2025 Willow Awards: Winners announced

Established in 2001, the Willow Awards, also known as the Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Awards (SYRCA), encourage reading of Canadian books for young people. Readers can participate in the reading programs through their schools and public libraries, selecting their favourite from one of the following categories: Shining Willow, Diamond Willow, and Snow Willow. 
 

Last year, the nominees for these three awards were announced. This spring, young readers selected their favourites. Two days ago the winners were announced. 

 

Congratulations to the 2025 winners of he Shining Willow, Diamond Willow and Snow Willow awards.

 

 

 

The Shining Willow Award winner is selected from those books written for the youngest readers, those in Kindergarten to Grade 3.

Do Hippos Brush Their Teeth?: How Animals Care for Their Bodies

Written by Etta Kaner

Illustrated by Jenna Piechota

Owlkids Books

32 pp.

Ages 4–8

2024

 

 

The Diamond Willow Award winner is selected from those books written for readers of Grades 4 to 6.

Plague Thieves

Written by Caroline Fernandez
DCB Young Readers
208 pp.
Ages 9–12 

2024

 

The Snow Willow Award winner is selected from those books written for readers in Grades 7 to 9.

 Simon Sort of Says

Written by Erin Bow

Disney-Hyperion
305 pp.
Ages 8–12

2023 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to all!

2025 Lane Anderson Award: Winner announced

 

The Lane Anderson Award for excellence in Canadian science writing was awarded on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 in Toronto. The event, hosted by Carol-Ann Hoyte and Winston Stitwell, presented the winners from shortlists selected by independent juries of experts in science, science writing and literature. The awards created and sponsored by the Fitzhenry Family Foundation, and named for the mothers of its two founders, Robert and Hilda Fitzhenry, were given in two categories, one for adults and the other for young readers, with each winner receiving a generous $10,000.

 

 

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Congratulations to this year's winner

in the Young Reader category

 

 

A Planet Is a Poem
Written by Amanda West Lewis
Illustrated by Oliver Averill
Kids Can Press
56 pp.
Ages 8-12
2024

Reviewed here

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2025 Governor General's Literary Awards: Winners announced

Last month, the Canada Council for the Arts announced the finalists for its highly prestigious Governor General's Literary Awards. Of the seven categories of books, which are presented for both French and English titles, two categories are specific for books for young people, one for text and one for illustration. Yesterday, the winners of these awards were announced.

Hearty congratulations to all winners 

of this year's Governor General's Literary Awards.

WINNER
English-language: Young People's Literature (Text)

Tig
Written by Heather Smith
Tundra Books

 

 

 

 WINNER

English-language: Young People's Literature (Illustration) 

This Land is a Lullaby
Written by Tonya Simpson
Illustrated by Delreé Dumont
Orca Book Publishers 

 

 

WINNER

French-language: Young People's Literature (Text)

Coup bas
Écrit par Laurie Léveillé
la courte échelle 

 WINNER

French-language: Young People's Literature (Illustration)

Un cadeau de Noël en novembre
Écrit par Stéphane Laporte
Illustré par Jacques Goldstyn
Les Éditions de la Bagnole  

  

2025 CCBC Book Awards: Winners announced

On Monday, October 27, 2025, a gala event was held to announce the winners of this year's English-language Canadian Children's Book Awards of the Canadian Children's Book Centre. (The press release of the announcement is posted here.) From a fine list of nominees, the following winners were selected by juries of their peers from the kidCanLit world. 

Here now are the winners of the following English-language awards:

• Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000)
• Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,000)
• Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction ($10,000)
• Amy Mathers Teen Book Award ($5,000)
• Jean Little First-Novel Award ($5,000)
• Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy ($5,000)
• Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award ($2,500)

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Congratulations to all winners!

• • • • • • •

 

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award: WINNER 

 

SOS Water

Written and illustrated by Yayo 
Tradewind Books

 

• • • • •

Geoffrey Bilson Award for 

Historical Fiction for Young People:   WINNER

 

Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams

Written by Shari Green 
Andrews McMeel Publishing

 

 

• • • • •

 

Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children's Non-fiction :   WINNER

 

Meet Jim Egan (Scholastic Canada Biography)

Written by Elizabeth MacLeod 
Illustrated by Mike Deas 
Scholastic Canada

 • • • • •

Amy Mathers Teen Book Award:   WINNER

 

Age 16

Written and illustrated by Rosena Fung
Annick Press

• • • • •

Jean Little First-Novel Award:   WINNER   

 

Alterations

Written and illustrated by Ray Xu 
Union Square Kids

• • • • •

 

Arlene Barlin Award 

for Science Fiction and Fantasy:   WINNER 

 

The Headmasters

Written by Mark Morton
Shadowpaw Press

 

 

 

 

• • • • •

 

Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award:   WINNER

  

Hummingbird / Aamo-binashee

Written and illustrated by Jennifer Leason 
Anishinaabemowin translation by Norman Chartrand and Jennifer Leason 
Orca Book Publisher

 

 

 📚📚📚

 

 

2025 Governor General's Literary Awards: Finalists announced

Yesterday, the Canada Council for the Arts announced the finalists for the highly prestigious Governor General's Literary Awards.

