2025 Forest of Reading® nominees: Blue Spruce, Silver Birch Express, Silver Birch

 

Here is the first grouping of 2025 nominees from the nine Forest of Reading® awards of the Ontario Library Association:

• Blue Spruce: picture books for JK to Grade 2
  
• Silver Birch Express: fiction and non-fiction for Grades 3 and 4
  
• Silver Birch Fiction: fiction for Grades 3 to 6
  

BLUE SPRUCE™

 

 

Asha and the Toymaker

Written and illustrated by Sakshi Mangal

Kids Can Press

 

The Blue Bowl
Written and illustrated by Flo Leung

Owlkids Books 

Harold the Iceberg Melts Down
Written by Lisa Wyzlic
Illustrated by Rebecca Syracuse

RAI Feiwel and Friends

If You See a Bluebird
Written by Bahram Rahman
Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard

Pajama Press

Reviewed here

The Little Regent
Written by Yewande Daniel-Ayoade
Illustrated by Ken Daley

Owlkids Books

The Lost Stick
Written and illustrated by Anoosha Syed

PRHC Viking Books

Mandeep's Cloudy Days
Written by Kuljinder Kaur Brar
Illustrated by Samrath Kaur

Annick Press 

More Than Words: So Many Ways to Say What We Mean
Written and illustrated by Roz MacLean

RAI Henry Holt & Company

Still My Tessa
Written by Sylv Chang
Illustrated by Mathias Ball

Scholastic Canada

Reviewed here

When the Stars Came Home
Written by Brittany Luby
Illustrated by Natasha Donovan

Manda, Little Brown & Company

SILVER BIRCH EXPRESS

Always Beginning: The Big Bang, the Universe, and You
Written by Candace Savage
Illustrated by Rachel Wada

Greystone Books

 

Birds on the Brain
Written by Uma Krishnaswami
Illustrated by Julianna Swaney

Groundwood Books 

Dragon on the Loose
Written by Marty Chan
Illustrated by Grace Chen

Orca Book Publishers

Ghost Girl
Written by Brooke Carter
Illustrated by Alyssa Waterbury

Orca Book Publishers

Lost and Found: Based on a True Story
Written and Illustrated by Mei Yu

Union Square Kids

Odd Couples: A Guide to Unlikely Animal Pairs
Written by Maria Birmingham
Illustrated by Raz Latif

Owlkids Books

Operation Cupcake: How Simple Machines Work
Written and illustrated by Bambi Edlund

Kids Can Press

Salma Joins the Team (Salma, Book 3)
Written by Danny Ramadan
Illustrated by Anna Bron

Annick Press

Sarah Ponakey, Storycatcher and Âhâsiw’s Forest Powwow
Written by Sita MacMillan
Illustrated by Azby Whitecalf

Annick Press

Whales and Us: Our Shared Journey
Written by India Desjardins
Illustrated by Nathalie Dion

Translated by David Warriner

Orca Book Publishers

SILVER BIRCH FICTION

Asking for a Friend
Written by Ronnie Riley

Scholastic Canada

 

Bertie Stewart is Perfectly Imperfect
Written by Melanie Mosher

Nimbus Publishing 

Eerie Tales from the School of Screams
Written and illustrated by Graham Annable

First Second

Reviewed here

Game Face
Written by Shari Green

Groundwood Books

Gamerville
Written and illustrated by Johnnie Christmas

HarperAlley

Iggy Included
Written by Deborah Kerbel

Scholastic Canada

The Kodiaks: Home Ice Advantage
Written by David A. Robertson

HighWater Press

The Legendary Mo Seto
Written by A.Y. Chan

Aladdin

Mortified
Written by Kristy Jackson
Illustrated by Rhael McGregor

HarperCollins

Scarewaves
Written and illustrated by Trevor Henderson

Scholastic Canada 

•••••••••••••••••••••••

Nominees for the other programs can be linked from below:

Yellow Cedar

Red Maple

White Pine

Le prix Peuplier

Le prix Mézèle

Le prix Tamarac

 

2025 Forest of Reading®: Nominated titles announced

 

On Tuesday, the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading announced the 2025 nominated titles for its book award programs for school-aged readers. For months, teachers and librarians on selection committees have been reading submitted books by Canadian creators to compile these exceptional lists from which young readers will choose winners next spring.  

