Month: August 2025

2025 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Awards Finalists

| Tasha

The finalists for the 2025 CCBC Book Awards have been announced. The awards recognize exceptional books for young people. Winners will be announced on October 27. Here are the shortlisted titles:

Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award

Hummingbird / Aamo-binashee by Jennifer Leason (available in US)

I Wonder about Worlds: Discovering Planets and Exoplanets by James Gladstone, illustrated by Yaara Eshet (available in US)

Mighty Scared: The Amazing Ways Animals Defend Themselves by Erin Silver, illustrated by Hayden Maynard (available in US)

A Song for the Paper Children by Christopher Tse

Two Pieces of Chocolate by Kathy Kacer, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard (available in US)

Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy

Fledgling: The Keeper’s Records of Revolution by S. K. Ali (available in US)

The Headmasters by Mark Morton (available in US)

Lockjaw by Matteo L. Cerilli (available in US)

Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities by Casey Lyall (available in US)

Where the Dark Stands Still by A. B. Poranek (available in US)

Jean Little First Novel Award

Alterations by Ray Xu (available in US)

Maya Plays the Part by Calyssa Erb (available in US)

Teddy vs. the Fuzzy Doom: Secrets of Ravensbarrow by Braden Hallett (available in US)

Amy Mathers Teen Book Award

Age 16 by Rosena Fung (available in US)

And Then There Was Us by Kern Carter (available in US)

A Constellation of Minor Bears by Jen Ferguson (available in US)

Fledgling: The Keeper’s Records of Revolution by S.K. Ali (available in US)

For She is Wrath by Emily Varga (available in US)

The Lightning Cycle by Vikki VanSickle, illustrated by Laura K. Watson

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People

Age 16 by Rosena Fung (available in US)

Eyes on the Ice by Anna Rosner (available in US)

The Go-Between by Jennifer Maruno (available in US)

Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams by Shari Green (available in US)

Wings to Soar by Tina Athaide (available in US)

Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction

All Consuming: Shop Smarter for the Planet by Erin Silver, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa (available in US)

The Longest Shot: How Larry Kwong Changed the Face of Hockey by Chad Soon and George Chiang, illustrated by Amy Qi (available in US)

Lost at Windy River: A True Story of Survival by Trina Rathgeber, illustrated by Alina Pete, colors by Jillian Dolan (available in US)

Meet Jim Egan by Elizabeth MacLeod and Mike Deas

You Can Be an Activist: How to Use Your Strengths & Passions to Make a Difference by Charlene Rocha and Mary Beth Leatherdale, illustrated by Drew Shannon (available in US)

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award

A Face Is a Poem by Julie Morstad (available in US)

I’m Afraid, Said the Leaf by Danielle Daniel, illustrated by Matt James (available in US)

It Bears Repeating by Tanya Tagaq and Cee Pootoogook (available in US)

Mad at Dad by Janie Hao (available in US)

SOS Water by Yayo (available in US)

Wake Your Friday Brain Cells – August 29 Edition

| Tasha

CHILDREN’S LIT

12 Canadian books to get kids and teens reading as they head back to school – CBC

Best new children’s & young adults books September 2025 – Arts Hub

Blast Off and Dream Big with These Science Fiction Picture Books – Book Riot

Children and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels – The Guardian

Great Children’s Books About Siblings – The New York Times

Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury launch new storybook – Ham & High

What Parents Lose When They Don’t Read to Their Kids – The Atlantic

LIBRARIES

Can libraries stop AI slop from flooding their shelves? – CBC

How Libraries Are Creating Community Through Food – Civil Eats

How Portlanders have expanded Little Free Library’s ‘take a book, leave a book’ – NPR

Libby’s library app adds an AI discovery feature, and not everyone is thrilled – TechCrunch

PLA Releases Results from the 2024 Public Library Staff Survey – ALA

2025 Kirkus Prize Finalists

| Tasha

The finalists for the 2025 Kirkus Prize have been announced. Awards are given in three categories: Fiction, Nonfiction and Young Readers’ Literature. Winners receive $50,000 each. Here are the finalists in the Young Readers’ Literature category which is divided into subcategories with two finalists in each:

PICTURE BOOKS

Everybelly by Thao Lam

Island Storm by Brian Floca, illustrated by Sydney Smith

MIDDLE GRADE

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes

John the Skeleton by Triinu Laan, illustrated by Marja-Liisa Plats, trans. by Adam Cullen

YOUNG ADULT

Butterfly Heart by Moa Backe Åstot, trans. by Agnes Broomé

Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming

3 Beginning Readers Worth Browsing

| Tasha

Elena Camps by Juana Medina (9781536216424)

Elena has a new tent that she can’t wait to set up and camp in! But when she tries to set it up, it doesn’t work as easily as she expects. With huge GA-BUNKs and GA-BANGs it keeps going wrong. She tries three times, but nothing works. Elena gets angry and stomps around. Sharp-eyed readers will see the instructions in many of the pictures well before a little bird mentions to Elena that they are there. Elena decides to accept the bird’s help and read the instructions and soon she is ready to camp. 

Released simultaneously in a Spanish edition, this second Elena book is just right for beginning readers. Elena’s tries to get a tent set up all on her own are shown with a broad sense of humor and the message of accepting a little help when you need it is shared frankly with readers. The illustrations are colorful and Elena the purple elephant pops on the page next to her yellow tent. 

