Worm on the Job

Written by Maureen Fergus

Illustrated by Paul G. Hammond

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-1316-5

36 pp.

Ages 3–7

May 2026

 

If there's one lesson to learn from Worm, it's that anything is possible if you can see your strengths for what they are and apply them to each situation. Not surprising that Worm is the guy for every job because he believes in himself. 

From Worm on the Job, written by Maureen Fergus, illustrated by Paul G. Hammond

After being the head librarian for many years, Worm decides it's time for a new job. And he's willing to try anything. Even when the job may be hazardous to Worm, like life-guarding in the hot sun or deep-sea fishing among sharks, Worm gives it a try. But when he sees a sign advertising for a "courageous night security guard to keep dastardly thief from stealing nifty inventions," (pg. 8) Worm thinks he's found just the job for him. And though the manager is reluctant to hire him, Worm easily proves his value with his unique strengths.  

From Worm on the Job, written by Maureen Fergus, illustrated by Paul G. Hammond

When that dastardly thief shows up just as Worm is checking out all the cool inventions, Worm puts his many strengths of flexibility and sliminess to work to catch the bad guy.

 "And when I believe I can do something . . ."

 "I usually can." (pg. 33-34)

From Worm on the Job, written by Maureen Fergus, illustrated by Paul G. Hammond

It's not often that a worm can inspire risk-taking and self-confidence, but Maureen Fergus's Worm does just that. He believes he can, so he does. He may have to adjust his choices, but they are still his to make. And because he believes in himself, every choice is a step closer to finding another job that he will challenge himself to take on. He is tenacious, courageous, and positive, and he could be a role-model for any non-worm who may be anxious about trying something new. 

 

Because Maureen Fergus's story of Worm is couched in much humour which illustrator Paul G. Hammond strengthens with his whimsical digital art—do check out the clever details like Worm sorting library books on soil, composting, or crawling, or the striking inventions in the convention center—Worm on the Job is not a preachy tale. It's fun and inspiring and entertaining. And perhaps it will give all readers an opportunity to see their own attributes with fresh eyes.  

Before You Came

Writing by Anne Renaud

Illustrated by Nahid Kazemi

Peanut Butter Press

978-1-927735-90-9

28 pp.

Ages 5+

March 2026 

 

From Anne Renaud, author of Mr. Crum's Potato Predicament (2017), Fania's Heart (2018), and The True Tale of a Giantess: The Story of Anne Swan (2018), comes less of a story and more of a lullaby in Before You Came. In words that are warm and sweet, the narrator speaks to a child, recalling the emotions of anticipating the arrival.

By day my heart sang out to you,

close to bursting.

My love did not know where to go. (pg. 11)

From Before You Came, written by Anne Renaud, illustrated by Nahid Kazemi

In gentle but powerful words, Anne Renaud's narrator speaks to a child yet to arrive, perhaps by birth or by adoption, about what they are feeling and imagining. It's all about a bond that is growing, and dreams and love that will be realized. 

The day you came, I gave you

all the pieces of me—

from the very first moment. (pg. 21) 

From Before You Came, written by Anne Renaud, illustrated by Nahid Kazemi

The love that this parent feels for this child, before they are even more than a whisper, is remarkable. It is deep and complex, encompassing the promise of what is and what is to be. Anne Renaud's text is so poignant than the reader, whether adult or child, will appreciate the sentiment. I can only wish that every child could feel the adoration that this child will know.

From Before You Came, written by Anne Renaud, illustrated by Nahid Kazemi

Because Anne Renaud's free verse is so intense, it would have been a challenge to find an illustrator who could match the spirit of that devotion. Nahid Kazemi, who illustrated Joanne Schwartz's picture book The Old Woman (2020) as well as many other wonderful picture books, echoes that sentiment with her PanPastel and pigment art. Her illustrations are delicate and ethereal, matching the love that is felt so intensely. There is a surreal nature to Nahid Kazemi's art, whether it be lungs with a bird in a nest resting there, or arms embracing a house. What her art tells us is the breadth and personal nature of this love. 

Though the words speak to a child, Before You Came would make a lovely gift for a new parent or parent-to-be so that they might read it to their own child. So, keep this elegant book in mind for anyone who will be touched by the tenderness of a parent's love for a child. That love may be difficult to express in words and art, but Anne Renaud and Nahid Kazemi express it with aplomb.

