The Forest of Reading—Canada’s largest recreational reading program—has announced the English- and French-language nominees for their 2027 awards program. The Forest of Reading’s mission is to instill the love of reading in people of all ages, while supporting programming in schools and libraries and celebrating Canadian authors, illustrators, and literature.
There are 10 programs distinguished by age group and reading level, each with 10 nominated titles, selected by committees of library practitioners. The English school-aged programs are Blue Spruce, Silver Birch (Express and Fiction), Yellow Cedar, Red Maple, and White Pine. French school-aged literature is celebrated through the Peuplier, Mélèze, and Tamarac programs. In addition to the school-aged programs, the Forest of Reading has an adult program, Evergreen, which celebrates excellence in Canadian literature as a book club. Nominees for Evergreen will be announced at the end of October. The 2027 nominees for the school-aged programs are listed below.
Blue Spruce Award (JK-2)
Call Me Gray, written by Andrew Larsen and Bells Larsen, illustrated by Tallulah Fontaine (Kids Can Press)
Camping Is a Terrible Idea, written by Kirsten Pendreigh, illustrated by Tiffany Everett (Sleeping Bear Press)
Dear Classroom 1B, written Lynn Leitch, illustrated by Christine Battuz (Scholastic Canada)
Fly in the Chai, written by Zenia Wadhwani, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat (Tundra Books)
Love, Panda, written by Elaine Su, illustrated by Charlen Chua (Scholastic Canada)
My Neighborhood, written by Delano Brown, illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu (Random House Children’s Books)
One Can, written by Lana Button and Eric Walters, illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant (Groundwood Books)
Rez Kid, written by Andrea Landry, illustrated by Isabelle Fassler (Kids Can Press)
Sarabeth’s Garbage, written by Melanie Florence, illustrated by Nadia Alam (Tundra Books)
This is How We Talk: A Celebration of Disability and Connection, written by Jessica Slice and Caroline Cupp, illustrated by Kayla Harren (Dial Books)
Silver Birch Express Award (Grades 3-4)
The Big Mousetake, written and illustrated by Alina Tysoe (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Bompa's Intertidal Adventure, written by David Suzuki and Sarika Cullis-Suzuki with Tanya Lloyd Kyi, illustrated by Qin Leng (Greystone Kids)
Charlie the Matachewan Moose, written by Shawna Lee Corbould, illustrated by Jessica Somers (Strong Nations Publishing)
The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars, written by Laura Alary, illustrated by Yas Imamura (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers)
Fiddlehead Forest, written and illustrated by Jana Curll (Greystone Kids)
Salma Keeps Her Word, written by Danny Ramadan, illustrated by Anna Bron (Annick Press)
Star Sailor: The Story of Words, written by Sara Cassidy, illustrated by Julie McLaughlin (Orca Book Publishers)
This Book Stinks!, written by Danielle Saint-Onge and Jeff Szpirglas, illustrated by Alyssa Waterbury (Orca Book Publishers)
This Skirt Won't Work! How Women Athletes Changed Their Clothes and Changed the Game, written by Jennifer Cooper, illustrated by Eva Byrne (Sourcebooks eXplore)
Unlikely Friends, written and illustrated by Monica Arnaldo (Scholastic Inc.)
Silver Birch Fiction Award (Grades 5-6)
Beast Ballerz, written and Wesley King, illustrated by Steve Wolfhard (Tundra Books)
The Bloodstone Thief, written by Sabina Khan (Scholastic Press)
Briarwood, written by Natalie Hyde (DCB Young Readers)
The Ghosts of Bitterfly Bay, written by Mary Averling (G. P. Putnam's Sons)
Hitting the Target, written by Lorna Schultz Nicholson (Scholastic Canada)
Blast Off, written by Jay Odjick, illustrated by KC Oster (Scholastic Canada)
My Sister the Werebeast, written and illustrated by Alina Tysoe (First Second)
Remember Me, Daphne, written by Celia Krampien (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
Time Surfers, written by Kevin Sylvester (HarperCollins Publishers)
Touching Grass, written by Kristy Jackson, illustrated by Rhael McGregor (HarperCollins Publishers)
Yellow Cedar Award (Grades 4-8)
Bat Planet: The Mysterious Life of the Creatures of the Night, written by Neil Griffin (Orca Book Publishers)
Built Like a Bug: How Insects Inspire Everyday Inventions, written by Anjali Joshi, illustrated by Kathleen Ng (Annick Press)
The Buzz on Wild Bees: The Little-Known Pollinators that Keep Our Planet Humming, written by Kira Vermond, illustrated by June Steube (Owlkids Books)
The Cedar Mother, written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), illustrated by Natasha Donovan (HighWater Press)
Cracking the Code: The Human Quest to Uncover Secrets, written by Rachel Kehoe, illustrated by Meegan Lim (Orca Book Publishers)
The Dream of an Education: How Phymean Noun Built a School, written by Susan Hughes, illustrated by Tida Kheav (Orca Book Publishers)
