December 2023 Newsletter
News from the Canadian Children's Book Centre & Friends
Look Who's Touring for Book Week 2024!
The Canadian Children's Book Centre is excited to announce the touring creators for Canadian Children's Book Week 2024. Thirty-two creators (authors, illustrators and storytellers) have been selected to take part in this hybrid tour. Learn more here.
The colder months are here and nothing transforms a cold space like beautiful art. Support the CCBC, support artists and enjoy original art when you purchase from the Picture Book Gallery. Enjoy winter-themed art, perfect for the holidays! Visit the Picture Book Gallery today!
In November 2021, we launched the Picture Book Gallery as a way to generate funds for Canadian Children’s Book Week, which connects Canadian creators with children and teens across Canada. The Picture Book Gallery supports our annual tour that allows 28,000 young Canadians to participate in over 400 readings and workshops in a single week. Illustrators set their own prices, with 60% of the value of their art sold donated to Book Week. This event is a great opportunity for illustrators to showcase their work to a wider audience, all while generously contributing to a love of reading in children across Canada.
For our Growing Literacy campaign, we are currently developing a webinar and downloadable resources supporting emergent reading that will be available on the CCBC’s website and Bibliovideo, our YouTube channel.
We invite educators to share their input on the project through a short survey. Complete the survey to be eligible for a prize package of books. We appreciate your feedback! Click here to access the survey.
Stock Up on CCBC Illustrated Greeting Cards!
Support the CCBC today by purchasing our pack of eight greeting cards featuring art from past Canadian Children's Book Week posters. Each pack includes art by Barbara Reid, Julie Flett, Ian Wallace, Wallace Edwards, Bill Slavin, Elly MacKay, Gabrielle Grimard and Eugenie Fernandes.
Recent Awards Round-Up
There's been so much award activity and announcements in the kidlit industry lately, we figured we'd do a round-up of the most recent ones on our radar—including the winners of the 2023 Quebec Writers' Foundation Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, the Writers' Trust Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, and the 2023 Canadian Jewish Literary Awards for Fiction and Children and Youth. Learn more here.
Accessibility Column
Has Anyone Seen My Literacy?
by Hannalora Leavitt
I was an early reader, but that didn’t mean I could pronounce every word. My first word hurdle was dapple-grey. I just couldn’t figure out how to pronounce it. It stumped me.
I knew words in this way, seeing them on a page, words organized in sentences, paragraphs, chapters and, finally, into entire books. I could choose to read anything or everything—because I could.
My enthusiasm for reading and writing has never faltered, though how I go about it now has dramatically changed since the Dapple-Grey Era. Since then, I have lost most of my vision and my engagement with words is almost exclusively in the audio format. Here’s what I didn’t know I didn’t know.
The first casualty of my literacy was spelling. How do you spell Des Moines, Iowa anyway? And let’s not forget white space which indicates the passage of time in a story. How many white spaces constitute an hour, a week? And then there is the matter of internal dialogue which should be italicized. Who knew internal dialogue was in italic? See what I mean?
Thank you, Louis Braille and Thomas Edison, for embarking on this tactile-to-audio literacy journey. I wonder what the future has in store for us?
Hannalora Leavitt is a University of Victoria graduate in writing who lives and works in the Garden City on Vancouver Island. She is currently writing her second book entitled All About Us: Letting Our Difference Make a Difference from Orca Book Publishers. This title is expected to be the publisher's first all-formats release and is anxiously anticipated.
Visit the Accessible Books playlist at YouTube.com/bibliovideo for more about ebooks, audiobooks, titles in braille, large font, and more.
Bibliovideo: An interview with Wanda John-Kehewin
Wanda John-Kehewin (she, her, hers) is a Cree writer who uses her work to understand and respond to the near destruction of First Nations cultures, languages, and traditions. Join Wanda and Bibliovideo's Spencer Miller for an in-depth conversation about her young adult novel, Hopeless in Hope. To read an excerpt from this interview, click here.
December Book List: Our Favourites of 2023
Our December book list features some of our favourite Canadian titles from 2023. Get young readers excited about reading with this curated list, great for families, librarians and teachers.
