Go

Written by Deborah Ellis

Groundwood Books

978-1-77946-133-9
224 pp.
Ages 9–12

June, 2026 

 

What does the word "go" mean to you? Is it related to travel, to movement, or to leaving somewhere? Is it having a go at something, or playing the game? Is it the euphemistic word for passing away? Or does it relate to how something is functioning? Deborah Ellis, as she did in her earlier short story collections Sit (2017) and Step (2022), examines what a single word can and does mean in the lives of young people.

In three sections, titled "On Your Mark," "Get Set," and "Go," Deborah Ellis tells eleven stories. Each story is named for its main character, though three stories, one in each section, are related to one character named Brodie. Brodie's story begins with his incarceration for an accident on a stolen ATV that led to the injury of a farm worker. His story goes from court to four-month detention and finally release. For Brodie, "go" means going to juvenile detention, thinking about where he might like to go with his life, and choosing to go on.

 

Other stories in the "On Your Mark" section have Joan learning more about herself by dealing with her miserable grandmother and self-absorbed parents, and Janine who finds out about secret family and chooses to go forward with that knowledge and not stay silent. Their goings are just beginnings.

 

In the second section, "Set," Deborah Ellis's stories introduce injustices of the past in Diego Garcia, of the present with a boy in foster care when fires hit a community, and of Uyghurs detained in boarding schools, internment camps, and worse. In the final section, "Go," an unaccompanied Libyan boy is forced into the counterfeit trade, a family reconfigures itself after the death of both parents, and a boy's half-marathon run inspires others to action.

 

Deborah Ellis's protagonists may vary in their circumstances and their locations, but they all live with circumstances generally beyond their control. As young people, some barely teens, they are limited to the circumstances determined by their parents, their guardians, their foster families or the state, regardless of the choices they may make for themselves. It's this uncertainly of care that may quietly or publicly compel them to action. But Deborah Ellis gives them the resolve to decide which way they might like things to go. As in all her books, from her highly-acclaimed The Breadwinner series to more recent My Story Starts Here: Voices of Young Offenders (2019) and The Outsmarters (2024), Deborah Ellis gives voice to those who cannot be heard. Whether they are fictional or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is that they are making decisions about where their next steps go. They may be challenging  themselves to grow or to leave, to help others or to counteract the actions of others. But Deborah Ellis gives them the opportunity to express themselves and go wherever those next steps will take them.

 

• • • • • • • 

 

Sit (2017)

Step (2022)

Go (2026)

 

Mother Boo: Poems from Spookytown

Written by Vikki VanSickle

Illustrated by Jennica Lounsbury

Tundra Books

 978-1774886182

48 pp.

Ages 4–8

July, 2026 

 

Mother Boo may sound a little scary but she's really a friendly old ghost and the titular character in one of Vikki VanSickle's poems from October County and Spookytown. After a welcoming poem, "Welcome to October County," Vikki VanSickle shares 13 more poems about the fall season and the happenings that come with Halloween. 

The residents of Spookytown

are just like you or I.

They love a thrilling story —

or better yet, a rhyme. (pg. 5)

Illustration by Jennica Lounsbury from Mother Boo: Poems from Spookytown, written by Vikki VanSickle

In "Mother Boo," the ghostly grandmother-like spirit always seems to be around to help out, whether it's shutting a window from howling winds, blowing the clouds away on Halloween, or comforting a child. She's actually quite sweet and motherly.

Illustration by Jennica Lounsbury from Mother Boo: Poems from Spookytown, written by Vikki VanSickle

The other poems include, "The Secret to Flying," "Countdown to Halloween,""The Year in Moons," "Ugga Bugga Baby," and "Ghosts Go A-Spooking." None are frightening but all are entertaining, leaving readers and future Halloweeners smiling and wishing the holiday of trick-or-treating wasn't so far away in time.

Illustration by Jennica Lounsbury from Mother Boo: Poems from Spookytown, written by Vikki VanSickle

Vikki VanSickle could have emphasized the scarier aspects of this seasonal holiday, but she knows her audience. (Her earlier picture books, like How to Decorate a Christmas Tree [2023] and Teddy Bear of the Year [2020], can attest to this.) She gives them rhymes that carry them from parties and pumpkins, to ghosts and werewolves but without terror. Instead, young readers will imagine ghostly goings-on and things that might go bump in the night just like them. Vikki VanSickle even throws in a few poems that emphasize concepts like the alphabet and numbers, and varies her poetry to include limericks, an acrostic, and quatrains. I know Mother Boo: Poems from Spookytown will become a favourite read in October, but it will be incredibly useful for lessons for poetry units too. 

