Canadiana for Kids!

Book: Our Green City, by Tanya Lloyd Kyi & Colleen Larmour (illustrator), 2022 🍁

Vibe: Hopeful, energetic Ages: 4 – 7

Appeal: For kids who want to know how they can make a difference for a greener tomorrow.

Summary: Each page is a delight in this colourful book from West Coast author Tanya Lloyd Kyi as Our Green City invites children and their adults to search for hidden details and respond to thoughtful questions that spark curiosity about sustainable cities and greener ways of living.

Additional Considerations: May be less engaging for youngsters who prefer narrative-driven stories.

Lisa’s Book Corner Rating (out of 5): 📚📚📚📚

Book: The Hockey Jersey, by Jael Ealey Richardson & Chelsea Charles (illustrator), 2022 🍁✊🏾

Vibe: Warm, inclusive Ages: 4 – 7

Appeal: For hockey fans of all ages and backgrounds.

Summary: This gentle story for young children shares the joy and sense of belonging Kareema and her new teammates experience as they receive their first hockey jerseys.

Additional Considerations: Older kids may pick this up expecting an involved hockey story, but it is really geared towards the younger set.

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Book: The Girl Who Loved Poutine, by Lorna Schultz Nicholson & Rachel Qiuqi (illustrator), 2024 🍁

Vibe: Fun, festive Ages: 4 – 7

Appeal: For young foodies who love poutine and family celebrations!

Summary: Every year Zoey and her Dad enjoy poutine on their shared birthday, which also happens to be Canada Day. This year, their celebration becomes even more special as relatives from across the country surprise them with poutine from every province. ** A 2026 Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award nominee

Additional Considerations: There will be youngsters who protest this book because not everyone likes poutine!

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Book: The Most Magnificent Team, by Ashley Spires, 2025 🍁🧪

Vibe: Encouraging, instructive Ages: 4 – 7

Appeal: For kids who love to build, but sometimes find working with others tricky.

Summary: In the fourth book in Spires’ beloved STEM-focused Most Magnificent series, a girl and her dog meet a new neighbour and her cat. They decide to all work together to build something new, but discover that teamwork isn’t always easy. ** A 2026 Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award nominee

Additional Considerations: Best suited for young readers who are ready to engage with compromise and conflict resolution, which will require adult support.

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Book: Labrador Skies, by Kayla Williams & Thamires Paredes (illustrator), 2025 🍁🪶

Vibe: Uplifting, soothing Ages: 0 – 5

Appeal: For little ones heading to bed!

Summary: A lyrical and loving tribute to the skies, land and people of Labrador, from mixed Inuk author/illustrator Kayla Williams. Perfect for bedtime, with stunning illustrations.

Additional Considerations: This book is not available (yet!) in board book format, which would be most suitable for babies and toddlers.

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Book: The Words We Share, by Jack Wong, 2023 🍁✊🏾

Vibe: Heart-warming, touching Ages: 6 – 10

Appeal: Ideal for families and educators using read-alouds to build empathy, inclusion and awareness of newcomer issues.

Summary: Angie is a young girl who translates for her Dad from Cantonese to English to help him navigate their new life in Canada, and then starts a small business to help others in her neighbourhood. ** Winner of the 2024 Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children’s Literature.

Additional Considerations: Themes of language barriers, immigration, and family responsibility may require adult support for younger readers. The story may prompt meaningful discussion about translation roles within families and the emotional weight placed on children in newcomer experiences.

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Book: The Hockey Sweater, by Roch Carrier & Sheldon Cohen (illustrator), 2014 (originally published in 1979) 🍁

Vibe: Humorous, nostalgic Ages: 6 – 10+

Appeal: For hockey fans of all ages.

Summary: No list of Canadian children’s books is complete without this classic about the poor Quebecois boy whose mother writes to Monsieur Eaton for a new Montreal Canadiens jersey for her son only to receive a Toronto Maple Leafs one instead.

Additional Considerations: Cultural and historical references may need to be explained to younger readers, like who is Monsieur Eaton?!

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Book: Pit Pony, by Joyce & Janet Barkhouse & Sydney Smith (illustrator), 2012 🍁

Vibe: Emotional, gritty Ages: 7 – 12+

Appeal: For older kids who want to engage with more serious themes like child labour in an accessible picture book format.

Summary: Adapted from Joyce Barkhouse’s 1990 novel, Pit Pony, this picture book tells the story of a boy named William and his beloved pit pony, Gem, highlighting the difficult and dangerous work in the Cape Breton coal mines in the early 1900s.

