November 4 is I Read Canadian Day, which means it’s the perfect time to celebrate some home-grown children’s books. Need reading inspiration? Check out these new releases from members of Authors’ Booking Service, which connects Canadian kid lit creators with young readers across the country. Schedule a school or library visit with your favourite author or illustrator today!
Picture Books
SKATING DAY! by Karen Autio
With a little support from great friends, skating day can be fun for everyone! Kayla and Piper are excited about their class trip to the skating rink. They plan to make it extra fun, but their friend Jackson has never skated before. For Jackson, skating is scary. But by helping each other and making a few adjustments, the kids soon learn skating can be for everyone!
MARIAN’S BIG DIG by Laura Bontje
When rock-loving Marian stumbles upon a perfect, pointy stone in the park, she just knows it is a dinosaur fossil! But her geologist mom and her fossil-hunting hero remain unconvinced, so there’s only one thing to do — Marian has to find the rest of the dinosaur. One by one, she excavates more fossils in her backyard (though her parents keep mistaking them for gardening tools and household objects). Piecing them together is puzzling, but Marian’s dinosaur is shaping up to be her best discovery yet.
This playful story told through the eyes of imaginative Marian is accompanied by real facts about fossils, further reading and details about real life fossil discoveries made by kids.
OUR SPECTACULAR SUKKAH by Sidura Ludwig
For one excited family, it’s time to build a sukkah in their backyard—a glorious, sturdy sukkah just for them. They can’t wait to eat, play, and sing in it for seven days and watch the stars through it for seven nights. Everything is perfect until . . . whoosh! A sudden, powerful burst of wind crashes through and ruins everything. But wait, could all those neighbors toting stray branches and other bits and pieces help to make this the family’s—and the neighborhood’s—most special Sukkot yet? With its themes of connection, helping, and sharing food, this sweet story from the creative team behind the award-winning Rising has appeal both to Jewish families who mark this harvest holiday every year and to families just learning about it for the first time. Back matter offers more information about Sukkot and instructions on making a miniature sukkah of your own.
MIXTER’S MONSTER MASH by Regan W. H. Macaulay
Mischievous Mixter Twizzle takes us out on his annual night of tricking and treating with his monster friends, Mei Mei the black cat of Riverdale Farm, and his daughter-hen, Mabel, who learns who she truly is through the magic of Halloween.
LITTLE BEE: THE STORYTIME EXTRAVAGANZA by Danny Neville
Tiam, one of Bee’s best friends, loves butterflies, art supplies, and sparkly nail polish. These things bring him so much joy—so why does a kid in their school give him such a hard time about it? For the first time in his life, Tiam is unsure about himself. Bee and Sarah enlist the help of her Uncle Andy, a.k.a. the drag queen Peppa Mint, to support Tiam in feeling safe and comfortable in expressing himself exactly the way he wants to. But not everyone is happy with a drag queen coming to the school . . .
NINA AND THE MISSING NIGHT by Natalia Paruzel-Gibson
When Night doesn’t arrive, the world forgets how to rest.
As endless daylight stretches on, streets grow weary, and flowers bow their heads. Missing her beloved starlight rituals, Nina sets out on a brave and tender journey to find Night and bring her home.
Nina and the Missing Night is a poetic, atmospheric picture book about slowing down, listening, and remembering the quiet magic of rest. With luminous illustrations and a soothing read-aloud rhythm, this story invites young readers to honor nighttime as a place of comfort, connection, and calm. Perfect for bedtime—and for anyone who has ever missed the stars.
Chapter Books
KATIE CRUMBLE AND THE CASE OF THE TERRIBLE NAUGHTY by Oksanna Crawley
In this second instalment in the Katie Crumble Series, feisty Katie is certain something is not right with her beloved pooch, Aggie McDoogall. The sweet and loving dog tried to bite the principal and won’t cuddle anymore. Heartbroken, Katie’s convinced the new, suspicious ship in the harbour, which her parents have forbidden her to approach, has something to do with it. With her best human friend, Luca, Katie must risk facing a strange and dangerous crew, and landing in the biggest trouble at home to solve this baffling mystery.
Middle Grade
ABOUT A HOME CHILD by Caroline Fernandez
Barnardo’s Homes first opened in East London, in 1867, to provide free shelter, meals, and education for poor and orphaned children. Despite their troubled pasts, these kids found family in each other. But over the decades, as demands grew and funding dwindled, Barnardo’s must look toward a different future for their charges. They must look toward Canada.
