series and companion book 

Book 1: Pīsim Finds Her Miskanaw (2020)

Book 2: Amō’s Sapotawan (2022)

Book 3: The Medicine Way (2026)

Companion Story: The Gift of the Little People (2022)

 

Whenever You Are

Written by Martine Leavitt

Groundwood Books 
978-1-77946-109-4
192 pp.
Ages 12–18
August, 2026 

 

Seventeen-year-old Finn Kelly is missing. Now Warden Johnson, social worker Mrs. Allish, some guy from the Department of Correctional Services, and Doctor Williams are interrogating—or is that interviewing?—Clemence Todd about his friend's disappearance. Both teens have been in juvenile detention—sorry, Training School—and Clem, who is set to be released soon, tries to help Finn adjust. 

When you first get to this place,

rules are a rut to walk in

when you have no idea

who you are anymore

or where you're going. (pg. 19) 

Though the boys are very different, Clem being a poet and lover of English, and Finn being skilled at maths and sciences, the two form a fast friendship. But, when Clem, who is always aspiring to do Something Fine with his life, tries to help get some dental attention for a fellow student, CO Keeper, as Clem labels him, throws Clem and Finn into ad seg a.k.a. solitary. Clem writes poetry in his mind and declares to Finn on their rare yard breaks that he will do everything to help the young man. But Clem begins to worry about Finn. He was already concerned about Finn's physical health, but when Finn begins to talk of travelling to the past through some space-time wormhole, Clem is unsettled. After a notebook and pen startlingly appear in the tree in the yard, just as Clem wanted, he writes his thoughts, his feelings, his interactions with Finn down in poetry. When Finn disappears—escapes?—Clem uses the poetry in his notebook to help those questioning him to understand what transpired before Finn disappears.

 

Whenever You Are is a complex read of human dynamics, soul-searching, shame, time, space, poetry, and empathy. It's learning to understand yourself and others through challenges, through joys, and through compassion. Martine Leavitt, a master of storytelling and novels in verse, gives us two boys who are as similar as they are different. They've both been detained because of behaviours that lead to injury. Both were accidental, though one happened through conscious choice. Both look to do something better with their lives but accept what they have to do now.

...I know now that there's all this forever

 inside every moment. (pg. 183) 

Martine Leavitt makes the reader think about life in terms of poetry and in terms of space and time. Those who oversee what happens with boys—all labelled simply by one attribute, like Warden, Social Worker, Suit Dude, CO, Doctor—interpret what they see and hear and expect without always understanding. In fact, some never make an effort to do so. (Not surprisingly, the discussions with these characters are always written as prose.) But these young men see more of themselves and others than most of us ever do. They've had to look at what they've done and at the impact they've had on others. But one looks to the future, while the other speaks of travelling back to the past. 

 

Novels in verse is perhaps my favourite genre, and we are blessed with more than a handful of exceptional Canadian writers of it. (I could add to my 2018 booklist of novels in verse easily.) As she has done in her earlier novels in verse, Martine Leavitt impresses by challenging our ideas about how care for others and ourselves. Whether she's examining mental illness (Calvin, 2015) or the sex trade and abuse (My Book of Life by Angel, 2012) or incarceration and shame, Martine Leavitt gives real voice to her characters and their circumstances. She shows us their reality with poetic beauty and gritty spirit. For Clem and Finn, where and when they will land will depend on Martine Leavitt and the lives she has created with them. 

Goodbye, Koi

Written and illustrated by Jack Wong

Orchard Books (Scholastic Inc.)

978-1-338830996

48 pp.

Ages 4–8

Releases September 15, 2026 

 

Moving means leaving as well as arriving. Anticipating the unknown can be scary, as can leaving the familiar and saying goodbye. For the young boy in Jack Wong's newest picture book, leaving his dear koi behind is a true reflection of what the child is feeling about his own move to another country.

...would remembering their old home make them feel lonely, too? (pg. 29) 

Illustration by Jack Wong from Goodbye, Koi, written by Jack Wong

The story starts with a boy and his dad taking their koi to their new home. The gorgeous fish of red and orange, who'd once lived in a large tank indoors, are taken to the ponds at a park with lush gardens, pavilions, bamboo, and more. As they prepare for their own journey, purchasing a winter coat and seeing friends for the last time, the boy thinks about his koi. Will they be cold outdoors? Will they make new friends? Will they remember? Will they be lonely? 

Illustration by Jack Wong from Goodbye, Koi, written by Jack Wong

Everything the child wonders about his koi reflects his own thoughts and concerns. Fortunately, his father reassures him with each answer, and the boy finally recognizes that, like the koi, they have each other to remember together.
 
Jack Wong appends his story with two sections titled, "A Journey of My Own," and "Hello, Koi." It is evident that, as he did in his earlier picture books like When You Can Swim (2023) and The Words We Share (2023), Jack Wong draws from his own life to give readers real stories. Goodbye, Koi may not be Jack Wong's story, but it is the story of moving, of leaving behind, of trepidation of the unknown, of a loss. It's wondering about what will be when you don't know what will be, and the ache of leaving something behind.

Illustration by Jack Wong from Goodbye, Koi, written by Jack Wong

For those who are familiar with Jack Wong's earlier picture books, you'll notice the distinct difference in his illustration style in Goodbye, Koi. Using Chinese brush painting, a traditional art style, Jack Wong reflects the essence of the koi and the movement of the boy and his family. There is a fluidity of brush stroke that matches the story better than any realistic representation could.
 
It's a new world for the koi and the boy and his father—who are last seen on a plane flying through blue skies—but it is one of promise for life and for opportunity, albeit through change.  