Additional Considerations: Contains sensitive subject matter including bullying, poverty, injury, and death which may require emotional support and guidance.

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Book: I Sang Your Down from the Stars, by Tasha Spillett & Michaela Goade (illustrator), 2021 🍁🪶

Vibe: Loving, gentle Ages: 0 – 5

Appeal: For little ones who need cuddles and reassurance of their parents’ love.

Summary: A tender bedtime story from Indigenous author Tasha Spillet, celebrating the deep, unconditional bond between a parent and child.

Additional Considerations: Like Labrador Skies, this book is not available (yet!) in board book format, which would be most suitable for babies and toddlers.

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Book: Everyone Poops, by Taro Gomi & Amanda Mayer Strinchecum (translator), 2004 (originally published in 1977)

Vibe: Silly, practical Ages: 2 – 5

Appeal: Perfect for young children during toilet training.

Summary: A simple and humorous translated classic that normalizes bodily functions by showing that all living creatures poop. It was one of my kids’ favourites when they were preschoolers.

Additional Considerations: Be prepared for toilet humour for weeks after reading this book!

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Book: Donovan’s Big Day by Leslea Newman & Mie Dutton (illustrator), 2011 🍁🏳️‍🌈

Vibe: Sweet, loving Ages: 4 – 8

Appeal: For kids and their adults who love a good, and inclusive, wedding story!

Summary: Challenged but retained at the Edmonton Public Library in 2014 for depicting same-sex marriage, this joyful book tells the story of young Donovan carefully preparing for his moms’ wedding.

Additional Considerations: May require adult support for discussing diverse family structures in more depth with younger readers.

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Book: The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale, by Jon Klassen, 2023🍁

Vibe: Creepy, spooky Ages: 4 – 8

Appeal: For the young Wednesday Addamses in your lives!

Summary: An early reader unlike most others, this simple, eerie story tells of a young girl who runs away and befriends a skull in an abandoned house. ** 2023 Governor-General Literary Award – Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books Finalist

Additional Considerations: Not for all kids, but those who will go on to devour Goosebumps books when they’re older will adore this twisty tale.

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Book: Gretel and Hansel, by Bee Waeland, 2023 🍁

Vibe: Humorous, subversive Ages: 3- 6

Appeal: For pre-readers who love looking for visual cues in a story.

Summary: This wordless, fractured fairy tale flips the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel. Two rambunctious youngsters take advantage of a kind witch, but get their just desserts in the end.

Additional Considerations: Children unfamiliar with the original fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, would benefit from a retelling of that story first, to fully appreciate the nuances of Waeland’s book.

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Book: Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery, 1996 Special Collector’s Edition, (originally published in 1908) 🍁

Vibe: Heart-warming, nostalgic  Ages: 9 – 14+

Appeal: For kids of all ages who love character-driven, coming-of-age stories in a vibrant, historical, and oh-so-Canadian setting.

Summary: Anne Shirley is beloved the world over for good reason: this imaginative orphan sent by mistake to live with Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert on Prince Edward Island approaches life with an unabashed exuberance that is both delightful and timeless.

Additional Considerations: While its slower pace and historical setting might not appeal to everyone, the book’s strong emotional themes about friendship and family have stood the test of time.

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Book: Is There A Boy Like Me?, by Kern Carter, 2024 🍁✊🏾

Vibe:Introspective, emotional Ages: 9 – 12+

Appeal: For older kids of all genders who wonder if there’s a place where they can fit in and be themselves.

Summary: A boy named London struggles with identity, anxiety, and expectations from family and peers, and creates an anonymous online comic that goes viral and sparks wider conversations about masculinity and self-expression. ** A 2026 Forest of Reading Red Maple Award nominee ** Shortlisted for the 2025-26 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award ** A 2026 MYRCA Northern Lights Award nominee

Additional Considerations: Themes of anxiety and pressure may be emotionally heavy for some readers and would be best supported through discussion.

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Book: The Wish Doctor, by Mark E. Shupe, 2023 🍁

Vibe: ‘Punny’, whimsical Ages: 8 – 12

Appeal: For fans of Harry Potter, Nevermoor, and The School for Good and Evil who enjoy fantasy stories set in magical schools.

Summary: The Wish Doctor is the one who comes when you’ve made a “wishtake”, but that requires training, and so there is a School of Wish, set in, of all places, Baddeck, Nova Scotia, to train young recruits. With lots of plays on words, Shupe’s story follows Alma and her friends during their first-year adventures that involve ghosts, bears and lots of wishes gone wrong.

