The nine winners of the 2025 Canadian Jewish Literary Awards have been announced. The winner in the Children and Youth category is The Light Keeper, written by Sheila Baslaw and Karen Levine, and illustrated by Alice Priestley (Second Story Press). The awards will be presented at a gala ceremony on Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 2 pm at the Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue in Toronto. The event is free and open to the public. To register, click here. Learn more about The Light Keeper below.
The Light Keeper is a story of light—both physical and metaphorical. Shmuel is eager to help support his poor family, but no one in his shtetl will hire a 10-year-old boy. One day, two men arrive and install electric lamps, bringing the miracle of light to the village square. When a lamp breaks during a storm, Shmuel, who had carefully watched the men as they worked, is the only one who can fix it. To do it, he must overcome his fear of heights. This story is based on tales Sheila Baslaw’s father told her about life in Porilla, a shtetl near Kyiv. Told from a child’s perspective, their themes overcoming fears, family responsibility, and the importance of community—are universal. With co-author Karen Levine, who wrote Hana’s Suitcase, Baslaw, who is 92, is passing the stories on to the next generation. The atmospheric illustrations rendered in sepia and earth tones by Toronto artist Alice Priestley enrich a tale that touches the heart as it illuminates a chapter of our collective past.
To see all the winners, click here.