This gripping novel, inspired by a real chapter of history, follows a group of home children in 1923 who are separated from their family, friends, and homes and placed in employment across rural Canada. While a few find a happy new life, many face hardship and abuse. In About a Home Child, Caroline Fernandez delivers a tale of friendship, survival, and resilience.
VIKRAM VANISHES by Mahtab Narsimhan
Vikram is the wealthiest kid in his Indian town and he acts like it.
When he recklessly rides his bike through the market with his friend Rizwan, Vikram runs into an elderly woman, sending her and her basket of potions flying. He blames the incident on her and ignores her muttering. But later when his hand begins to disappear, he realizes that the old woman cursed him to vanish. Soon Rizwan starts to disappear too.
To break the curse and save himself and his friend, Vikram is tasked with completing three acts of true kindness without using his wealth or influence. Can he put his arrogance aside before it’s too late?
NOT MYSELF TODAY by Mahtab Narsimhan
Spoiled eighth-grader Riya Khatau hates her new public school. Her classmates have bad hair, strong BO and no style. But she was kicked out of her private school, so she’s stuck at public school for the rest of the year. At least she has Char and Nikki, her new friends who come from wealthy families too. Together they pick on their classmates, especially Saanvi, whose confidence and popularity confuses Riya since Saanvi only dresses in dollar-store clothes.
When their class visits an exhibit of ancient eastern artifacts, Saanvi has enough of Riya’s bullying and angrily wishes Riya could trade places with her. To both of their surprise, the magic of an ancient artifact causes them to swap bodies. Now Riya gets a taste of how her snobbish friends treat others. But she also experiences Saanvi’s warm extended family and the deep connection they have to their Indian culture, which Riya has never had. Can Riya apologize to Saanvi and work with her to switch their bodies back?
Nonfiction
GANDER: THE TOWN THAT WELCOMED THE WORLD by Nikki Bergstresser
On September 11, 2001, thousands of travellers were stranded far from home in a town called Gander, Newfoundland. They were strangers in a place most had never heard of before. Scared and confused, the travellers were not sure what to expect. Gander: The Town That Welcomed the World is a true story about a world that was hurting and a community that came together with kindness, compassion, and East Coast heart. With sparse text and painterly illustrations, Nikki Bergstresser and Reilly Fitzgerald thoughtfully capture and commemorate this 9/11 story for a new generation.
HAVE A BITE! HOW FOOD CONNECTS US by Heather Camlot
Everybody eats! But do you ever wonder about the food on your table? Food not only fuels us, it also tells many stories about history, culture, trade, geography, and more!
Each page explores a new and engaging topic relating to food: from how family history impacts our diet, to the politics of food, to food safety. The book concludes with a commentary on food waste, sustainability, and the future of food.
This thoughtful and engaging exploration of the things we eat goes beyond what readers can see and taste on their plate, showing the stories food can tell us and its power to bring us together.
BEYOND WORDS: THE MEANING AND IMPACT OF SIGNS AND SYMBOLS by Heather Camlot
Signs and symbols are all around us.
With a single glance, they direct us to bathrooms, represent mathematical concepts like pi and can communicate what religion a person belongs to. Without using words, symbols can help humans connect, stay safe and express who we are. They can bring up feelings, cut through language barriers and spread ideas that people may agree or disagree with.
To be truly useful, a symbol has to be understood instantly by as many people, cultures and ages as possible. That means we need to start learning and interpreting different symbols as early as we can.
In Beyond Words, explore different kinds of powerful symbols and their context throughout history. Understanding more about symbols can help us to better understand one another. In a world where symbols speak volumes, let’s all make heart hands.
THE MATILDA EFFECT: HOW 25 WOMEN WERE ERASED FROM HISTORY, by L. E. Carmichael
Meet the women that history tried to erase.
Throughout time, women’s contributions have been overlooked, overshadowed or outright stolen by men in their fields. In science and engineering, this is known as the Matilda Effect. But it happens in every field, including the arts, sports, politics and more. This groundbreaking book uncovers the stories of 25 remarkable women, including: Hatshepsut, a ruler in ancient Egypt whose name was chiseled off temple walls; Fu Hao, a warrior queen from the Shang dynasty in China; Matilda Joslyn Gage, writer and equal rights activist (and namesake of the Matilda Effect). THE MATILDA EFFECT is both an essential rewrite of history and a call to action. It will inspire young readers to work toward a future where everyone’s contributions count.
You’re already on Lindsey’s website, so try this link to the book page instead. ;)