The winners of the 2026 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards were announced earlier today during a school assembly at Brock Public School in Toronto. The winners were selected by two juries of young readers from the school—a jury of Grade 4 students selected the recipient of the Children’s Picture Book Award, and a jury of Grade 8 students selected the recipient of the Young Adult / Middle Reader Award.
Chidori: A Story of One Thousand Birds, written by Jennifer Maruno, illustrated by Miki Sato, and published by Pajama Press, took home the picture book honour. The young adult/middle reader prize was awarded to We Bury Nothing by Kate Blair (DCB Young Readers).
For the complete list of this year's finalists, click here.
The Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards were established in 1976 by Sylvia Schwartz to honour her sister, Ruth, a respected Toronto bookseller. In 2004, the family renamed the award to include both sisters. The prize is administered by the Ontario Arts Foundation with support from the Ontario Arts Council, which manages the nomination and jury process.
For more information about this year's winners, click here.