A fun and friendly beginning reader. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Mouse and Spoon: Owlets and Tarts by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Janna Mattia (9781665962193)

Mouse and Spoon: The Elephant’s Birthday by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Janna Mattia (9781665962162)

Powerhouse easy-reader creator Rylant returns with a new easy-reader series called Mouse and Spoon. Set in a bakery owned by three mouse siblings, each book focuses on a different special order that the mice must make. In Owlets and Tarts, the mice make Pillow Tarts to help the young owlets fall asleep as well as Half-Moon Buns for the owl parents. For the elephant, the request is for pound cake for the elephant’s birthday and banana bread for the monkeys. Now the mice just have to figure out how to make enough cake for an elephant! 

There is a lovely rhythm to both of these books, marking them as a pair. They start in similar ways, introducing the mice and their bakery, so it doesn’t matter what order you read them in. Then the special order arrives and the mice have to figure out how to do it. Told in very simple words and with a lovely softness to the illustrations, this easy-reader series is perfectly sweet. 

A new Rylant series to devour! Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copies.

Wanda Hears the Stars by Amy S. Hansen with Wanda Díaz Merced – Book Review

| Tasha

Wanda Hears the Stars: A Blind Astronomer Listens to the Universe by Amy S. Hansen with Wanda Díaz Merced, illustrated by Rocio Arreola Mendoza (9781623544874)

When Wanda was growing up in Puerto Rico’s rainforest, she couldn’t see the stars because of all the trees. She first truly saw the stars on a family fishing trip and she was entirely amazed by them. Wanda was a child who didn’t like school all that much and certainly didn’t like the shots she had to take for her diabetes. Eventually, she found out what she liked at school and decided to study physics in college. But at college, she started losing her eyesight due to her diabetes and eventually became blind. How could a blind person study the stars? Happily, she had friends around her to encourage her and one friend who was using sounds to study the stars. Now Wanda could listen to the stars and hear them. Wanda moved to the United States and continued to study the stars, making discoveries that only someone listening to the noises could have found. 

An amazing story of overcoming a disability in a field where it seemed impossible to go on, this nonfiction picture book shows Wanda’s perseverance, skill and also her willingness to accept help in order to find her way forward. The story itself is wonderfully written for young readers and the ending where the star noises are shared on the page is amazing in an entirely additional way. The illustrations are friendly and invite readers to engage with the material. 

A fascinating and inspiring true story. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Charlesbridge.

The Everything Trail by Meg Fleming – Book review

| Tasha

The Everything Trail by Meg Fleming, illustrated by Chuck Groenink (9781665924870)

A diverse group of children head into a redwood forest filled with the giant trees. They follow a path bordered by ferns along the creek. The forest is filled with bird song and cool canyon air. They continue to follow the water until they reach a dramatic waterfall. They see animals that are fast and slow, high and low. Sunlight drenches some areas and never reaches the inside of the cave they enter. When they reach the open air of the hillside, they see that everything is both big and small at the same time.

Told in non-rhyming poetic lines, this picture book celebrates the joy of hiking in the wilderness with friends. There is a jaunty rhythm to the book that works well with the footfalls of a hike, the dramatic reveals and the small joys. The illustrations are merry and bright, the cave filled with its own sort of lights, and the varied terrain makes for an entertaining read. 

This merry picture book celebrates getting outside and moving. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Beach Lane Books.

We Go Slow by Mariahadessa Edere Tallie – Book Review

| Tasha

We Go Slow by Mariahadessa Edere Tallie, illustrated by Aaron Becker (9781665950602)

After everyone else rushes out of the house to start their day, a girl and her caretaker start their day more slowly. They share stories and listen to records during breakfast. Then they leave the house to enjoy their urban neighborhood full of birdsong, neighbors, flowers and art. They eat snacks, visit the park, and take public transport. Through the busy, buzzing city, the two of them move at their own pace taking the time to notice the small things that make up their city together. 

The words of this picture book invite readers to slow down and enjoy reading it. There is a wonderful looping recall of “We go slow” that returns again and again, allowing everyone to breathe a bit. The illustrations done in watercolor and colored pencil have a gauzy feel with their focus on pinks, yellows and purples. It’s rather dreamlike and yet still vibrant and urban. 

A slow gem of a book to share. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Wake Your Friday Brain Cells – August 22 Edition

| Tasha

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Can picture books change the world? – Big Think

The Dangerous Legal Strategy Coming for Our Books – The Atlantic

Turning the Page on a New School Year: Picture Books to Share – ALSC

LIBRARIES

More and more books are being banned. California libraries find a solution – The Seattle Times

No more shushing: Bay Area libraries have a new strategy for attracting visitors — and it’s working – The Mercury News

PEN to Put $1.4m Grant Toward Public Libraries – Publishers Weekly

READING

‘Deeply concerning’: reading for fun in the US has fallen by 40%, new study says – The Guardian

Five Little Friends by Sean Taylor – Book Review

| Tasha

Five Little Friends: A Collection of Finger Rhymes by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Fiona Woodcock (9781536242911)

Full of new fingerplays and finger rhymes, this picture book is a marvelous resource for families, teachers and librarians. The rhymes have a timeless quality to them that will make them seamlessly join in more traditional finger rhymes like “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” Taylor has created a collection that will be beloved and I’m hoping that some of his rhymes become universal on the storytime circuit. They have a bounce, a rhythm and a jolly sense of humor that small children will adore. 

Woodcock’s illustrations seamlessly incorporate the actions and move alongside the rhymes so that adults can quickly read the rhyme and gestures together. The colors are bright and friendly and feature a diverse cast of children acting out the rhymes on the page. The focus on learning through movement is joyful.

This one belongs in every library and would make a great gift for new parents. Appropriate for ages 0-4.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Candlewick.