With the success of the first-ever I Read Canadian Day on February 19th, we wanted to share some easy tips on how you can keep reading Canadian through out the year!
The CCBC magazines, Best Books for Kids & Teens and Canadian Children’s Book News
Best Books for Kids & Teens is your semi-annual guide to the best of Canadian children’s literature. Ranging from books for newborn babies to teens, our guide is the perfect tool to stock your classroom, library, and even your home. Expert educators, booksellers, and school and public librarians across Canada have handpicked these books to bring you a high range of engaging, quality Canadian content.
There’s even an online version on the CCBC website that is accessible to anyone. With a keyword search engine, finding Canadian books online has never been easier!
Canadian Children’s Book News, published quarterly, is your magazine for book reviews, author/illustrator profiles, news and more. Apart from actually reading Canadian, staying up to date on current topics affecting children’s education and reading is important too!
Canadian Children’s Book News and Best Books for Kids & Teens are available by subscription.
Apply for a reading during Book Week for your school, bookstore, library or community centre
Canadian Children’s Book Week is a national event that celebrates Canadian books and the importance of children’s literacy. From May 2 to 9, seven talented authors and illustrators will be touring outside of their home provinces visiting schools, bookstores, libraries, and community centres as part of Canada’s largest celebration of reading!
See the full list of touring authors and illustrators and apply for a reading today! The deadline for applications is March 15, 2020.
Attend author/illustrator events
Consider attending one of the many literary festivals that happen year-round! Spanning all across Canada, these events provide amazing opportunities to not only meet your favourite authors and illustrators but to discover amazing, new talents as well. Join discussions and author signings with people who truly love books and get inspired by your fellow book community!
Saskatchewan Festival of Words
The CCBC’s new YouYube channel, Bibliovideo
We are launching a new and exciting YouYube channel in May called Bibliovideo. Showcasing videos and links about Canadian books for children and teens, this will be a great way for teachers, librarians, parents, authors and illustrators to stay informed about children’s literature. Featured videos may include author interviews, read-alongs, how-to’s from illustrators, publishers’ trailers, book reviews, and more!
In the meantime, make sure to check out all the great interviews and readings of Canadian authors and illustrators on the CCBC YouTube channel!
Follow your favourite Canadian authors and illustrators on social media
Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are all incredible ways to stay connected with your favourite creators! Not only is it a great way to stay informed about upcoming books from your favourite authors, but it’s also a great way to stay up-to-date within the book community and have important conversations with like-minded people.
Create a display of your favourite Canadian books
Exhibit your love of reading at home by creating displays of your favourite Canadian reads! Change it up as the seasons’ change or whatever mood strikes you at that very moment. This fun and creative project will guarantee that Canadian literature stays at the forefront of minds.
Read a Canadian book before bed
Who else looks forward to that moment when you sit back, relax, and get ready to read that bedtime story with your little one? If so, why not add a Canadian title to the mix? You don’t have to read solely Canadian of course, but by adding just one Canadian book to the week, you are already one step ahead of the game!
Join a Book Club
If you’re already part of a book club, why not suggest reading more Canadian? It doesn’t hurt to try and spark change in your book community by adding more Canadian to the reading list and if that doesn’t work out… Then why not start your own I Read Canadian book club?
Visit your local library and bookstore
Visit your local library and bookstore and tell them it’s important to read Canadian literature. With only 20% of books actually being Canadian in most bookstores and libraries, having these types of conversations will show librarians and booksellers that people genuinely care about what they’re reading and could even increase orders on Canadian books.
Blogs, Podcasts, and YouTube channels
Who else’s TBR pile is forever growing? Nowadays, there are so many different mediums and methods that enable us to discover books. It all just comes down to the person and their preferences. Here are some bookish blogs we think could help you discover your next great Canadian read!
The Canadian Children’s Book Centre produces two podcasts about Canadian books: YA Write! with Amy Mathers and Readerly.
Read in sprints or on your commute to and from work
It can be hard finding time to dedicate a couple of hours to read every day, which is why we challenge you to the 15 Minute Sprint Challenge. Pick your Canadian book, set your timer, and read away till that bell goes off! Or why not pass the time during that long commute home with a great Canadian book instead, or if you’re driving, audiobooks will do wonders for that formidable rush hour.
Do you have any other suggestions on ways to keep reading Canadian? Let us know on social media @kidsbookcentre.