A Good Daughter's Ghost: Guest review

Written by Sam Wilket

Annick Press

978-1-834021157 

248 pp.

Ages 14–18

August 2026 

 

 

This guest review was written by Laura Krause.

 

A Hauntingly Good Debut 

This is a great horror story for young adults. It is a story in which a mother's grief allows literal ghosts to destroy the life of the family. Drawing upon her own heritage, debut author Sam Wilket, a second-generation Canadian of white British and Chinese descent, feeds her story with Chinese folklore and mythology, helping her to build the dread and danger at a near-perfect pace. But what really makes this novel shine is the more human story about grief, about how people move through it, and how it can slowly erode the foundation of a family, despite those who process that grief in a healthy way. 

This mother’s grief is an apt metaphor for the very mundane and non-paranormal way that the agony of loss can consume people. There are many creepy and chilling scenes that build horror associated with grief. These scenes, all occurring as characters process grief, include people having out-of-body experiences; having no memory of their actions and losing spans of time; hallucinating; and erupting into violent outbursts. The paranormal is used as a powerful metaphor for universal emotions faced by many at some point in their lives. 

Normally I get so frustrated with horror stories in which obviously supernatural and dangerous things occur. It is not uncommon to have characters who come up with ridiculous ways to rationalize what they experience, or who take far longer to reach their breaking point than feels realistic. But, in A Good Daughter's Ghost, I never once became frustrated at the characters' reactions to the increasingly scary circumstances because of the way Sam Wilket presented their emotional and life situations. The way they reacted made sense.

Apart from the subject of grief, the subplots focus on Rachel, our teen protagonist, and her relationship with her mom, as well as with her cultural identity. These story lines will be especially relevant to teens, the intended audience of A Good Daughter's Ghost, though the book can be appreciated by a far older audience too. 

 

I would have appreciated more detail in several aspects of the story. First, I craved more from the epilogue, so that there would have been more story of the aftermath of a violent and horrifying climax. Rather than jumping to six months later, I would have liked to see the journey to how things became okay again. Also, I would have liked for Sam Wilket to expand on how a Canadian Caucasian knew enough about Chinese spiritual practices to perform the steps that were taken. Perhaps because of her own background, which she writes upon on her website, Sam Wilket has such knowledge, though it would be unfamiliar to many persons. Some additional discourse about the source of that info would be valuable.

This may be a YA horror novel, but even as a reader who is beyond that age group, I still thoroughly enjoyed A Good Daughter's Ghost, and look forward to future titles from Sam Wilket.

• • • • •

 

~ Laura Krause (or LauraK483 as she is known online) is an aspiring book editor with a background in live theatre. She obtained her BFA in Theatre Production and Design from York University, and a master’s degree in Stage and Event Management from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She is currently completing the Editorial Skills program at George Brown Polytechnic. When she isn't working or reading, she is likely streaming video games on her Twitch channel or planning her next TTRPG project.

 

Backpack

Written and illustrated by Katie Arthur

Owlkids Books

978-1-77147-725-3

40 pp.

Ages 4–7

August, 2026 

 

Soon school will be starting for many children. As they become part of a large school body, many will want to find a way to define themselves. It could be loudly or quietly, with confidence or with shyness, with a look-at-me attitude or with a I'm-OK-by-myself outlook. And the backpack, that familiar bag of many students, will help define them.

 

Katie Arthur, who illustrated the recently reviewed Whale Man: The Story of Jon Lien (Robert Chafe, 2026), follows Izzy through the year, starting on her first day of Grade 1 to see what her backpack, a blue one with ears and a toothy grin, will mean for her.

Illustration by Katie Arthur from Backpack, written by Katie Arthur

Getting her out the door is hard enough, especially when Izzy wants to take multiple, large, stuffed animals with her, and her preschool sibling wants to wear the backpack. But get to school they do, and with some loving goodbyes, Izzy joins the throng of students. Her backpack now has a place beneath her name, and a place to belong. 

Illustration by Katie Arthur from Backpack, written by Katie Arthur

That backpack carries a lot and does a lot. For Izzy, what her backpack means is very complicated. It holds her treasures, the things she needs, what she wears, and even what she'll eat. There are messages, school work, and odd bits of Lego and stones. "All the bits and bobbles of your life, held together with a squish and a zip." (pg. 13) It will bring her joy, comfort, and even hold onto sadness. It can serve as a pillow, as a toy, and a travel buddy. "You carry it, and it carries you." (pg. 36–37)

 

This is more than a book about Izzy's backpack. It's about all the backpacks and those who carry them. It's about what it does, what it means to you, and how it's a part of your growth. We transition through different sizes, through different styles, and with different contents. Whether we're young or old, our backpacks keep us company and serve us well. Katie Arthur's story may be about Izzy B.—there must be two Izzys in her class if the initial of her last name is being used—but it's also about a younger sibling, and all the children who carry backpacks. I love the colour and style of Katie Arthur's artwork which works so well in a book about backpacks. Like the variety of their shapes and colours, Katie Arthur gives the story that same range of feeling. From nervousness to joy, to confidence and heartache, the child carries it all and so does her backpack. The illustrations are colourful and bold but also overcast as the scene necessitates.

Illustration by Katie Arthur from Backpack, written by Katie Arthur

There is a trend—but one that is actually decades old—of examining the contents of purses. I hope Katie Arthur will consider a sequel to Backpack that might expand on what's inside different backpacks, so as to investigate how and what the contents might reveal of the person carrying them. As with people, what's on the inside is perhaps more important than what's on the outside. And what a backpack can do is so much more than just being a vessel for school stuff, as Izzy and Katie Arthur show us.