The Canadian Independent Booksellers Association (CIBA) has released the inaugural edition of The Booksellers’ List: Best Kids' Books of the Year. The list includes 20 children's books (ages 0-12), published in 2026, as voted by indie booksellers from across the country. Sixteen of the titles are by Canadian creators, with Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad's A Door Is to Open (Tundra Books) receiving the most votes. The list of Canadian titles are below.
Canada: We Are the Story, written by Richard Wagamese, illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (Swift Water Books)
The Cow in the Dark at Night, written and illustrated by Jess Hannigan (Quill Tree Books)
A Door Is to Open, written by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Julie Morstad (Tundra Books)
Fiddlehead Forest, written and illustrated by Jana Curll (Greystone Kids)
Goodbye, Koi, written and illustrated by Jack Wong (Orchard Books/Scholastic)
The Healer and the Phoenix, written by Linda Trinh, illustrated by Quynh Anh Nguyen (Annick Press)
The Lions’ Run, written by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen (Balzer + Bray)
Midnight Manor: A Backwards Bedtime Book, written and illustrated by Sid Sharp (Annick Press)
My Friend Fear, written and illustrasted by Elise Gravel (Scholastic Canada)
The New Girl: First Crush, written and illustrated by Cassandra Calin (Graphix/Scholastic)
The Shapeshifter’s Guide to Gym Class, written by Kai Cheng Thom (Simon & Schuster Canada)
The Skeleton and the Cat, written and illustrated by Brandon James Scott (HarperCollins Publishers)
We All Love, written and illustrated by Julie Flett (Greystone Kids)
Whale, That Was Unexpected, written by Casey Lyall, illustrated by Kathryn Durst (Tundra Books)
The Wise Pickle, written by Sarah Howden, illustrated by Sabina Hahn (Tundra Books)
Witchward Bound: A Butter and Owl Adventure, written by Erin Bow, illustrated by Kelly Murphy (Scholastic Canada)
For the complete list, visit indiebookstores.ca/tblkids.