Picture Books
100 Chapatis
Written by Derek Mascarenhas
Illustrated by Shantala Robinson
Owlkids Books, 2023
978-1-77147-563-1
IL: Ages 4-7 RL: Grades 2-3
A boy makes 100 chapatis with his grandfather while they wait for news of his new baby sibling’s arrival. Simon doesn’t want the baby to come. He was happy with just his mom, dad and Pappa. Now, Mom and Dad are at the hospital, and Simon and Pappa are waiting for news at home. A debut picture book with texture-rich illustrations and simple evocative text.
Maybe a Whale
Written by Kirsten Pendreigh
Illustrated by Crystal Smith
Groundwood Books, 2023
978-1-77306-664-6
IL: Age 3-6 RL: Grades 2-3
After Grandpa dies, a girl and her mother take the trip he had planned for her, kayaking along the Pacific west coast to look for the whales that he loved. There is so much to see as they paddle through white-tipped waves and calm coves: glowing moon jellies, fluttering anemones and slippery seals. All the while, the girl watches for whales. Finally, in the dark of night, they hear them—pushhhhhhhh, pushhhhhhh—humpbacks breathing in the bay.
Waking Ben Doldrums
Written by Heather Smith
Illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler
Orca Book Publishers, 2023
978-1-4598-3391-3
IL: Ages 6-8 RL: Grades 2-3
Every morning, Frida and her neighbours wake each other by knocking on the ceilings and walls of their apartments. This morning tradition makes Frida feel like she’s part of something big. But one day, Ben Doldrums, the student who lives upstairs, stops knocking. Frida notices that Ben Doldrums is not himself and she wants to help. But how?
When You Can Swim
Written and illustrated by Jack Wong
Orchard Books/Scholastic
978-1-338-83096-5
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades 2-3
This exploration of what it truly means to swim is an empowering invitation to children to discover their confidence within to receive the warmth and wonder of the natural world. A reverent celebration of learning to swim among a diverse cast of children and families who each experience the mysterious joys of water in nature.
Junior & Intermediate Fiction
Salma Makes a Home
(The Salma Series, Book 1)
Written by Danny Ramadan
Illustrated by Anna Bron
Annick Press, 2023
978-1-77321-762-8
IL: Ages 6-9 RL: Grades 2-3
After almost two years, Salma’s dad is joining her family in Vancouver. Salma’s so happy to see her Baba and throws herself into showing him around the city and helping him learn English. But as Baba shares memories of Damascus, Salma realizes how much she misses Syria, too. Can Salma and Baba make space in their hearts for two homes?
The Probability of Everything
Written by Sarah Everett
Clarion Books, 2023
978-0-06-325655-2
IL: Ages 10-14 RL: Grades 4-5
Kemi, an 11-year-old probability and science enthusiast, has four days to create a time-capsule record of her beloved family before Amplus-68, an asteroid on a collision course with Earth, ends her life as she has known it. But no time capsule can change the truth behind it all…that Kemi must face the hardest part of life—saying goodbye.
The Umbrella House
Written by Colleen Nelson
Pajama Press, 2023
978-1-77278-279-0
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-5
Hoping to win the young journalist contest, Roxy and Scout are looking for a story worth telling. When a real-estate mogul threatens to buy their East Village apartment building, Umbrella House, they decide to create a video about the people who live there. As they dig into the history of Umbrella House, they find clues to another mystery.
The Unlovable Alina Butt
Written by Ambreen Butt-Hussain
Orca Book Publishers, 2023
978-1-4598-3491-0
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-5
Eleven-year-old Alina Butt has changed schools four times since her family’s move from Pakistan, but she isn’t getting any better at being the new kid. Wanting this year to be different, Alina auditions for the school play. Her hopes of re-inventing herself are dashed when she doesn’t get the lead role… Can Alina find her own way to shine?
