2026 Forest of Reading winners announced

 

Over the past week, the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading®, a readers' choice book award program, announced the winners either virtually or at its annual Festival of Trees at Harbourfront in Toronto.

Here are this year's winners and honour books for each reading program, as voted by young readers from JK to Grade 12.

 

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Winner

The Great Dinosaur Sleepover
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Joe Bluhm
Tundra Books

 

Honour Books:

Fox and the Mystery Letter
Written and illustrated by Alex G. Griffiths
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Weedflower
Written by Elizabeth Davaze
Illustrated by Marianne Ferrer
Owlkids Books  

 

 

Winner

The Great Puptective #2: Purranormal Activity
Written and illustrated by Alina Tysoe
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
 

Honour Books:

The League of Littles
Written by Casey Lyall
Illustrated by Sara Faber
Greenwillow Books

 

 

 

  

Plant Attack! The Fascinating Ways Flora Defends Itself
Written by Erin Silver
Illustrated by Julie McLaughlin
Orca Book Publishers

 

 

 

  

Winner

The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents
Written by Nicki Pau Preto
Viking Books for Young Readers

  

Honour Books:

Death by Whoopee Cushion
Written by Vicki Grant
Tundra Books 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxi Ghost
Written and illustrated by Sophie Escabasse
Random House Graphic  

Winner 

A Sick History of Medicine: A Warts-And-All Book Full of Fun Facts and Disgusting Discoveries
Written by Jelena Poleksic
Illustrated by Ella Kasperowicz
Neon Squid

Honour Books:

Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes That Dot Our Planet
Written and illustrated by Geo Rutherford
Abrams Books for Young Readers

 

 

 

 

Octopus Ocean: Geniuses of the Deep
Written by Mark Lieren-Young
Orca Book Publishers  

 

Winner

If We Tell You
Written by Nicola Dahlin
Kids Can Press

Honour Books:

Finding Harmony
Written by Eric Walters
Orca Book Publishers

 

 

 

 

 

The Factory
Written by Catherine Egan
Scholastic Canada 

Winner

For She is Wrath
Written by Emily Varga
Wednesday Books

Honour Books:

The History of Everything
Written and illustrated by Victoria Evans
HarperAlley  

  

 

 

 

 

 

A Drop in the Ocean
Written by Léa Taranto
Arsenal Pulp Press  

Winner/Lauréat

Les mal-aimés
Écrit et illustré par Magalie Élément 
Éditions Alaska 

 

 

Honour Books/Livres distingués:

Mon pire cauchemar, c’est lui, c’est elle

Écrit par Émilie Ouellette

Illustré par Mika

Éditions Alaska 

 

 

 

 

 

Comme toi et moi
Écrit par Priska Poirier
Illustré par Sabrina Gendron
Druide  

Winner/Lauréat

La bibliothèque enchantée 1: Le livre aspirateur
Écrit par Jocelyn Boisvert 
Illustré par Enzo
Éditions Michel Quintin

 

Honour Books/Livres distingués: 

Comment sauver des chevaux sauvages
Écrit par Andrée Poulin
Illustré par Caroline Lavergne
Bayard Jeunesse Canada 

Croki
Écrit et illustré par Jacques Goldstyn 
La Pastèque 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winner/Lauréat

L’affaire Buddy Bussières
Écrit par François-Martine Bergeron-Mercier 

(François Gravel, Martine Latulippe, Alain Bergeron, Johanne Mercier)
Illustré par Mathilde Filippi
La courte échelle

Honour Books/Livres distingués:

L’Oracle
Écrit par Julie Champagne 
La courte échelle 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Quand ils sont venus
Écrit par Andrée Poulin
Illustré par Sophie Casson
Les Éditions de l'Isatis 


 
 

Congratulations to everyone!

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2024 Forest of Reading® winners announced

Over the past week and a bit, the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading®, a readers' choice award program, announced the winners at its annual Festival of Trees at Harbourfront and virtually. (All are available to view at here.)

Here are this year's winners and honour books for each reading program, as voted by young readers from JK to Grade 12.

 

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

Winner

Benny the Bananasaurus Rex
Written by Sarabeth Holden

Illustrated by Emma Pedersen
Inhabit Media

Honour Books:

 

How to Party Like A Snail
Written by Naseem Hrab
Illustrated by Kelly Collier
Owlkids Books





 

  

Cocoa Magic
Written by Sandra Bradley
Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
Pajama Press

Reviewed here

Winner

Rock? Plant? Animal? How Nature Keeps Us Guessing
Written by Etta Kaner

Illustrated by Brittany Lane

Owlkids

Honour Books:

 

Deep, Deep Down
Written by Lydia Lukidis
Illustrated by Juan Calle Velez
Capstone Editions

The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale
Written and illustrated by Jon Klassen

Candlewick

Reviewed here

Winner

Apartment 713
Written by Kevin Sylvester

HarperCollins

Reviewed here

Honour Books:

PAWS: Mindy Makes Some Space

Written by Nathan Fairbairn

Illustrated by Michele Assarasakorn
Razorbill


 

Swept Away: Ruth Mornay and the Unwanted Clues

Written by Natalie Hyde
DCB

Reviewed here

Winner 

Animal Eyes: How Creatures See and How Their Eyes Have Adapted to Their World
Written by Françoise Vulpé 

Firefly Books

Honour Books: 

 

The Raven Mother
Written by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson)

Illustrated by Natasha Donovan

HighWater Press

IsThisAnOlogy?
Written by Amanda Bulman and Ruth Lawrence 

Illustrated by Leon Chung

Breakwater Books

 

Winner

The Fort

Written by Gordon Korman

Scholastic Canada

Reviewed here

Honour Books:

The Last Saxon King
Written by Andrew Varga
Imbrifex Books

 
 

Squire
Written by Nadia Shammas

Illustrated by Sara Alfageeh
Quill Tree Books

Winner

Pieces of Me
Written by Kate McLaughlin
St. Martin’s Press/ Macmillan

Honour Books:

 

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow
Written by Zoulfah Katouh
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 

 

Only This Beautiful Moment
Written by Abdi Nazemian
Balzer + Bray

Winner/Lauréat

L'oiseau rouge
Écrit et illustré par Élodie Duhameau

Les 400 coups

 

 

Honour Books/Livres distingués:

Pas de chevaux dans la maison!
Écrit par Mireille Messier
Illustré par Anna Bron
Orca

 

C'est mon corps!
Écrit et illustré par Élise Gravel
Scholastic

Winner/Lauréat

La chambre numéro 7
Écrit par Martine Latulippe
Illustré par Isabelle Malenfant
La courte échelle

 

Honour Books/Livres distingués:

Mina et sa bête
Écrit et illustré par Caroline Merola
La courte échelle

 

Alerte: culottes meurtrières! Fausses nouvelles, désinformation et théories du complot
Écrit et illustré par Élise Gravel
Scholastic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winner/Lauréat

As-tu peur du loup?
Écrit par Véronique Drouin
Illustré par Lucille Danis Drouot
Bayard

Honour Books/Livres distingués:

 

Zipolaris 1: La nuit des morloups
Écrit par J.L. Blanchard
Fides

La balance du vide
Écrit par Julien Leclerc
Héritage jeunesse
 

 

Congratulations to everyone!

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