 

• • • • • • • 

 

The French-language edition, Avant que tu ne sois là, was published in 2023 by Les Éditions Héritage.

A Door Is to Open

Written by Kyo Maclear

Illustrated by Julie Morstad

Tundra Books

978-1-77488-744-8 

48 pp. 

Ages 3–7 

April 2026 

 

Doors come in all sizes and shapes. They can be opened and closed. They can protect and invite. They offer so many possibilities. And Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad show us the promises that come with those doors.

From A Door Is to Open, written by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Julie Morstad

Kyo Maclear begins her reflective exploration of doors and all they entail with the simplest of functions. As a child opens a blue door, a mother cat and a trail of kittens, each a little different, follow. But there are many doors still be put to work. There are doors that are knocked upon, doors to walk through (into a birthday party), and to close. There are house doors, classroom doors, frosty doors and tent doors. There are automatic doors, turning doors, clear doors, and colourful ones. And there are doors that are organic portals used by animals, both on land and in the water, opening to places of shelter and family.

From A Door Is to Open, written by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Julie Morstad

But doors can be as imaginary as they are real.

Some doors are made of words
and lead to places you’ve never imagined. (pg. 17)

And all these doors can make us feel different ways, whether nervous or calm, excited or creative. Each offers something.

From A Door Is to Open, written by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Julie Morstad

I could not have predicted that a book about doors would make me feel so much. While many may see doors as barriers, Kyo Maclear gets on the other side of doors and revels in the potential that each presents. I've always appreciated the physical nature of doors, but never have I really looked at what doors offer. With this new perspective, all readers, young and old, are invited to think about what these physical and intangible portals bring to our lives. And Kyo Maclear presents this perspective with few but powerful words—I love writers who use few words to tell big stories (probably explains why I love novels in verse)—and helps us to see more than a barrier.

From A Door Is to Open, written by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Julie Morstad

But, with few words, Julie Morstad's illustrations have to be equally powerful, imparting the story graphically. Her art uses pencils, coloured pencils, markers, and watercolours, and then assembled digitally. Because of the variety of media, Julie Morstad's art unlocks details and insight, showing us feeling, opportunity, and children as they live. 

From A Door Is to Open, written by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Julie Morstad

A Door Is to Open is a triumph of perspective in storytelling. Not only are we invited to think more about doors and see the promise of their structure and function, both real and imaginary, Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad have invited us to see more than doors. They've opened something else for us. They let us see possibility.

Built Like a Bug: How Insects Inspire Everyday Inventions

Written by Anjali Joshi

Illustrated by Kathleen Ng

Annick Press

978-1-834020310

128 pp.

Ages 8–12

March 2026 

 

The natural world has always astounded. From within its plant and animal species, its landforms, its waters, and environmental factors like weather come examples for processes that work for adaptation, communication, farming, and more. In Built Like a Bug, Anjali Joshi, a science educator, focuses on insects and reveals all the ways they inspire important inventions and developments.

From Built Like a Bug: How Insects Inspire Everyday Inventions, written by Anjali Joshi, illustrated by Kathleen Ng

The table of contents to Built Like a Bug demonstrates the complexity of the book's content. It looks at mosquitoes and cockroaches, spiders and leafhoppers, termites and fireflies, ants, hawk moths, dung beetles, and bees and dragonflies. The assortment of insects is only matched by the contributions they have made to innovative research and development.

From Built Like a Bug: How Insects Inspire Everyday Inventions, written by Anjali Joshi, illustrated by Kathleen Ng

In addition to providing basic scientific information like common and scientific names, life and size, Anjali Joshi highlights key features of their behaviour that should be noted. For example, information on how the mosquito effectively jabs an animal and prevents clotting is being used by researchers to reduce pain from needles and to develop synthetic anti-coagulants.

From Built Like a Bug: How Insects Inspire Everyday Inventions, written by Anjali Joshi, illustrated by Kathleen Ng

Silk from spiders is inspiring researchers to develop sutures for stitches, to deliver medicines, to create bullet-proof materials, and to investigate it as a building material.

