A Bookish Summer Project: Exploring Canadian Awards for Children’s and Young Adult Literature (Part Two)

Before wrapping up my bookish summer project (read Part One here), I wanted to share five Canadian children’s and YA book awards worth knowing. Choosing just five was hard. There is a ton of amazing Canadian literature and so many organizations supporting our country’s talented storytellers and illustrators.

Here’s the list in no particular order (They’re all doing amazing things):

The Ontario Library Association’s Forest of Reading
https://forestofreading.com

Okay, okay, okay. Technically, this is an organization and there are actually nine separate awards for kids and young adults, but I’m combining them. Ranging from little ones who are at the very start of their reading journey with picture books that are read aloud, all the way to Grade 12, the Forest of Reading covers a wide range of reading skill levels. The Forest of Reading even has separate awards for French and English literature. There’s even one award for adult readers!

Why do I like the award so much? Because the program is doing some amazing work in the community! As the story goes, in the 1990s, the Ontario Library Association conducted a survey about recreational reading programs being offered to school-aged kids. The survey revealed that not enough reading programming was being offered, so the OLA decided to do something about it. Thus, the Forest of Reading was born. This is Canada’s largest recreational reading program and I am a little embarrassed to admit that I had never heard of it until working on this project. So, to ensure no one else misses out, I’m including the program in my top five.

In terms of literature submitted to the program, the criteria and eligibility are open to a wide range of topics. Some of the specific criteria are that the author must be a Canadian citizen and that self-published works are not accepted. To me, what makes this award awesome is that the program’s goals are to:

• foster a love of reading

• improve literacy rates

• showcase how amazing libraries are (I could go on and on about this. Libraries are vital to our communities and don’t get enough love!)

• encourage Canadians to read Canadian

Basically, schools, libraries, or even parents of individual children, can sign up to participate. Each award has a shortlist of ten books and the participants can read all ten or choose at least five books to read. They are able to access online resources and activities related to their reading and in the end the kids get to vote for the book they want to win the award! The titles can be found at the library (if they don’t have the title, most libraries will take requests for new books!) or purchased. I love that the intended audience is at the heart of this. Yes, there are awards, but this program is so much more than that.

Science Writers and Communicators of Canada (SWCC) Book Awards
https://sciencewriters.ca

The Youth category for the SWCC Book Awards is very broad. The books can be picture books with minimal text, a collection of poetry inspired by nature, or even a biography-style tome. The award celebrates books that help readers engage with science in a fun way and, maybe, say “Hmm, I learned something new today!”

Why do I like this award so much? Because we’re born curious and full of wonder and somewhere along the way we lose that. Watching my son experience everything for the first time has been the best reminder of that childhood wonder. The world is amazing and there is so much to explore! I love hearing him ask “What’s that?” a thousand times a day and watching him discover things like gravity and cause and effect. I love that so many books recognized by this award celebrate how fun and exciting science is and nurture our intrinsic love of learning.

Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) Book Awards
https://bookcentre.ca/pages/ccbc-book-awards

I know, I’m once again listing an organization with numerous awards (eight, to be exact), but I promise the CCBC deserves the recognition, even if it means I’m once again cheating on my top five awards list. Their range of awards honour books from children’s picture books to Grade 12 readers. They also have categories honouring genres like historical fiction, poetry, science fiction and fantasy! The CCBC is an incredible leader in improving Canadian children’s literacy, and this award program is an extension of that. The CCBC says it views these awards as a way to bring awareness to the nominated books across all eight categories, granting the books larger audiences—a goal that helps authors and readers alike.

In terms of award voting, the CCBC selects a jury for each award. Their website says that jurors for each award are selected from a national pool of people with expertise in critically assessing children’s and youth literature. Within this selection of jurors, the CCBC is especially interested in maintaining a “commitment to the principles of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion,” and as such, “endeavour to include as many jurors as possible for underrepresented groups.”

Something the CCBC is doing that I find especially exciting is asking whether submitted books have an accessible format. While it isn’t a requirement to submit a book that is accessible/has an accessible version, I deeply appreciate that the CCBC is recognizing the need for accessible books. Separate from the awards, the CCBC website has a section with a list of accessible books! They share a huge list of books, with links for where to find them, in formats like braille, audio- and e-book, and large print. I was so excited to see this and I love seeing the steps the CCBC is taking to break down accessibility barriers to youth literacy in Canada.

Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award (HCCBA)
https://hackmatack.ca

The Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award is aimed at books for kids in Grades 4-6. The intention of the award is to introduce young Canadian readers to some of the amazing authors and illustrators we have in Canada!

Similar to the Forest of Reading, the HCCBA is a reading club. Children can sign up through their library, school, individually, or through homeschooling programs. They can read as many of the forty shortlisted books as they would like, but to qualify to vote, kids must read a minimum of five books from the list. Through the reading club, kids also get access to fun activities and could get the chance to meet some of the authors whose work they read. I love the way these reading club awards operate and find it so special that the actual audience, the children, are given the space to critique and celebrate Canadian literature. It is such a unique way to give them some power over their reading journey and a sense of responsibility.

Some of HCCBA’s goals are fostering a love of reading in Canadian children, promoting a development and appreciation of reading and writing in both of Canada’s national languages, and increasing awareness of Canadian writers and their books. HCCBA does an excellent job of selecting a diverse range of titles for their shortlists, exposing participating readers to a wide range of stories, experiences, voices, and backgrounds.

Something else I love about HCCBA is how they highlight the work that the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) is doing to further encourage everyone to read.

CELA is an accessible library service that helps to provide accessibly formatted books and other materials to Canadians of all ages with disabilities. Through CELA, many of the shortlisted HCCBA books are available for free in formats that would help kids with print disabilities participate in this reading club.

First Nation Communities READ (FNCR) by the Ontario Library Service
https://fncr.ca

FNCR was started in 2003 by the First Nations Public Library Community in Ontario, with the support of the Ontario Library Service, as a way to promote a community-based approach to reading and literacy. There are two categories: children’s and young adult/adult. The books that make it onto the longlist and the winners are chosen by a jury of First Nations librarians from across Canada.

Some of the FNCR’s goals include highlighting the importance of Indigenous Canadian stories and voices being read across Canada, family literacy, and sharing intergenerational stories with readers of all ages. They also provide an amazing platform for First Nation, Métis, and Inuit writers, illustrators, and publishers. Something I find really exciting about the FNCR is that they are actively working to promote the documentation and publication of Indigenous stories and experiences. They state that they work to promote the very best in Indigenous Canadian literature and to provide them with a larger platform so that their work can be shared and celebrated far and wide.

The FNCR is also working on additional initiatives to further uplift Indigenous voices. This past year, they began a series of filmed author interviews, which are (very generously) freely available on the FNCR website. The interviews are conducted by Nancy Cooper, the FNCR coordinator, and make an excellent resource for book clubs, critical writing exercises, or anyone seeking a deeper appreciation of the books FNCR promotes. Part of why I loved learning about this award so much is that the initiative is led in every aspect by Indigenous Canadian voices. Beyond the prestige of the award, the FNCR feels like a genuine and holistic celebration of Indigeneity and, to me, that feels very beautiful.