The Girl Who Loves Trees

Written by Nancy Cooper

Illustrated by Hawlii Pichette

Owlkids Books

978-1-77147-673-7

32 pp.

Ages 5–8

September 2026 

 

A visit to her grandfather on the reserve becomes a special time of traditional teachings and ecological learning for a young girl in Nancy Cooper's second picture book, this time illustrated by Hawlii Pichette. 

Illustration by Hawlii Pichette from The Girl Who Loves Trees, written by Nancy Cooper

Their day begins with an offering of tobacco and a prayer of gratitude to the Creator. When they make plans for the day, including collecting an offering of cedar for a community feast, the child has questions about the trees. Loving everything about trees, from their leaves to their bark and their branches, the child wants to ensure the trees will not be hurt.

"...will show the Tree Spirit and the Creator that we are thankful for the gifts the cedar brings us and that we recognize the sacred relationship and responsibilities we have for one another." (pg. 13)

Illustration by Hawlii Pichette from The Girl Who Loves Trees, written by Nancy Cooper

As  they walk a trail deep in the forest, Grampa shares his knowledge of the traditional uses of pine needles, of birch bark, of hemlock, and more. His granddaughter shows rapt attention for his teaching, learning family history while asking many questions. She is respectful and observant and understands more beyond just what she sees.

The Girl Who Loves Trees is a story of a special intergenerational relationship because it is based in an Indigenous culture and with an ecological basis. Though her debut picture book Biindigen! Amik Says Welcome (illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, Owlkids, 2023) also has a basis in the natural world, The Girl Who Loves Trees speaks more to the traditional teachings of her grandfather—who was inspired by Albert Dumont—and their relationship with the environment, rather than lessons in character education. Here Nancy Cooper emphasizes the relationships between grandfather and granddaughter, between trees and humans, between all living things, and with their Indigenous culture. It's a story that reminds that we are all interconnected and need to be cognizant and respectful of that interconnectedness.

Illustration by Hawlii Pichette from The Girl Who Loves Trees, written by Nancy Cooper

Hawlii Pichette, whose illustrations I enjoyed in Benjamin's Thunderstorm (Melanie Florence, Kids Can Press, 2023) and Benjamin Grows a Garden (Melanie Florence, Kids Can Press, 2025), is a Mushkego Cree urban mixed-blood artist whose artwork is deeply influenced by her culture. Her artwork is bold and vivid, strongly outlined as in the Woodland tradition. But her stylized depiction of trees, both coniferous and deciduous, were most compelling. They have a dynamism that speaks to the life they have and that they give. Hawlii Pichette demonstrates this same spirit in the grass, in the waters, and in her characters.

 

As a woman who loves trees, I appreciate Nancy Cooper and Hawlii Pichette's story for the arboreal elements of the natural world which have always spoken to me. For young children, it will remind them to be observant and respectful as they discover these same wonders. They may not be fortunate enough to have a grandparent of Indigenous heritage from which to gain knowledge, but, with The Girl Who Loves Trees, they will have a literary source to help them learn more.

Haunted Canada Graphic Novel, Volume 3: Four Chilling Tales

Written by Joel A. Sutherland

Illustrated by Sara Harding, Maya McKibbin, Jackie Reynolds, & Josh Rosen

Scholastic Canada

978-1-0397-1126-6 

144 pp.

Ages 9–12

September 2026 

 

There's always a good time for reading all the Haunted Canada series, graphic novel or not, but what better way to herald the Halloween season than with a new Haunted Canada Graphic Novel from Joel A. Sutherland and a quartet of talented illustrators.

 

In this third volume titled Four Chilling Tales, Joel A. Sutherland tells us four haunting stories from the past that move into the present day. The first story is "Rebecca's Concrete Grave" in which a young woman in 1876 Moncton is declared a witch after she helps save her family's farm when drought and fire ravages the rest of the community. After she is hanged and placed in a grave filled with concrete, the area is said to be cursed. When contemporary teens play a prank on a student, Rebecca appears to challenge the betrayal. Illustrator Sara Harding takes us easily from post-Confederation Canada to a contemporary setting, giving us a frightening Rebecca that will be the thing of nightmares.

Illustration by Sara Harding from Haunted Canada Graphic Novel, Volume 3: Four Chilling Tales, written by Joel A. Sutherland

The story of "Nighttime in the Asylum" comes from Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Quebec (1959) when a building was being used as a boys' home. When three boys sneak to the basement to open a stolen Christmas gift, they hear a voice telling one to use a lighter to burn it all down. Almost sixty years later, after the boys' home had been turned into an asylum and now bought by a couple who see profits in opening it to ghost hunters, the yellow-green ghosts still want those whom they encounter to burn everything down. Illustrator Maya McKibbin gives us wacky ghost hunters, electrifying specters, and shockingly mesmerizing eyes on those stricken by the ghosts.

Illustration by Maya McKibbin from Haunted Canada Graphic Novel, Volume 3: Four Chilling Tales, written by Joel A. Sutherland

"The Swamp Hag" is the third story and is illustrated by Jackie Reynolds. This story from Bell Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, has a miner dealing with the disappearance of his daughter in 1943. The miners believe that mines are haunted, so some aren't surprised when Clancy believes he sees his daughter there. But, the real surprise occurs when two miners, Nate and Walt, go to work their fields, and Walt admits to seeing something that he has been ashamed to reveal. 