Young Adult Fiction
Bliss Adair and the First Rule of Knitting
Written by Jean Mills
Red Deer Press, 2023
978-0-88995-684-1
IL: Ages 14 and up RL: Grades 7-8
Bliss Adair, 16, ace knitter and equations wiz, can solve the most challenging math problems. But she discovers that helping friends isn’t like fixing a knitting mistake and that some secrets are meant to be shared while others are not. Should she get involved? Give advice? Does the first rule of knitting—don't look too far ahead—always apply to life?
Brighter Than the Sun
Written by Daniel Aleman
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2023
978-0-316-70447-2
IL: Ages 14 and up RL: Grades 9-10
Every day, 16-year-old Sol makes the exhausting trip across the border from her hometown of Tijuana, Mexico, to attend school in the United States. She’s determined to become the first person in her family to go to college. But her family’s restaurant is struggling, and Sol is torn between supporting her family and fulfilling her own dreams.
Funeral Songs for Girls
Written by Cherie Dimaline
Tundra Books, 2023
978-0-7352-6563-9
IL: Ages 14 and up RL: Grades 9-10
Win lives in the Winterson Cemetery, where her dad’s job as caretaker is threatened. Her Métis mother died in childbirth and is buried at Winterson. After confirmed ghost sightings, a ghost tour operator proposes adding Winterson to his itinerary, which might save her father’s job, except that the only ‘ghost’ is Win, roaming the graveyard at night… or is it?
Something More
Written by Jackie Khalilieh
Tundra Books, 2023
978-1-77488-213-9
IL: Ages 12 and up RL: Grades 7-8
Fifteen-year-old Palestinian-Canadian Jessie is diagnosed as autistic just before starting high school, and she’s determined to keep her diagnosis a secret. At Holy Trinity High, she finds things are not so black and white and discovers that living in colour is much more fun. But Jessie gets more than she bargained for when two very different boys steal her heart.
Non-Fiction
Akim Aliu: Dreamer
(Original Graphic Memoir)
Written by Akim Aliu and Greg Anderson Elysée
Illustrated by Karen De la Vega and Marcus Williams
Graphix/Scholastic, 2023
978-1-338-78760-3
IL: Ages 12 and up RL: Grades 7-8
Akim Aliu—also known as Dreamer—is a Ukrainian-Nigerian-Canadian hockey player whose career took him across the world. He experienced systemic racism at every turn. This graphic memoir tells Akim's story, from being the only Black child in his Ukrainian community to his family’s struggles in Toronto to confronting the racist violence he experienced on and off the ice.
Alone: The Journeys of Three Young Refugees
Written by Paul Tom
Illustrated by Mélanie Baillairgé
Translated by Arielle Aaronson
Groundwood Books, 2023
978-1-77306-929-6
IL: Ages 13 and up RL: Grades 5-6
Each year, more than 400 minors arrive alone—without parents or any adult at all—in Canada requesting refugee status. This book relates the journeys of three of them: Afshin, Alain and Patricia. Their stories are of sacrifices and countless hardships but also of the courage and resilience these young people demonstrate in their quest for a safer future. Available in French as Seuls.
The Antiracist Kitchen: 21 Stories (and Recipes)
Edited by Nadia L. Hohn
Illustrated by Roza Nozari
Orca Book Publishers, 2023
978-1-4598-3343-2
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-5
In this anthology featuring stories and recipes from 21 diverse and award-winning North American children's authors, the authors share the role of food in their lives and how it has helped fight discrimination, reclaim culture and celebrate people with different backgrounds. They bring personal and sometimes difficult experiences growing up as racialized people. Chopped, seared, marinated and stewed, this book highlights the power of sitting down to share a meal and how that simple act can help bring us all together.
Indigenous Ingenuity: A Celebration of Traditional North American Knowledge
Written by Deirdre Havrelock and Edward Kay
Illustrated by Kalila Fuller
Christy Ottavino Books, 2023
978-0-316-41333-6
IL: Ages 11 and up RL: Grades 6-7
Corn. Chocolate. Fishing hooks. Boats that float. Spanning topics from transportation to civil engineering, hunting technologies, astronomy, architecture and agriculture, this book highlights scientific discoveries and technological inventions from Indigenous North Americans. Readers are invited to celebrate Indigenous innovation and embrace the mindset of reciprocity, environmental responsibility, and the interconnectedness of all life.
