On Wednesday February 19th, we joined Canadian authors Eric Walters, Sharon Jennings, Melanie Florence, Ruth Ohi, spoken word poet Wali Shah and four time Juno award-winner Jack Grunsky at Folkstone Public School in Brampton for the inauguration of the first ever I Read Canadian Day — a day dedicated to celebrating the richness and diversity that Canadian books have to offer young people.

Watch a short clip of Jack Grunksy’s performance here!

To kick off the event, singer-songwriter Jack Grunsky performed his hit, I Can Read, to the students at Folkstone Public School!

 

Eric Walters lead the day with incredibly vivid and engaging behind-the-scene stories about what inspired his books, such as up-close encounters with tigers, birthday parties in Kenya and his big love for basketball.

 

Sharon Jennings captivated the younger audience with a read aloud of her book, C’mere Boy! — a playful tale that follows the classic story of a boy who wants a dog, BUT with a twist… Instead, it is Dog who wants a boy of his very own, and must find his perfect companion no matter what it takes!

 

Spoken word poet, Wali Shah, made a tremendous impression on the younger crowd with his inspirational rhymes. If you want to change the world, start with yourself first — be kind to others, says Shah.

 

If there is anyone who knows how to get a crowd excited, it’s Melanie Florence! Her exuberance really shined through with her First Nations trickster tale of Baby Turtle and Coyote — a definite crowd favourite.

 

Ruth Ohi closed the event with the adorable picture book duo we all love, Fox and Squirrel. Inspiring kids to use their imaginations, Ruth showed the kids all you have to do is write and draw whatever matters to you, then anything can happen on a page.

 

This was truly an amazing and unforgettable experience! The energy that Folkstone brought with them was truly admirable and it was incredible to see all the students under one roof celebrating and enjoying a Canadian love of reading. We want to send a warm thank you to everyone who participated on I Read Canadian Day! And although February 19th may be over, we still encourage each and everyone to keep sharing the love that is Canadian literature.

How did you celebrate I Read Canadian Day? Let us know on social media @kidsbookcentre.