From Built Like a Bug: How Insects Inspire Everyday Inventions, written by Anjali Joshi, illustrated by Kathleen Ng

Insects are models for farming, for electricity, for flight, for navigation, for medicine, and so much more. They can inform us about engineering and building robots, as well as about energy efficiency and dealing with trash. There is so much information in Built Like a Bug that any reader—or teacher—will be able to get both a broad overview of how insects inspire innovation and the finer points about insects themselves and the research and development they generate. Regardless of the complexity of information, Built Like a Bug is organized so well that it is a pleasure to delve into the material. Tidbits of interesting facts are posted in info boxes called "Bug Bites" and the illustrations by Toronto-based artist Kathleen Ng give colour and details to strengthen the information and to keep the text from becoming overwhelming. Her digital art is specific enough to help convey key information, but it is not so detailed that a middle grade reader would get bored.

From Built Like a Bug: How Insects Inspire Everyday Inventions, written by Anjali Joshi, illustrated by Kathleen Ng

I know kids will enjoy this book, especially those interested in STEM activities, but teachers will adore it. Not only is it a prime example of a non-fiction book for middle-grade readers, offering opportunities for learning and creativity, teachers will appreciate the variety of features, from the glossary, full index, and references to the numerous experiments and activities. Built Like a Bug will give young readers lots to think about and to do, perhaps inspire them to see more within the natural world.

 

A Deadly Inheritance

Written by Kelley Armstrong

Tundra Books

978-1-77488-803-2 

424 pp.

Ages 14+

March 2026 

 

Understanding where you fit in the world is rare here. Embracing it is even rarer. (pg. 45)  

For seventeen-year-old Liliana Green, getting by since her mother died recently is everything to her. That and avoiding the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services. She works two part-time jobs, works hard at school to get that full scholarship to college in September, and she sells stuff to make rent. When lawyer Cecilia Robbins appears on her doorstep and announces that Liliana to be the grandchild of the billionaire Chamberlains, Liliana's financial troubles appear to be over. She's whisked away to Westdale, her mother's alma mater and a school that only admits the wealthiest of students. 

 

Of course Liliana has lots of questions, especially why her mother never went to her parents for help, but once she's at Westdale, Lili just has more questions. She may be enjoying the perks of being part of a billionaire family—". . . I'll enjoy what I can, while I can" (pg. 20)—but she still has to navigate meeting new peers who see her as the new Chamberlain girl. She becomes friendly with Maddox Moreno, son of a tech wizard, and Theo Dubois, son of an actor and a director, although the two boys have a cool relationship with each other. And Lili is invited to join Allegra Khan, Polly Reeves, and Isolde Brandt in the Lilith society, one of four societies on campus. 

Soon Lili is being recruited to join the race for that year's Optima, a prestigious competition that would win her a place in an elite networking group outside the school. Even before she has agreed, she's targeted and told to watch herself. Would her competitors really try to eliminate her? But Lili has another mystery to solve when she learns her mother was the Dux (leader) of the Liliths, and ran away with her father before she graduated. Why did they run away? What does it have to do with the death of a scholarship student? And what secrets is Westdale keeping?

 

Like many boarding schools, Westdale is a microcosm of good and bad and ugly. There is a clear class structure and distinct peer groups. There are secrets from the past and mysteries from the present. There are rules to be broken and a system to work in. And there is danger hiding everywhere. Kelley Armstrong takes us into a school of the fabulously wealthy and lets us watch as the students form alliances and friends, tread cautiously around others, and do what they can to safeguard themselves and support those for whom they care. But no one is ever safe. So, as we learn more about the secrets behind Liliana's parents, Rose (Rosalyn) Chamberlain and Will Green, and several suspicious deaths, including that of Maddox's sister and that of a friend of Rosalyn's, Kelley Armstrong twists and turns the reader into believing no one is to be trusted. She gives us all the clues but she cleverly tangles us into seeing connections where there are none and ignoring key players because they seem inconsequential. Still, even if you pay attention, Kelley Armstrong will surprise you, both with her ending and the solution to the mystery. And there's nothing better than the unraveling and intertwining of plot threads leading to a refreshing and a gratifying denouement, which is what you always get with Kelley Armstrong's suspenseful reads.

The Mountain That Wouldn't Move

Written and illustrated by Sandra Dumais

Owlkids Books

978-1-77147-649-2

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

April 2026 

 

Ah, perspective is everything. And for Bear, she sees everything negative in her life brought on by the shadow of a mountain under which her forest spreads. She intends to do something about it.

From The Mountain That Wouldn't Move, written and illustrated by Sandra Dumais

At a forest meeting, Bear tries to gather support from Rabbit, Cardinal, Fox, and other animals. Initially, the others are less concerned than Bear. But when she emphatically decides to move the mountain, they all agree. 