Illustration by Jennica Lounsbury from Mother Boo: Poems from Spookytown, written by Vikki VanSickle

With illustrations created by Hamilton's Jennica Lounsbury, Mother Boo: Poems from Spookytown keeps the holiday theme in content and colour, with only a smidgen of the creepy. Her characters are recognizable as ghosts or children in costumes, and she always gives them expressions that are placid or gleeful. Nothing to fear from these characters. Even Mother Boo is more grandmotherly than ghostly. And by using a limited palette of black and white with gray, and oranges, Jennica Lounsbury ensures that children will recognize Mother Boo: Poems from Spookytown as a book dedicated to Halloween.

Whether you wait until October—don't—or get Mother Boo: Poems from Spookytown now for some upbeat rhyming fun, this picture book will usher in some pumpkiny poetry and some spirited schooling that children will appreciate.

Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog

 

 

 

Written by Joseph Dandurand

Illustrated by Elinor Atkins

Nightwood Editions

978-0-889715004

32 pp.

Ages 6–8

June 2026 

 

As part of his series Kwantlen Stories Then and Now, author Joseph Dandurand, himself a member of the Kwantlen First Nation, tells the story of a clever young girl who helps her community through her relationship with a frog.

Illustration by Elinor Atkins from Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog, written by Joseph Dandurand

The community is preparing for the first fish of the season. Fires are made and nets are mended. Tsa'kwi'ah is a small girl who tries to help but she is too small. After the men go out, Tsa'kwi'ah walks along the river and sees a green frog. She smiles at it and it at her. When she touches it, she becomes strong and tall. Now she can outrun the other children and she can carry heavy fish.

Illustration by Elinor Atkins from Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog, written by Joseph Dandurand

Months later, when many of the villagers, including Tsa'kwi'ah's mother, are sick with red spots and high fevers, Tsa'kwi'ah recalls how the green frog helped her. Taking the frog to her mother and everyone in the village who was sick, Tsa'kwi'ah has them touch the frog and become healed. 

Illustration by Elinor Atkins from Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog, written by Joseph Dandurand

It is known that there are naturally occurring antibiotics secreted from the skin of some frogs so the notion of the touch of a frog being therapeutic is not far-fetched. But, as in all storytelling, it's the germ of an idea that becomes a fuller story. As Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog is told by a member of Kwantlen First Nation, I presume that this is traditional story that has been told many times and through many generations. Whether or not the details are exact—did Tsa'kwi'ah really become stronger and taller or just healthier and older?—is irrelevant. Joseph Dandurand tells the story about community, about healing from unusual sources, and about a connection with the natural world. It's about helping where and when you can, and finding your opportunities to be useful.  

Illustration by Elinor Atkins from Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog, written by Joseph Dandurand

Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog is a deeply traditional story, so Elinor Atkins's artwork complements it with her brightly coloured illustrations that blend the traditional with the organic. Elinor Atkins, also a member of the Kwantlen First Nation, tells more about the story and the community, using line, shapes and colour to take readers to Tsa'kwi'ah's home.

Though Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog  is the first of the Kwantlen Stories Then and Now that I have reviewed, there are four earlier books with more stories to tell. I encourage young readers and those who teach them to look at the whole series. As traditional stories, they keep the stories of a people alive and put to paper that which is usually shared through oral storytelling. 

 

 • • • • • • •

 

Kwantlen Stories Then and Now

The Sasquatch, the Fire and the Cedar Baskets (2020)

A Magical Sturgeon (2022)

The Girl Who Loved the Birds (2023)

The Bears and the Magic Masks (2024)

Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog (2026)

Love, Panda

Written by Elaine Su

Illustrated by Charlene Chua

Orchard Books (An imprint of Scholastic)

978-1-5461-7958-0

32 pp.

Ages 4–8

July 2026 

 

Who wouldn't love to cuddle a super-squishy stuffie of a panda? Apparently Baby Lou does, but Panda, who has always been Benny's, is having none of it.

 

After Panda gets left in the baby's room, Baby Lou is smitten. But Panda, distressed by the unfamiliar, from diapers aplenty and the baby sucking on its ear, begins a letter campaign to get his original boy, Benny, to retrieve him. 

