Amy Kay
Hooked on Books
Canadian Children’s Book Week (April 30 to Saturday May 6, 2023) is an important national event celebrating Canadian children’s books and the importance of reading. Each May, over hundreds of readings are given to thousands of children, teens and adults in over 100 communities across the country. Hundreds of schools, public libraries, bookstores and community centres host events as part of this literary festival. Canadian authors, illustrators and storytellers will be virtually visiting schools, libraries, community centres and bookstores across Canada throughout the week. Visit bookweek.ca for more details.
The event is organized by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, which is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging, promoting and supporting the reading, writing, illustrating and publishing of Canadian books for young readers.
You can visit The Canadian Children’s Book Centre website bookcentre.ca for a number of resources to help you find great Canadian books for young readers. Get tips on choosing books for children by age and by genre, browse a database of curated books and magazines, and watch book readings and digital content promoting Canadian children’s books. Here are some great selections for kids of all ages, available to reserve at countylibrary.ca.
Lizzy and the Cloud by the Fan Brothers (for ages three to eight)
Lizzy and the Cloud is a picture book about a girl named Lizzy and the pet cloud named Milo that she loves and cares for. But as Milo continues to grow and grow, the time is fast approaching when Lizzy has to let her pet go free.
Eric Fan and Terry Fan are brothers and frequent collaborators on children’s books. Their books include The Night Gardener and Ocean Meets Sky. They also illustrated The Darkest Dark by astronaut and author Chris Hadfield.
Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas (for ages eight to 12)
Swim Team follows middle schooler Bree as she navigates swim class. Bree is excited for her first day at her new middle school until she’s stuck with the only elective class that fits her schedule, Swim 101. Swimming makes Bree sick to her stomach, but she’s forced to dive headfirst into her fear. With the help of Etta, her elderly neighbour and former swim team captain, Bree becomes good at swimming. Her swimming obsessed community is counting on her to guide her school’s failing swim team to a state championship, but first, they have to defy all odds and beat their rival, Holyoke Prep.
Johnnie Christmas lives in Vancouver and is a #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novelist. He’s best known for creating the Angel Catbird series with Margaret Atwood and adapting the lost Alien 3 screenplay into a graphic novel of the same name.
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults by Robin Wall Kimmerer, adapted by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt (for ages 13 and up)
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults brings Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the lessons American scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer brought to the fore in Braiding Sweetgrass to a younger generation. Adapted by writer Monique Gray Smith and illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt, this new edition reinforces the importance of gaining ecological knowledge from earth’s oldest teachers: the plants around us.
Monique Gray Smith is a mixed-heritage – Cree, Lakota and Scottish – author who often writes and speaks about the resilience of Indigenous communities in Canada. She is also the author of the children’s books Speaking Our Truth and You Hold Me Up and the novels Tilly and Tilly and the Crazy Eights.
Neidhardt is a Diné visual artist and illustrator. Smith and Neidhardt previously collaborated on When We Are Kind, a children’s book that celebrates simple acts of everyday kindness.