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!

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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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.

 

 

  • • • • • • •

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