Expert booksellers and librarians share their top picks for young readers. Check out what our experts are reading this November!
The One About the Blackbird
written by Melanie Florence
illustrated by Matt James
Tundra Books, 2025
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades 2-3
Jack grows up in a house filled with music. His grandfather, an avid record collector and multi-instrumentalist, patiently teaches the child how to play guitar. Their favourite song is “the one about the blackbird.” In affecting, full-circle fashion, when a grown-up Jack returns home for a visit years later, he helps his grandfather remember the love they share.
Matt James’ signature acrylic and collage paintings are full of harmonious details and connections, from the vast vinyl collection lining the walls to the moving scene of Jack gently guiding his grandfather’s hand over his guitar.
The One About the Blackbird is a tender picture book that sings with the power of music to stir emotions and evoke memories.
Recommended by Linda Ludke, Collections Management Librarian, London Public Library
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Kindred Dragons IL: Ages: 9-13 RL: Grades 4-5
With all of her heart, Alice longs to be a Kindred, one of the lucky ones who receive a dragon egg from the fairies. Staying on Prince Edward Island with her stern, no-nonsense grandmother, Alice fervently hopes and dreams of receiving an egg... to no avail. And with her vivid imagination and fiery passion, she seems to be constantly at odds with her disapproving grandmother. But then Alice meets and bonds with Brim, an elderly dragon in the forest. When she eventually discovers who this dragon is, she enlists her grandmother's help to reunite him with his Kindred one last time. In the process, Alice discovers her own very special connection to dragons.
With plenty of nods to Anne of Green Gables, this utterly charming tale is emotionally rich and a pure delight of its very own! Alice is a tender-hearted, compassionate protagonist and her story is as original as it is reminiscent of L.M. Montgomery's beloved tale. The watercolour artwork is fine-lined and luminous, bringing the setting vividly to life and capturing a range of emotions in the expressions on the faces of each character (dragon and human alike). A nuanced and compelling plot, multi-faceted characters and their evolving relationships, and a beautiful setting are deftly rendered in this outstanding graphic novel.
Recommended by Lisa Doucet, Manager, Woozles Children's Bookstore