Additional Considerations: Some of the dad jokes and puns are more adult-focused; there is also a large cast of characters and readers may struggle to track them all at first.

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Book: From Anna, by Jean Little, 1972🍁

Vibe: Gentle, hopeful Ages: 8 – 12

Appeal: For young readers who enjoy historical fiction and stories about resilience and starting over.

Summary: Anna, who is visually impaired and the youngest of five siblings, emigrates with her family from Germany to Canada as Hitler rises to power. With determination, she navigates school, family, friendship and belonging in her new home.

Additional Considerations: The slower pacing and historical context might be less engaging for readers seeking more action-oriented narratives.

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Series title: Secrets of Ravensbarrow, Braden Hallett, 2024 🍁

Vibe: Spooky, quirky Ages: 8 – 12

Appeal: For fans of the supernatural with a side comedy, and texts supported by lots of black-and-white illustrations like Captain Underpants.

Summary: Starting at a new school is hard enough, but anxious Teddy faces extra problems at Ravensbarrow Elementary deep in the Canadian woods, like evil hamsters, zombie classmates, dangerous forests and shape-shifting worms. Each story tackles a new monster mystery but also delves into Teddy’s inner worries and family dynamics. ** Teddy vs. the Fuzzy Doom shortlisted for the 2025-26 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award

Additional Considerations: Mild horror elements and fast-moving supernatural plotlines may be unsettling for more sensitive readers. Busy two-page spreads with lots of drawings and texts may feel somewhat chaotic and difficult for some readers to follow.

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Book: Dogs vs. Humans: A Showdown of the Senses, by Stephanie Gibeault & Bambi Edlund (illustrator), 2025🍁

Vibe: Energetic, educational  Ages: 6 – 10

Appeal: For dog lovers and budding scientists.

Summary: This engaging non-fiction book compares how dogs and humans experience the world, exploring differences in smell, hearing, sight, taste and touch. Packed with facts and humour, it makes animal science accessible for curious kids. ** A 2026 Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Award nominee

Additional Considerations: Lacking page numbers and typical non-fiction features like a table of contents or index may make this factbook difficult for some readers to navigate.

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Book: Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese Canadian Pioneer, by Haley Healey, 2023 🍁✊🏾

Vibe: Reflective, inspiring  Ages: 9 – 12

Appeal: For older kids with an interest in Canadian history and true stories about resilience and perseverance.

Summary: Originally born and raised on Salt Spring Island, Kimiko was among thousands of Japanese-Canadians who were sent to dirty and overcrowded internment camps during WWII. After the war, she and her family had to rebuild their lives from scratch, but never gave up hope.

Additional Considerations: The historical context and themes of discrimination may be difficult for younger readers, so adult guidance and support is recommended.

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Series Title: Scaredy’s Nutty Adventures, by Melanie Watt, 2021 — 🍁

Vibe: Rollicking fun Ages: 6 – 9

Appeal: For beginning readers who love graphic novels and want to enjoy Scaredy’s adventures on their own.

Summary: Canada’s beloved, albeit neurotic, favourite squirrel returns in his own graphic novel series that includes some holiday shenanigans, a terrifying encounter with a bunny, and an unwanted pool surprise.

Additional Considerations: The repetitive structure, while good for new readers, may not be as appealing to readers looking for graphic novels with more complex storylines.

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Series Title: PAWS, by Nathan Fairbairn, 2022 — 🍁✊🏾

Vibe: Warm, gently humorous Ages: 7 – 10

Appeal: For readers who enjoy character-driven, friendship-based graphic novels similar to Raina Telgemeier’s Smile, Drama, Sisters, Guts, Ghosts and The Cartoonist’s Club.

Summary: A diverse group of friends start a dog-walking business together, but there are challenges, and not just of the furry kind — friendship problems, family dynamics and busy schedules could impact not just their business, but their relationships too.

Additional Considerations: Light conflict and gentle pacing may not appeal to readers seeking more high-stakes adventures in their graphic novels.

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Magazine: Brainspace🍁🧪

Vibe: Engaging, informative Ages: 8 – 14

Appeal: For older kids and young teens who love everything science-related and want to keep up with the latest STEM topics.

Summary: A Canadian STEM magazine packed with science articles, experiments, puzzles and fascinating facts to spark curiosity and critical thinking.

Additional Considerations: Some activities may require adult support or supervision; highly recommended for classrooms and school libraries.