The seven categories of books, both in French and English, for which awards are given are the following:

• Fiction
• Non-Fiction
• Poetry
• Young People's Literature (Text)
• Young People's Literature (Illustration)
• Drama
• Translation

Congratulations to the finalists 

of all the awards.
 

I present here those finalists of

works for young people.

English-language: Young People's Literature (Text) 

A Drop in the Ocean

Written by Léa Taranto

Arsenal Pulp Press 

 

Beast

Written by Richard Van Camp

Douglas & McIntyre 

 

Best of All Worlds

Written by Kenneth Oppel

Tundra Books 

 

The Outsmarters 

Written by Deborah Ellis

Groundwood Books 

Reviewed here 

 

Tig

Written by Heather Smith

Tundra Books

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

English-language: Young People's Literature (Illustration) 

Bog Myrtle
Written and illustrated by Sid Sharp

Annick Press 

 

It Bears Repeating

Written by Tanya Tagaq

Illustrated by Cee Pootoogook

Tundra Books 

 

Oasis

Written and illustrated by Guojing

Henry Holt & Co.

 

The Rock and the Butterfly

Written by Kathy Stinson

Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Orca Book Publishers

Reviewed here

 

This Land is a Lullaby

Written by Tonya Simpson

Illustrated by Delreé Dumont

Orca Book Publishers 

 

 

 

 

French-language: Young People's Literature (Text) 

 

Cheer
Écrit par Laura Doyle Péan
Les Éditions de la Bagnole  

 

Coup bas

Écrit par Laurie Léveillé

la courte échelle 

 

Fatigué mort
Écrit par Marc-André Dufour-Labbé
Leméac Jeunesse 

 

Tête boule disco
Écrit par Noémie Pomerleau-Cloutier
Éditions du Boréal  

 

Vieille Branche
Écrit par Catherine Fouron
Les Éditions de la Bagnole 

 

 

 

 

 

 

French-language: Young People's Literature (Illustration) 

 

En crise
Écrit par Annick Lefebvre

Illustré par Vincent Partel-Valette
Les Éditions de la Bagnole 

La tasse de Gilles

Écrit par Catherine Trudeau

Illustré par Qin Leng

La Pastèque 

 

Le livre aspirateur
Écrit par Jocelyn Boisvert

Illustré par Enzo
Éditions Michel Quintin 

 

Murielle et le mystère
Écrit et illustré par Charlotte Parent
comme des géants  

 

Un cadeau de Noël en novembre

Écrit par Stéphane Laporte
Illustré par Jacques Goldstyn
Les Éditions de la Bagnole  

 

Winning titles will be announced
on November 6, 2025.

 

2025 Lane Anderson Award: Shortlists

Yesterday, the finalists for the Lane Anderson Award, a book award that celebrates excellence in Canadian science writing, were announced. The Lane Anderson Award, created and sponsored by the Fitzhenry Family Foundation, is given in two categories, one for adults and the other for young readers. Each winner receives a generous $10,000.

 

 

The basic criteria for submissions are the following: 

• The author must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
• The book must be published by a Canadian-owned publishing house, have an ISBN, and be available for sale in bookstores in Canada.
• All entries must be published in English between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024. 
  

 

The 2025 Lane Anderson Award Ceremony will take place on Thursday, January 29, 2026 in Toronto. Details about tickets have been posted below.

 

  • • • • • • •

Congratulations to this year's finalists 

in the Young Reader category

 

I Am Wind: An Autobiography
Written by Rachel Poliquin

Illustrated by Rachel Wada
Tundra Books

80 pp.

Ages 8-12

2024

A Planet Is a Poem
Written by Amanda West Lewis

Illustrated by Oliver Averill

Kids Can Press

56 pp.

Ages 8-12

2024

Remember This: The Fascinating World of Memory
Written by Monique Polak

Illustrated by Valéry Goulet

Orca Book Publishers

96 pp.

Ages 8-12

2024 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Update:

 

Details about the Lane Anderson Award Ceremony have been announced. Register here through Eventbrite.

 

Date:            Thursday, January 29, 2026

 

Time:           7:00–9:30 p.m. 

 

Location:     Palm House at Allan Gardens

                    160 Gerrard Street East

                    Toronto, ON 

                    M5A 2E5 

 

Tickets are free but you must register. 

 

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