Blogs

In celebration of Black History Month, the Canadian Children’s Book Centre has compiled a list of 20 Canadian books for kids and teens. Celebrate the month of February in your school or library with any of these fine books.

In celebration of Family Literacy Day, the Canadian Children’s Book Centre has compiled a list of 50 Canadian books (25 picture books and 25 works of fiction) that share in the joys (and struggles) of families of all sizes and combinations. Why not celebrate this year's Family Literacy Day with one of these fine books.

Canadian-born author Moira Young has won the UK’s Costa Book Award for children’s literature for her debut novel, Blood Red Road. The Costa Book Awards is one of the UK's most prestigious and popular literary prizes and recognises some of the most enjoyable books of the year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.

As 2011 comes to a close, Quill & Quire has picked their top five books for young people. According to Q&Q staff, "There’s no formula for deciding. Some are critical darlings, some are word-of-mouth favourites. Some introduce us to important new voices, some represent the best work from established authors. And some are simply exceptional works we think people will be reading and talking about for years to come. Together, these five books made the biggest impact in YA and kidlit in 2011."

A number of Canadian creators were honoured at the 2011 Moonbream Children's Book Awards. The contest is designed to honour the year's best children’s books, authors and illustrators. This exciting new book awards program is open to authors, illustrators, and publishers of children’s books written in English or Spanish and intended for the North American market.

At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month... Remembrance Day honours the sacrifices of the men and women of the armed forces who fought for our freedom. Commemorate this November 11th with a list of Canadian World War I and World War II books for young readers.

Three Canadian books have made the the New York Times Book Review's list of the 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2011. The books were selected by a panel of three judges - Jeanne Lamb (New York Public Library); Lucy Calkins, (Teachers College, Columbia University); and Sophie Blackall (author and artist). The November 13 issue of the Book Review will feature the artwork from this year's winners.

Halloween is quickly approaching. Activities on this day often include trick-or-treating, costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, visiting haunted houses and telling scary ghost stories. This year, why not celebrate Halloween with a great Canadian children's book. Settle in for a light-hearted story or prepare for some spooky tales that aren't for the faint of heart. Click here for a list of Halloween-themed books.

October 2-8, 2011 is Mental Illness Awareness Week in Canada. The goal of this week is to end the stigma associated with mental illness, and ensure better understanding and access to diagnosis and treatment. There are a number of Canadian children's books with mental illness themes that can help young readers understand these conditions.

The White Ravens is an annual catalogue featuring 250 new and notable titles of children's and young adult literature from over 40 countries. The language specialists of the International Youth Library (IYL) in Munich, Germany select the books in the course of the previous year from the incoming donations to acclaim the most noteworthy and remarkable ones. Ten Canadian titles, six in English and four in French, were honoured this year.