From The Mountain That Wouldn't Move, written and illustrated by Sandra Dumais

The mountain, a large grey landform with a cap of snow and a serene face of eyes, mouth, and rosy cheeks, is unyielding. (It is a mountain after all.) No matter which direction they push or how, the mountain stands still. Unlike the others, Bear cannot tolerate giving up. She comes up with some inventive schemes involving balloons, and sails, and even putting the mountain up for sale. It isn't until her friends carry her around the mountainside and upwards to see a different side and a glorious sunset, that the mountain that wouldn't move is accepted for what it is.

From The Mountain That Wouldn't Move, written and illustrated by Sandra Dumais

Montreal's Sandra Dumais takes a different perspective on perspective, by having Bear literally moved to see a different one. Asking someone to see something differently can't always be done effectively. However, putting them in a different viewpoint can do wonders to see a different perspective. Sandra Dumais's story may be read by children to help them be open to other points of view, but she also offers all of us the opportunity to see differently, beyond our initial outlooks and opinions. For children, it might be seeing others from a different point of view, or seeing circumstances like losing a game, being disappointed with their parents' decisions, or making a mistake from a different standpoint.

 

Sandra Dumais uses a variety of art media including pencils, gouache, digital collage and acrylic paint to create sweet and playful illustrations of animals who reflect frustration, joy, nonchalance, and even despondency. Bear is particularly emotive, drawing others into her disquietude, as is the mountain itself, an enormous gray rock, which is depicted as serene and even unassuming. Much of the story is told in the actions, or passivity, of Sandra Dumais's characters—yes, that includes the mountain—from their shapes, colours, and expressions.

 

The mountain may not have moved but when Bear finally did, a new perspective was found, and this made all the difference. 

Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear (Orca Think)

Written by Erin Silver

Illustrated by Xulin Wang

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-4098-0

96 pp.

Ages 9–12

February 2026 

 

Reviewing Erin Silver's latest non-fiction book, Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear on Earth Day seems fitting. On a day on which we celebrate our Earth and how to protect it, we have much to learn from a book about global locations threatened by climate change.

From Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear, written by Erin Silver, illustrated by Xulin Wang

Erin Silver, who has written countless books of non-fiction including Good Food, Bad Waste (2023), Mighty Scared: The Amazing Ways Animals Defend Themselves (2024), and Plant Attack (2025), takes on the challenging topic of climate change. However, by taking the perspective of showcasing key locations, from the Arctic to the Pacific Islands and the Amazon rainforest, Erin Silver speaks less of generalities and more to familiar sites and places people live. 

From Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear, written by Erin Silver, illustrated by Xulin Wang

The book is organized into four major chapters:

1. Major Meltdown
2. Cue the Waterworks
3. Under Fire
4. Life on Earth

The first looks at the impacts of global warming on the ice caps in Antarctica and in the Arctic. The impacts examined go beyond the ice sheets and glaciers, and into the water, the krill, polar bears, and more. Insights from those who visit those locations are shared, as are suggestions about helping to combat climate change.

From Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear, written by Erin Silver, illustrated by Xulin Wang

The next chapter looks at changing weather patterns, which cause more rain and severe storms in some areas, resulting in places being flooded, and sinking and shrinking. Mitigation with mangroves and engineering are just two approaches. Other areas will get drier, which could lead to food insecurity. A Q & A with a climate architect reveals much about solutions to this aspect of global warming. 

From Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear, written by Erin Silver, illustrated by Xulin Wang

The next chapter examines the fires in California and in British Columbia, while the final chapter looks at the threat to biodiversity, focusing on the Amazon rainforest and the Galápagos Islands. As in the earlier chapters, there are interviews, including with a climate adventurer and a biologist, info boxes called "The Info Express" with interesting tidbits,  and always assurances that activism can help. Completing this book are a comprehensive glossary and lists of resources for young people to access.

 

Erin Silver delivers a thorough examination of how climate change is affecting our world. And, though she makes it a global discussion, her research brings it closer to home, even if it's not our home specifically. It's a personal look at how global warming is impacting everyone and everywhere. That means it's up to everyone to do something, anything. With numerous photographs and Toronto's Xulin Wang's bold and colourful digital art, Gone Forever?: Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear takes the reader around the world to see evidence of climate change. But with text and art combined, the message is not one of hopelessness but rather one of expectancy and action. And on this Earth Day, Gone Forever?—note the question mark—has a productive message to share.