Illustration by Charlene Chua from Love, Panda, written by Elaine Su

In letter after letter, delivered by Dump Truck, Panda describes what he has had to endure—the elephant mobile, a lift-the-flap book, annoying parents who are thrilled with the baby's simplest efforts—and begs Benny to come and get him. But, with each new letter, Panda begins to appreciate Baby Lou and even recognize things familiar to his time with Benny. By learning Baby Lou's routines and finding the familiar, Panda finds it's not so bad after all.

Illustration by Charlene Chua from Love, Panda, written by Elaine Su

Elaine Su's bio speaks of her own favourite stuffie which has since been passed down to her own children. There's always one toy, especially a stuffed one, that is fondly remembered as bringing comfort. (Mine was a pink and green stuffed snake named Horace.) But, what happens when a child outgrows it, and another child covets it? In Love, Panda, the stuffie has something to say about that. Without realizing it, Panda's perspective changes. He learns to recognize that different isn't bad and that perseverance can help one transition from the scary and unknown to something unexpected good.

Illustration by Charlene Chua from Love, Panda, written by Elaine Su

Without Charlene Chua's digital art, Panda would never be so adorable and heartwarming. She gives him the textures and expressions of the sweetest of stuffies. His shape and cushiony appearance will remind young readers of Squishmallows toys, but his facial expressions, from his eyes and brows to his mouth, give us the full range of feelings. He's distressed, he's surprised, he's resigned, and he's joyous.

 

I know Panda is a stuffie and his dilemma—being unceremoniously adopted by a new child—will not be a familiar one to most children, but Love, Panda is a lesson in persevering through that which might seem unimaginably challenging. Perhaps, for children, it will attending a new school, accepting a new baby, or welcoming a new teacher when one goes on maternity. For children, different can be overwhelming. But with time and with the clarity that can come with getting thoughts down on paper, they can triumph. Panda did, and he's not even mobile.

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

Logo of the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable

The Vancouver Children's Roundtable (VCLR) is an organization that promotes Canadian children's literature with events, awards, and more. One of its awards is the Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picture Book of the Year Award which was first granted in 2021 and which was named for the late Sheila Barry, the esteemed Groundwood publisher and editor. The $2500 cash award is given to an English-language picture book written by a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant and published by a Canadian publisher. The winner will be announced in late August.

 

Here are the titles of exceptional picture books shortlisted for this year's Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picture Book of the Year Award: 

 

Head Full of Clouds

Written by Joanne Schwartz
Illustrated by Afsaneh Sanei
Tundra Books
978-1774881613
40 pp.
Ages 4–7

 2025

 

A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests

Written by Caroline Adderson
Illustrated by Lauren Tamaki
Groundwood Books
978-1-773068930
32 pp.
Ages 3–7

2025

Reviewed here 

 

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 One About the Blackbird 

Written by Melanie Florence
Illustrated by Matt James
Tundra Books
978-1-774882665
40 pp.
Ages 4–8

2025  

Reviewed here 

 

The Old Man, the Boy, and the Dog: An Inuit Retelling of an Aesop's Fable

Written by Kevin Kaukuarjuk Qamaniq-Mason 

Illustrated by Vienno (Vinicius Xavier)

Inhabit Media

978-1772276411 

28 pp.

Ages 6–8

June, 2026 

 

When Aesop wrote his fable titled "The Miller, His Son, and the Donkey," he wouldn't have been writing about a northern setting such as Nunavut, the home of author Kevin Kaukuarjuk Qamaniq-Mason (though perhaps more like the home of Brazilian illustrator Vienno). By adapting one of Aesop's fables to a northern landscape, Kevin Kaukuarjuk Qamaniq-Mason is able to teach an important moral lesson in a fresh and northernly way.

Illustration by Vienno from The Old Man, the Boy, and the Dog, written by Kevin Kaukuarjuk Qamaniq-Mason

Anguti is a boy who helps his grandfather, Ittuq, raise sled dogs. When Anguti's aunt needs a dog to help her with her work, they select one of their most promising sled dogs, hitch him to a small qamutiik (sled) and head off to deliver the animal.