Photo: Belle Ancell
Creator's Corner: Kim Spencer
What drew you to writing and how did you get your start as a writer?
I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing. I lean towards literary fiction that transports you to other worlds. That you can learn from, and that is emotionally moving. You can't help but feel empathy when you look at life from someone else’s perspective.
Around 2015, I started mainly reading IBPOC, which helped me see how vital representation is in literature, especially for young readers. I began writing short stories around the same time. Then, I applied to The Writer’s Studio at SFU in 2019, where I workshopped those collections of short stories. They eventually became Weird Rules To Follow! I was fortunate. Things happened very quickly for me.
In Indigenous cultures, knowledge has been traditionally kept in oral storytelling. In which ways, if any, does this oral tradition of storytelling inspire and/or inform your work as a writer?
I grew up with my grandmother, who tended to communicate through stories. She celebrated, reminisced, taught lessons, and reproved me through stories. It was often through everyday events and in slow, quiet moments. When we were in the kitchen, at the laundromat or taking the bus together. Even in stillness and silence, there was a story. A time to be serious, a solemn occasion, or if I was in trouble. I knew the difference.
That communication style not only stuck, but it’s a part of me. It imparted lifelong lessons. There is so much to see and learn in everyday moments. Even with the use of repetition, Indigenous people love repeating stories. And because the storytelling is so enjoyable—you don’t mind hearing it again.
What had been your fears, hopes and dreams for your first book, Weird Rules to Follow?
Early readers of my manuscript consistently gave me reassuring feedback. Because of them, I had high hopes for my book—that it would be taught in schools, and dreamed it would one day become a classic novel.
Poems work together to tell an overarching story in verse novels. These works, known for their brevity, feature lyrical writing and pack an emotional punch. What drew you to write your next work, a young adult book, as a verse novel?
I love the emotional punch. The impact lands harder in a verse novel. And a weightier message may be better received when read in lyrical prose. It says so much with so little. That less is more feels closer to my natural writing voice. And getting back to oral storytelling, it’s a similar form, an economy of words.
What can you share about your picture book slated to come out in 2026?
It’s a sweet story about a young girl taking a boat ride to her ancestral community, spending spring break there, and eating traditional seafood you wouldn’t usually get in town—rare treats. I’m excited to share that Karlene Harvey, who is Tsilhqot’in and Syilix is the illustrator.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers who are young and young-at-heart?
Focus on creativity, art and play. Schedule it into your daily life because it’s that important. The rest will come.
Kim Spencer graduated from the Writers Studio at Simon Fraser University, where she focused on creative non-fiction. Her best-selling debut novel, Weird Rules to Follow, was named a USBBY 2023 Outstanding International Book and a Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee Best Children's Books of the Year. It won the IODE Violet Downey Book Award, the Jean Little First-Novel Award, the Geoffrey Bilson Historical Fiction Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, and was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award. Kim is from the Gitxaala Nation in northwest BC and lives in Vancouver.
Picture Book Gallery Profile: Peggy Collins
This month's Picture Book Galley profile is Peggy Collins. Peggy is an award-winning author, illustrator, and a college professor. Harley the Hero won the Blue Spruce Award in 2022 and A Sky-Blue Bench was a Schneider Family Honour Book in 2022 as well. She works for various educational institutions on science and math projects and has illustrated over 35 books, book covers and so much more. She teaches art in the Loyalist College Animation and Game program. Peggy lives with her two kids (well, one's away at university) and two cats in Napanee, Ontario.
Harley the Hero was inspired by a real-life classroom service dog. A Sky-Blue Bench draws on the impact of landmines on children living around the world, in this case, Afghanistan. What type of responsibility do you feel when working on books informed by true situations? Would you say there is a level of concern and perhaps pressure as well to get particular details of these stories right?
I feel incredibly responsible when taking on subjects like this—and I love it. I always donate some of my income and time to supporting organizations to try to offset some of my privilege. However, it is a serious responsibility to keep it real while keeping it much lighter than reality. I love picture books as a medium to start a conversation that leads to an inquiry. Inquiry comes from curiosity, and the greatest gift we can all offer each other is that—genuine curiosity and a willingness to learn about each other.