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Audiobook: The Barren Grounds (Book 1 of The Misewa Series), by David A. Robertson with Brefny Caribou (narrator), 2020 🍁🪶

Vibe: Atmospheric, adventurous Ages: 9 – 14

Appeal: For older readers who will love the blend of Indigenous storytelling with the world-building of fantasy novels like The Chronicles of Narnia.

Summary: Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous foster children from Winnipeg, are transported to a mystical land called Misewa through a hidden portal in their foster home. There, they must survive a harsh environment, work together, and restore balance in the natural world with the guidance of animal spirits and Cree teachings. ** 2020 Governor-General Literary Award – Young People’s Literature – Text Finalist

Additional Considerations: Like most fantasy novels, the complex world-building may take some time for readers to fully understand and immerse themselves in.

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Album: Mini Pop Kids 20 🍁

Vibe: Upbeat, wholesome fun Ages: 4 – 10

Appeal: For parents who want clean versions of popular songs for their youngsters.

Summary: It’s been a minute since I’ve listened to a Mini Pop album, and I don’t remember them sounding so sophisticated! Mini Pop Kids 20 was thoroughly enjoyable with covers of songs from Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift, among others. The alternative lyrics were also quite well done. Look at one of my favourites songs by Noah Kahan, Stick Season, to see how unobtrusive, and arguably healthier, the Mini Pop version is:

And I love Vermont, but it’s the season of the sticks
And I saw your mom, she forgot that I existed
And it’s half my fault, but I just like to play the victim
I’ll drink alcohol play basketball ’til my friends come home for Christmas …

Additional Considerations: Kids will hear the original versions of these songs elsewhere; that can’t be avoided entirely. But it may prompt interesting conversations about each version, which is not a terrible thing.

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Show: PAW Patrol, Seasons 1 – 12, Spin Master Entertainment, 2013 – present 🍁

Vibe: Lively,   Ages: 3 – 6

Appeal: For preschoolers who love simple adventure stories

Summary: A young boy named Ryder and a team of rescue pups work together to help their community.

Additional Considerations: The repetitive and predictable episode structure is reassuring for preschoolers and kindergarteners, but may not be as appealing to older kids.

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Ebook: Canada: We Are the Story, by Richard Wagamese & Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (illustrator), 2026🍁🪶

Vibe: Vibrant, Evocative Ages: 9 – 14+

Appeal: For older kids interested in exploring Indigenous perspectives and Canadian identity, especially in a classroom setting.

Summary: Adapted from a poem by the late Ojibway author Richard Wagamese, this lushly illustrated book follows the struggles of an Indigenous child trying to answer the question, “What makes you proud to be Canadian?”

Additional Considerations: Themes around national identity and Indigeneity require a certain level of maturity and may benefit from guided discussion and reflection.

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Game: Minecraft: Dream It, Build It!, (version 26.13, Android app), by Mojang Studios

Vibe: Immersive, creative Ages: 7 – 12+

Appeal: For kids of all ages who enjoy building, exploration and open-ended play.

Summary: Players explore, gather resources and build structures in pixelated worlds. There are many expansion packs available.

Additional Considerations: Sensitive children may be upset by survival mode, and the online interactive mode requires careful adult supervision.

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Name: CBC Kids 🍁

Vibe: Playful, interactive Ages: 5 – 10

Appeal: For families looking for a reliable Canadian source for information and activities for their kids.

Summary: In terms of Canadian media, nothing is more quintessential than the CBC, and their kids’ site is remarkably packed with everything to keep kids both entertained and informed, from games, articles, quizzes, and videos. There is even a section for grown-ups, geared towards parents and teachers.

Additional Considerations: Younger children may need assistance navigating the site, and there is no content geared towards middle schoolers and teenagers, which may be a missed opportunity. However, there is CBC Kids News, which is targeted at Grades 5 – 7 students.

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Name: The Official Website of Robert Munsch 🍁

Vibe: Cheerful, amusing Ages: 5 – 10

Appeal: For young Munsch book lovers, their families and friends.

Summary: You didn’t think I’d leave Robert Munsch off my Canadiana for Kids list, did you?! His website is just like all of his books, bright, colourful and fun, featuring blurbs on all his books, stories and poems from and for readers and some biographical information about Munsch himself, one of the most popular and enduring Canadian children’s authors of all time.

Additional Considerations: The website is mostly promotional, and the What’s New? section has not been updated since 2011. Younger children may need assistance navigating the website.

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