The lists of all nominated books are available on the OLA website here and schools, parents, everyone can register to be part of the program. (The program even extends beyond Ontario and Canada's borders.) Young readers from JK through high school have the opportunity to read and vote on their favourite books in these nine different categories:

• Blue Spruce: JK-Grade 2, picture books
• Silver Birch Express: Grades 3-4, fiction and non-fiction
• Silver Birch Fiction: Grades 3-6, fiction
• Yellow Cedar: Grades 4-8, non-fiction
• Red Maple: Grades 7-8, fiction
• White Pine: Grades 9-12, fiction
• Le prix Peuplier: French-language picture books, less text, simpler subject matters, perfect for read-alouds
• Le prix Mélèze: shorter French-language chapter books with maximum 100 pages or more mature picture books, larger text with pictures, simpler vocabulary and verb tenses
• Le prix Tamarac: French-language chapter books from 100 to 250 pages, smaller text with little or no illustrations, more complicated verb tenses and vocabulary

Because there are ninety nominated titles, I will break up the posts listing them in three groupings, all which can be accessed from this page. 

Do check out how to register for this fabulous reading program. All young readers are welcome. Just select the right program for your young readers.  

 

Congratulations to all nominees

and

Happy reading to Forest of Reading participants!

🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲

Blue Spruce Award™
(JK-Grade 2, English-language picture books)
Current nominees posted here

Silver Birch Express Award^®
(Grades 3-4, English-language fiction and non-fiction)
Current nominees posted here

Silver Birch Fiction Award^®
(Grades 3-6, English-language fiction)
Current nominees posted here

Yellow Cedar Award
(Grades 4-8, English-language non-fiction)
Current nominees posted here
   

Red Maple Award™
(Grades 7-8, English-language fiction)
Current nominees posted here

White Pine Award™
(Grades 9-12, English-language fiction)
Current nominees posted here

Le prix Peuplier
(French-language picture books, less text, simpler subject matters, perfect for read alouds)
Current nominees posted here
   

Le prix Mélèze
(shorter French-language chapter books maximum 100 pages or more mature picture books, larger text with pictures,  simpler vocabulary and verb tenses)
Current nominees posted here
 

Le prix Tamarac
(French-language chapter books from 100 to 250 pages, smaller text with little or no illustrations, more complicated verb tenses and vocabulary)
Current nominees posted here

 

 

 

 

 

Let the Forest begin! 

Milo the Knight

Written by Grégoire Laforce

Illustrated by Charlotte Parent

Milky Way Picture Books

978-1-990252-35-8

48 pp.

Ages 4-8

October 2024

 

Milo is a brave knight who comes from a long line of knights. His armor means everything to him, and he is proud to wear it. And he always wears it just in case a dragon attacks their colony. Those silly jesters could waste their time on frivolous activities, but Milo is determined to keep everyone safe from the bad out there.

From Milo the Knight, written by Grégoire Laforce, illustrated by Charlotte Parent

One day while outside the castle walls, Milo is caught in a horrific rainstorm. It goes on and on, raining and raining, and Milo keeps going. It's only when the rain stops, and Milo is still struggling to keep going that he realizes that his beautiful armor has rusted until it seizes completely.

From Milo the Knight, written by Grégoire Laforce, illustrated by Charlotte Parent

A wandering jester offers Milo help, but he initially refuses. After all, he is a knight and not a silly jester. But the jester suggests that the only way to help Milo is for Milo to remove his armor. Even though he is both shocked to consider this and fearful of not being able to protect the colony–something which he already could not do–Milo opens his visor, looks into the jester's eyes and is moved to tears.

From Milo the Knight, written by Grégoire Laforce, illustrated by Charlotte Parent

But the armor does not survive, falling into useless pieces, while Milo emerges for the first time to feel the warmth of the sun and the stirring of the wind. By shedding his armor, Milo also sheds his fears and his mistrust.

 

Gatineau's Grégoire Laforce, former military, seems to have something to say about the roles we play in a community, from the protectors to the entertainers. No one is only one thing. And to restrict yourself by putting on a shield of armor that keeps you separate from others and from experiencing a life that is full and varied can be harmful. Milo only knew about being a knight, as did his ancestors. He didn't know otherwise. It was only the jester with his own perspective and suggestion that Milo remove his armor–an armor that was doing him harm at that point–that Milo becomes open to another life. Perhaps this was Grégoire Laforce's experience too, going from the military life of service and security to having kitchen parties with his family at home, as his bio reveals. It probably wasn't as easy as just removing a uniform but, as with Milo and the jester, a little outlook can bring big change.

From Milo the Knight, written by Grégoire Laforce, illustrated by Charlotte Parent

Montreal artist Charlotte Parent, who illustrated Mireille Messier's The Magic Cap, uses coloured pencils to give Milo the Knight both a bright contemporary feel as well as a medieval tone appropriate for a story about a knight. Her use of colour that range from pinks and purples to oranges and greens keeps the story light and bright as do the patterns she uses to decorate borders with floral motifs and scenes of activity. Milo the Knight could've been a darker tale of perceived fears and wariness of others and even injury, but Charlotte Parent makes it a story of revelation through her radiant colours and emotive lines and shapes.

