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This issue of Canadian Children's Book News is all about social-emotional learning (SEL).
In her engaging profile, CCBN writer Jessica Rose sits down with Naseem Hrab to discuss her career as both an author and publisher at one of Canada’s longest-running children’s book publishers, Kids Can Press. Naseem also shares how her childhood inspired her love of books and offers sage advice to new authors.
In Ashley Pamenter’s informative piece, she offers practical strategies and book recommendations for integrating Canadian books in the classroom to support social-emotional learning. From picture books to young adult titles, these books provide rich opportunities for children young readers to explore key themes such as grief, anxiety, and mental health challenges. Additional recommended books for SEL can be found in our Bookmark column.
In her enlightening article, former librarian Krista Jorgensen speaks with Captains & Poets, a Canadian organization that offers programs to schools to help children further develop their SEL skills. She also spoke with Fred Horler, Marketing Director at Groundwood Books, about their new catalogue, The Feeling and Healing Collection, a “collection of children’s books designed to spark conversations around emotional awareness and regulation, as well as inclusion, culture and tougher topics like grief, death and family struggles.”
In 2024, we marked the 25th anniversary of the TD Grade One Book Giveaway—a beloved program of the CCBC, supported by TD Bank Group, which has seen close to 13 million Canadian books distributed to children across Canada. The 2024 selection, Violet Shrink, is a love letter to introverts about a young girl navigating the complexities of social anxiety. Author Christine Baldacchino and illustrator Carmen Mok share what it means to them that close to half a million Grade 1 children were introduced to Violet this school year.
Author and illustrator Roz Maclean is featured in our Keep Your Eye on column. She aspires to introduce young readers to the subjects of neurodiversity and mental health through her insightful and beautifully illustrated picture books.