Illustration by Jackie Reynolds from Haunted Canada Graphic Novel, Volume 3: Four Chilling Tales, written by Joel A. Sutherland

Joel A. Sutherland's final story, "The Haunted Camp," is inclusive of all the earlier tales as a scout leader at Camp Gilwell, Lebret, Saskatchewan regales his young charges with scary stories. Some don't believe the stories, but when he tells them the one about the creepy old place nearby, they may start to think differently. It's a story of a doctor who opened his home to tuberculosis patients. When his wife becomes ill, she begs him to take care of her beloved dogs Archie and Bailey. After he remarries and then dies, his first wife haunts the home looking for her dogs. Josh Rosen's illustrations are both playful and surprising. The boys are curious, bold, and anxious, and their scout leader is a little goofy, though he does go to check out the haunted house. As for the ghosts of Helena, the doctor's wife, and her dogs, Josh Rosen gives them just the right touch of menacing. They are enough to make a good story without keeping young readers up at night.

Illustration by Josh Rosen from Haunted Canada Graphic Novel, Volume 3: Four Chilling Tales, written by Joel A. Sutherland

Haunted Canada Graphic Novel, Volume 3: Four Chilling Tales will be a colourful diversion until the costumes and trick-or-treating are upon us. Better yet, Joel A. Sutherland makes us believe these stories might all be true, if you trust in his preface.

The following stories are inspired by true events. That's right, true. You can choose to believe...or not. The ghosts don't mind either way. 

 Huh?

 

The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue: Guest review

Written by Zoulfa Katouh

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

978-0316351942

368 pp.

Ages 12+ 

June 2026 

 

 

This guest review was written by Laura Krause.

 

A Powerful Read for Any Age 

 

YA fantasy is a genre that can be looked down upon or dismissed as marginal or insignificant. The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue by Zoulfa Katouh is proof that this genre can be nuanced, elevated, and beautifully written.

This story of The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue follows a teen girl named Jihad who, in her high school senior year, is enrolled at a prestigious school by her father and sister. She is told that it will be an important step in securing her a coveted spot at her dream university. However, coming shortly after the death of her mother and being the only Muslim in a school of predominantly rich, white students, the transition is a tough one for Jihad. Sadly, her final year is overwhelmed by devastating bullying and abuse largely spurred by prejudice.

One bright light for Jihad in a school where she is bullied is her friendship with Jamie. As the main character, Jihad is brave, resilient, creative, and funny, but Jamie, who is probably my favourite book character from any book I’ve read this year, is a ray of hope and sunshine in an often heavy and emotionally charged story. He becomes her closest confidant and provides a lifeline for both Jihad and the reader during the most turbulent and hard-to-read sections of this novel. I became so attached to this supporting character, a Muslim convert who’d been raised by his Vietnamese grandmother, that I often annotated my review text with, “Why is Jamie so great?” and “Everyone needs a Jamie.” The Jamies in this world are those that help you through hard times and when you’re struggling to find your own voice.

As I read about the bullying that Jihad experiences, I had two very strong and different reactions. First, I wondered how teenagers could be so horrible and how could the adults be so terrible at protecting and advocating for all students. My second reaction was that I was actually not that surprised. Given the current political climate of the world, I could easily see this happening. Because bullying, whether racially motivated or otherwise, has always been a big problem for teens, this novel will resonate with them. Zoulfa Katouh does a phenomenal job at demonstrating that it is not the responsibility of the victims of bullying to educate those around them, because too often their pleas for help go unanswered. It is the responsibility of those with privilege to fight for those who have none. Onus is on the oppressor, not the oppressed. 

I’m reminded that much prejudice is rooted in ignorance. For example, if her classmates had learned why Jihad wears a hijab, their negative stereotypes might have been dispelled. In contrast, I was struck by the beauty of Jihad’s Syrian background, specifically the food and culture. With her friend Jamie having a Vietnamese connection, I now look forward to trying the numerous Syrian and Vietnamese dishes discussed, having learned much about these two cultures including their languages and history. It’s unfortunate that her classmates could not have given Jihad the same regard.

What distinguishes the story of The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue is that it is not only a story of bullying, but also a gorgeous work of magical realism. This sub-genre of fantasy, to which I was only recently introduced, is hard to write well. But Zoulfa Katouh writes it beautifully, making the story sing. Jihad’s mother could speak to jellyfish, and Jihad, herself a true artist, creates magical murals around the city. These whimsical brushes with the unexplained and the fantastic become powerful tools in Zoulfa Katouh’s hands, elevating the messages at the core of the book, drawing the reader in to Jihad’s story.

This novel is in the top three books I have read this year, and I am so grateful I was provided a copy for the purposes of this review. I now need to go pick up the author’s first novel, the award-winning As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2022). Our world needs more of Zoulfa Katouh’s profoundly emotional stories, which she tells with skill and heart.

• • • • • 

~ 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.

 

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.