Milo the Knight thought his life had been determined and he would serve as he had been born to do so but a change in circumstance and an openness to see beyond the obvious gives him the opportunity for more in his life. His service was admirable, but it was time to live for himself and enjoy that which he'd never experienced before. Whether he becomes Milo the Jester or Milo the Vagabond or something else entirely, he's taken off his armor and left himself free and receptive to more possibilities.

 

The Rock and the Butterfly

Written by Kathy Stinson

Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-3700-3

32 pp.

Ages 6-8

October 2024 

 

There was a rock and there was a butterfly. Together their story is far greater than the sum of their parts. 

From The Rock and the Butterfly, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Once there was a rock that sat solidly on the ground.

 

And once there was a butterfly that flitted and fluttered everywhere.

The contrast in the rock and the butterfly is best understood when the butterfly tires from too much flitting and tucks itself into a groove in the rock to rest and keep the world from spinning. The rock offers comfort and safety. That is, until one day, the rock is gone.

From The Rock and the Butterfly, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

The butterfly really needs the rock and it is perplexed because a "rock was always where you left it...wasn't it?" Bereft, the butterfly looks for that comfort and safety elsewhere. It tries a hanging leaf and the space between blades of grass, but it cannot find a refuge that replicates that rest and security.

From The Rock and the Butterfly, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Still, relegated to take shelter on the ground itself, the butterfly finds that this last resort offers new possibilities to feel the warmth of the sun and the calm of the moonlight and get just a bit of that quivering joy back into its wings. The rock may be gone but the ground that cradled it can now offer support to another.

Oh my. There's no way a reader would know that this is a story about friendship and support, but also loss and grief and finally acceptance. That's a lot for a picture book. But it's not an "in-your-face" message about dealing with loss. Author Kathy Stinson has given younger readers a lovely story about two friends but, with a little help from an older reader, adult or otherwise, they may be able to see beyond the obvious and see a deeper relationship. They could see sadness and coping, joy and growth. Kathy Stinson, author extraordinaire of everything from picture books like Red is Best, The Man with the Violin and The Dog Who Wanted to Fly to young adult novels like What Happened to Ivy, always finds a way to tell important stories but in discrete plots and, often, with few words that are staggeringly impactful. It may be a story about a rock and a butterfly, but it goes beyond that simple premise, and speaks to the connection that bolsters life.

From The Rock and the Butterfly, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Brooke Kerrigan, who illustrated one of my favourite Christmas stories (The Christmas Wind by Stephanie Simpson McLellan), uses a blend of watercolour, gouache, pencil crayon and ink, with digital layering to achieve extraordinarily simple but robust artwork. As the title suggests, there are few characters that progress the story line, but Brooke Kerrigan focuses on the butterfly as it struggles, despairs, and rallies. Her nuance in the butterfly's disposition keeps the focus on that character while placing it in a vast and gorgeous world of land and sea, sky and weather. (Just look at those flowers in the illustration above.)

 

The Rock and the Butterfly released today, and I hope that parents and teachers will grab it for meaningful discussions. I believe that it's a story that encompasses much depth that would make it a basis for numerous lessons, from those about loss and grief to visual literacy–what does the butterfly show in its demeanour?–and speculation about the outcome for the rock. I could even see science lessons about living and non-living things and their relationships, and creative writing about the future for the butterfly, and even the absentee rock. But, most of all, The Rock and the Butterfly reminds us that loss is not limited to humans and that dealing with loss is a natural process that requires self-care, time, and a support system. Fortunately for this butterfly, healing is realized.

What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce?

Written by Sarah Jane Conklin

Illustrated by Venus Angelica

Monster House Publishing

978-1-99822-308-4

38 pp.

Ages 6-9

September 2024 

 

I can't think of a better picture book to share for Thanksgiving than What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce?, which will the first book I will have reviewed from New Brunswick's Monster House Publishing. I'm just thankful that I read it this week and was able to get a review out in a timely manner.

From What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce? written by Sarah Jane Conklin, illustrated by Venus Angelica

As a child, Alanna helped her Nan in her garden, sowing seeds and bulbs for tomatoes and onions, garlic and herbs, and more. When they harvested, it was time to bring out the great big pot and start cooking. As their sauce cooks, Alanna is amazed by the aromas, both proud and intoxicated. But the smells that waft from their kitchen drift onto the street and draw neighbours and even strangers to the house. Even before the sauce is done, Nan tells visitors to come back for supper.

More people came to taste the sauce,

Its scent spilled through the town.

Her Nan invited all to dine,

Despite Alanna's frown.

From What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce? written by Sarah Jane Conklin, illustrated by Venus Angelica

They all return, everyone bringing what they are able, whether it be drinks or spaghetti, bread or prayers of thanks. And, miraculously, there is enough for all. 

Later Alanna grows into a chef and holds dear that recipe, but she carries on the traditions of generosity and sharing, having learned that the secret ingredient was not something that had to be picked and chopped or squirrelled away in the pantry.