Regarding A Sky-Blue Bench, I found learning about the girls and women in Afghanistan fascinating. It was also tremendously difficult to find images that were not focused on pain and the results of war—especially in the realm of women and girls. Bahram Rahman, the author, was beneficial, sending me photos and answering my endless questions. I also discovered a beautiful documentary that helped me envision Aria's world more fully; it is called What Tomorrow Brings, about a girls' school in Herat, Afghanistan. I love the opportunity to look for similarities in classrooms worldwide and then discuss what is different. This allows us to talk about privilege, rights to learn and access to education. Children have an innate sense of fairness—so to learn that not all children get to go to school, and if they do, sometimes it is very different than their own experience. But it's always the same things (and there are so many of them) that connect us.
You're the illustrator of A Sky-Blue Bench, while you both wrote and illustrated Harley the Hero. In what ways does your creative process of illustrating your own text differ from illustrating another author's text?
When illustrating the text of another, it is an honour. I focus on what I can bring to the story visually to enhance it and help young viewers understand the relationships and emotions on each page. When I am illustrating my own text, I often have a very clear idea of what I am after—but it is harder to settle on what I want. Having an art director and editor is so helpful to me. If the book is set in a location that is not well known to me, I always start with research. My characters emerge with each bit of drawing I do while thinking of them—how they walk, talk, eat, sleep, what they dream of, what's in their pockets and how they think—regardless of the project, the character or characters become a bit of an obsession. In my own stories, I really have time to think about them for a much longer time than one I haven't written. Children's books take time to happen!
Harley the Hero and A Sky-Blue Bench are both stories that take place in schools. What is it about picture books set in schools that speak to and appeal to children?
It is so relatable. Schools are familiar to most kids in one way or another. I love visiting classrooms as well; it is so interesting how each classroom is its own ecosystem community and has its own governance. Every teacher and student is a part of that, and I love being invited into those spaces. Readers can contrast and compare classrooms—a fun way to start conversations about all sorts of things.
Experts' Picks
The Little Green Envelope
Written by Gillian Sze
Illustrated by Claudine Crangle
Groundwood Books, 2023
978-1-77306-681-3
IL: Ages 3-7 RL: Grades 1-2
Letter writing has many undeniable charms, as does this well-delivered picture book by Gillian Sze. When Olive misses her friend who has moved away, Grandpa suggests sending a letter. A little green envelope, lost and languishing at the bottom of the desk drawer, overhears the conversation and hopes for a chance to finally travel. The old-timer stationery’s reassurances (“For every occasion, there is an envelope!”) come true, and the little green envelope embarks on a heart-felt adventure. There are many epistolary surprises to be found in Crangle’s gorgeous cut-paper and printmaking collages, from the googly-eyed envelope’s many expressions to instructions on how to make your own folded paper envelope. Just like letters, The Little Green Envelope will be reread and adored.
— Linda Ludke, Collections Management Librarian, London Public Library and a handwritten letter fan. She can be reached by mail at London Public Library, 251 Dundas Street, London, ON N6A 6H9 and promises to write back.
You Owe Me One, Universe
(Thanks a Lot, Universe, Book 2)
Written by Chad Lucas
Amulet Books, 2023
978-1-4197-6686-2
IL: Ages 10-14 RL: Grades 4-5
In this heartwarming follow-up to Thanks a Lot, Universe, Brian and Ezra continue to navigate the challenges of family, friendship and junior high school life. While Brian wrestles with depression and with the guilt and frustration that he experiences as a result, Ezra must confront his own feelings of helplessness as he tries to support Brian while also coming to terms with his complex feelings for Victor, the seemingly reformed bully who once made Brian's life miserable. Chad Lucas adeptly explores numerous weighty issues while creating realistic and nuanced relationships and beautifully depicting the strong bonds of friendship between teen boys. His secondary characters are dynamic and equally relatable. A stunning and masterful sequel!
—Lisa Doucet, Co-Manager, Woozles Children’s Bookstore
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