Left-Handed: Getting a Grip on Handedness, written by Maria Birmingham, illustrated by Catherine Chan (Owlkids Books)
Soccerology: Unbelievable Facts and Stories About the Beautiful Game, written and illustrated by Kevin Sylvester (Annick Press)
The Sustainable School: A Journey Through Time and Energy, written by Erica Fyvie, illustrated by Scot Ritchie (Kids Can Press)
What Is a Sculpture?, written by Diane Borsato, illustrated by Laura Carlin (Tundra Books)
Red Maple Award (Grades 7-8)
Absolutely No Body Parts, written by Valerie Sherrard (DCB Young Readers)
Among Ghosts, written by Rachel Hartman (Penguin Teen Canada)
The Book of Jupiter, written by Robin Stevenson (Kids Can Press)
GO, written by Deborah Ellis (Groundwood Books)
Inbetweens, written and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks (First Second)
Lydia Cooper Is a Lie, written by Meaghan McIsaac (Aladdin)
Sam, written by Eric Walters (DCB Young Readers)
Skygull Calamity, written by Bronwyn Fairchild (Annick Press)
Something's Up With Arlo, written by Matteo L. Cerilli (HarperCollins Publishers)
The Vanished Ones, written by Chad Lucas (Amulet Books)
White Pine Award (Grades 9-12)
Best of All Worlds, written by Kenneth Oppel (Penguin Teen Canada)
The Free Verse Society, written by Delali Adjoa (Peachtree Publishing)
He's So Possessed with Me, written by Corey Liu (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Our Little Secret, written by Edward Kay and Mikhael Klassen-Kay (DCB Young Readers)
Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions, written by Ahmad Saber (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
The Rebel Girls of Rome, written by Jordyn Taylor (HarperCollins Publishers)
Small Ceremonies, written by Kyle Edwards (McClelland & Stewart)
This Place Kills Me, written by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Nicole Goux (Abrams Fanfare)
Thornbird, written by E. Kennedy (Delacorte Press)
The Vacation Shift, written by Lily Chu (Quill Tree Books)
Prix Peuplier
10 faits étonnants sur les capybaras, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt (Édition Scholastic)
Aki, written by Valérie Richer O'Bomsawin, illustrated by Meky Ottawa (Éditions Hannenorak)
Aujourd'hui, promis !, written and illustrated by Josée Bisaillon (Éditions Fonfon)
chi miigwech, grand merci, written by astra márta, illustrated by Jordan Stranger (Orca Book Publishers)
Dʳᵉ Rafistout, written by Nicholas Aumais, illustrated by Mélanie Albert (Bouton d’or Acadie)
Ensemble : Un livre sur la communauté, written and illustrated by Elise Gravel (Éditions Scholastic)
Jules et Virgule, deux têtes de mule, written by Andrée Poulin, illustrated by Juliette Miron (Dominique et compagnie)
Oui, Allô ? Le cri des animaux, written and illustrated by Amélie Legault (Éditions Les Malins)
Le sandwich aux grenouilles, written by Danielle Chaperon, illustrated by Élodie Duhameau (Les 400 coups)
Yassama et la calebasse aux cauris, written by Lua Shayenne, illustrated by Tiffany Ratongaranto (Prise de parole)
Prix Mélèze
À l'enVerre, written and illustrated by Orbie (Les 400 coups)
La bibliothèque enchantée 02 : Le livre qui ne tenait qu’à un fil, written by Jocelyn Boisvert, illustrated by Julie Rocheleau (Éditions Michel Quintin)
Les créatures de l'école, written by Émilie Rivard, illustrated by Ianick Raymond (la courte échelle)
Fémi et Lou et le trésor perdu, written by Mireille Messier, illustrated by Catarina Oliveira (Orca Book Publishers)
La folle journée de Wadarone, written by Isabelle Picard, illustrated by Meky Ottawa (Bayard Canada Livres)
Une girafe, ça sourit, oui !, written by Andrée Poulin, illustrated by Geneviève Després (Les 400 coups)
Kévin 02 : L'écureuil qui marchait sur l'eau, written and illustrated by Chloé Baillargeon (KATA éditeur)
Maple 01: Au royaume des chienpignons, written and illustrated by Juliette Miron (Éditions Michel Quintin)
Mission animal de compagnie ! Lequel est fait pour toi ?, written by Joanie Lamoureux, illustrated by Juliette Miron (Bayard Canada Livres)
Srirachat : Le voleur de Lamoumou, written and illustrated by Jean-Philippe Morasse (Éditions Les Malins)
Prix Tamarac
L'agente 00-discrète, written by Mathieu Fortin, illustrated by Kuizin Studio Inc. (Bayard Canada Livres)
Les colibris, written by Takwa Souissi (Les Éditions du Boréal)
Comment convaincre un fantôme de déménager, written by Maude Ménard-Dunn, illustrated by Sophie Bédard (Québec Amérique)
Crois-le ou non : Les jeux vidéo, written by Gabrielle Anctil (Saint-Jean Éditeur)
De l'or dans les fissures, written and illustrated by Katerine Martin (Éditions de l’Isatis)
Énigme au collège 01 : La quête des quatre, written by Véronique Villaggi (Les Éditions de Mortagne)
Fuir le feu, written by Micheline Marchand (Éditions David)
Ma couronne, written and illustrated by Lidia-Ntombo Lulendo (Bayard Canada Livres)
Un roi sans couronne, written by Uashteskun (Héritage jeunesse)
Une vie tricotée d’avance, written by Maryse Labbé (Héritage jeunesse)
For more information or to register for the 2027 program, visit forestofreading.com.