At 9 years of age, it was all about Alanna and what she wanted, from insisting that all the seeds were hers–"They're all mine!"–as is the sauce–"I picked clean each vine, the sauce is mine, I'll keep it all myself"–to her worry that there wouldn't be enough sauce for her if they shared with others. She couldn't see beyond herself. This isn't unusual for very young children who see everything that happens as it relates to them. Fortunately, Alanna has a very wise Nan who guides her to experience generosity and gratitude by opening her heart and her kitchen to all.

"If everyone would do their part–

Contribute what they're able,

There'll always be enough for all,

If just brought to the table."

Similar to the parable about the fish and the loves, What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce? isn't about cooking or a recipe. It's about feeding masses with very little, all courtesy of a miracle. Nan's pot, even cauldron size, should only feed a limited number of people but, by some marvel, there is plenty. And there always is plenty in our world. People should not be going hungry. Author Sarah Jane Conklin, who currently lives in Nova Scotia but hails from Newfoundland, opens her story with a quote from Bono: "If you want to eliminate hunger, everybody has to be involved." Sarah Jane Conklin takes that sentiment and lodges it at a grass roots level in Nan's kitchen which she opens to everyone and anyone. Her secret sauce may draw them in, but everyone shares something, whether it be food, drink or sentiment, to turn a little sauce into a phenomenon to feel the belly and soul. And it's a lesson she teaches her grandchild by example.

From What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce? written by Sarah Jane Conklin, illustrated by Venus Angelica

I didn't know the work of illustrator Venus Angelica, originally from Toronto and now of Fredericton, but, wow, did she take me into Nan's garden and her kitchen, and even onto the street from which strangers and neighbours alike are drawn in. Her palette of autumnal colours of red, orange, green and yellow reflect the time of the harvest and also the time of Thanksgiving. Moreover, though they are just cooking and eating, there is life in Venus Angelica's art, from the bounce of Alanna's long curly hair to the swirls of aromas wafting from their cooking pot. And there is always goodness in the smiles of those partaking in the sauce to those doing the dishes and especially for Alanna's Nan who gives without reservation.

 

Having recently filled my own kitchen with jars and jars of tomato sauce and salsa, What's in Alanna's Secret Sauce? reminds me of the busyness and creation of good food. But it's the sharing of that food, giving without expectation, that brings the greatest joy and achieves the greatest good. So, this Thanksgiving, give thanks for food and give food to share, so that all have enough. And that's not much of a secret.

2024 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:

• 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)

Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams
Written by Shari Green
Andrews McMeel Publishing

A Crane Among Wolves
Written by June Hur
Feiwel and Friends (MacMillan Publishers)

Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix

Written by Cherie Dimaline
Feiwel and Friends (MacMillan Publishers)

Crash Landing
Written by Li Charmaine Anne
Annick Press

Mortified
Written by Kristy Jackson
HarperCollins Canada

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

One Giant Leap
Written and illustrated by Thao Lam
Owlkids Books

Reviewed here

I’m Afraid, Said the Leaf
Written by Danielle Daniel

Illustrated by Matt James
Tundra Books (Penguin Random House Canada)

The Gulf
Written and illustrated by Adam de Souza
Tundra Books (Penguin Random House Canada)

Do You Remember?
Written and illustrated by Sydney Smith
Groundwood Books (House of Anansi Press)

Reviewed here

Skating Wild on an Inland Sea
Written by Jean E. Pendziwol

Illustrated by Todd Stewart
Groundwood Books (House of Anansi Press)

 

 

 

 

 

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

Carreauté Kid
Écrit par Marc-André Dufour-Labbé
Leméac Éditeur

Déménager au ciel
Écrit par Mélodie Bujold-Henri et Jean-Guy Forget
la courte échelle

Une bulle en dehors du temps
Écrit par Stéfani Meunier
Leméac Éditeur

Envole-toi, Mikun
Écrit par Moira-Uashteskun Bacon
Éditions Hannenorak

Les quatre vérités
Écrit par Dominique Chicoine
Les Éditions du Boréal

 

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

Histoires fantastiques (et peut-être vraies)
Écrit et illustré par Caroline Merola
la courte échelle

Jour d’orage
Écrit et illustré par Marianne Ferrer
Monsieur Ed

Le fil d’Alphée
Écrit par Marie-Andrée Arsenault

Illustré par Dominique Leroux
Les éditions la Morue verte

Le premier arbre de Noël
Écrit par Ovila Fontaine

Illustré par Charlotte Parent
Éditions de la Pastèque

Margot veut une moustache
Écrit par Iris Boudreau

Illustré par Richard Écrapou
Les Éditions de la Bagnole

 

 

 

 

 

Winning titles will be announced
on November 13, 2024.