Illustration by Vienno from The Old Man, the Boy, and the Dog, written by Kevin Kaukuarjuk Qamaniq-Mason

But, as proud as Anguti is of this strong and clever animal, he listens to others they pass who all have something to say. First, a man building an iglu questions why the dog isn't pulling anyone on the sled. When Anguti gets on the sled, two women comment that the older grandfather shouldn't be walking while Anguti sits. So, at Anguti's urging, his grandfather gets on the qamutiik instead. Of course, someone has another opinion about the dog and how much it can pull, and Anguti gives in again. His grandfather has some wise words about not being able to please everyone—“Grandson,” said Ittuq, “when you try to please everyone, you please no one.” (pg. 13)—which is a lesson his grandson learns too late.

Illustration by Vienno from The Old Man, the Boy, and the Dog, written by Kevin Kaukuarjuk Qamaniq-Mason

As with all Aesop's Fables, Kevin Kaukuarjuk Qamaniq-Mason wraps an important message in the story. It doesn't matter whether the story is told in Ancient Greece, in Nunavut, or in Toronto, because everyone knows how common it is to have others impose their opinions on us and for us to want to please them. Often we trust others before that which we already know to be true. (Anguti knew the dog was smart and strong but continued to feel the need to prove it to others.) But, by setting the story in Nunavut, Kevin Kaukuarjuk Qamaniq-Mason speaks to those children for whom the Arctic is home and familiarizes others with its landscape and its people. 

Illustration by Vienno from The Old Man, the Boy, and the Dog, written by Kevin Kaukuarjuk Qamaniq-Mason

Illustrator Vienno (a.k.a. Vinicius Xavier) puts the reader directly into that wintery landscape of snow and cold. But, even more so, he puts us into an Indigenous community where a man uses a pana (snow knife) to build an iglu, where a girl dries fish, and where boys chip ice for drinking water. These are people who are just going about their day, and Vienno's bright art helps the reader feel part of it.

 

With a timeless lesson about trusting your own judgement and disregarding opinions that may be harmful, The Old Man, the Boy, and the Dog respects the classic while giving it new life with a northern setting, with an Indigenous community, and with a handsome dog that will captivate children.

 

Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly (Scaredy's Nutty Adventures, Book 4)

Written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

Tundra Books

978-1-77488-884-1 (pb)

84 pp.

Ages 4–8 

July 2026

 

I didn't get a chance to review this book of Scaredy's Nutty Adventures when it was released as a hardcover in 2024, so I'm pleased to review it now that a paperback edition was just released this month. When Scaredy Squirrel was first released in 2006, he became a beloved character. Mélanie Watt brought us a little squirrel who was overwhelmed, seeing threats everywhere. Now the star of his own animated series, as well as picture books and this early reader graphic novel series, Scaredy Squirrel is a much beloved character to helps young children see beyond their worries by laughing with him.

From Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

In Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly, Mélanie Watt shares five short graphic stories about Scaredy and his relationship with Halloween. In the first chapter, titled "October 31st," our sciurine friend is actually looking forward to the un-scary aspects of the holiday. He likes the decorations and the lighting, but he's terrified of haunted houses, crows, vampire bats, and more. So, he's happy to stay in his cheerfully decorated tree, along with some unusual preventative measures.

From Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

The next stories have Scaredy planning a cute, but not scary pumpkin carving activity with his friends, working on his costume, considering going trick-or-treating—hard candy, gummy worms, and chocolate all have drawbacks—before heading out in search of candy apples.

From Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

It may seem a little early to be thinking of Halloween, but I suspect there are many for whom the holiday is a big deal and who are already planning their costumes and parties. Whether you get Scaredy Squirrel now in anticipation of the holiday or keep it to read in October, Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly will give young children a lot of laughs about his wacky but legitimate worries. Scaredy Squirrel may seem like an excessive bundle of anxiety, but he emulates the many children who have misgivings and fears about the familiar and the unknown. With a lighthearted approach and quirky and colourful illustrations, Mélanie Watt will let children see that many anxieties can be lessened and even alleviated with some friendly intervention and a new perspective.

From Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

Mélanie Watt's Scaredy Squirrel will always charm. She has created him as sweetly guileless—check out his toothy grin—and oddly expressive. And with detailed illustrations that give young readers much to enjoy, from costumes to decorated homes, readers will be looking forward to their own nutty Halloween adventure and all that it entails.

 

🎃 🎃 🎃 🎃 🎃 

 

This is Book 4 in Scaredy's Nutty Adventures series. Here are all published titles:

Scaredy Squirrel in a Nutshell (2021)
Scaredy Squirrel Gets a Surprise (2022)
Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive (2023)

Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly (2024)