The Better Tree Fort

Oddrey and the New Kid

The Highest Number In The World

Willow Finds A Way

Splinters

I Love Sharks Too

Ella May and the Wishing Stone

The Artist and Me

The Good Little Book

What's My Superpower?

Butterfly Park

The Cardinal & the Crow

Bad Dog

If I Had a Gryphon

Fast Friends

The Day My Mom Came to Kindergarten

The Most Magnificent Thing

Stanley’s Little Sister

I Love My Purse

Small Saul

My Blue is Happy

Here Comes Hortense!

Tricky

Giraffe and Bird together again

Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole On Earth!

InvisiBill

 The Night Gardener

You are Stardust

French Toast

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress

Stop, Thief!

In The Tree House

Don’t Laugh at Giraffe

Even superheroes have bad days 

Kiss Me! (I’m a Prince!)

This is Not My Hat

The Wolf-Birds

Me, Toma and the concrete garden

Milo and Georgie

Really and Truly

The Reptile Club

Sloth at the Zoom

Sun Dog

One Hockey Night

Going Up!

A Flock of Shoes

The Busy Beaver

Shark Lady- The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist 

In a Cloud of Dust

Sam’s Pet Temper

Blue Spruce Seal 

Fisherman Through and Through

Mustafa

Great

If You Hold A Seed

Grandmother School

The Man with the Violin

If Kids Ruled the World

The Proudest Blue

Harry and Walter

The Little Boy Who Lived Down the Drain

Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox

My Day with Gong Gong

Larf

Kate and Pippin

Mr. Zinger's Hat

I Dare You Not to Yawn

Giraffe and Bird

Stanley at School

Noni Says No

Snap!

Harry's Hiccups

The Little Hummingbird

Super Red Riding Hood

The Branch

Barnaby Never Forgets

Sleep, Sheep!

We’re All Friends Here

Be You!

Young Frank, Architect

A Good Trade

Salma the Syrian Chef

Henry Holton Takes the Ice

A Plan for Pops

JoJo the Giant

Where Oliver Fits

A Squiggly Story

The Magician's Secret

Loula is Leaving for Africa

The Truth About Wind

Sky Color

Making the Moose Out of Life

Kenta and The Big Wave

Uncle Wally’s Old Brown Shoe

Boxitects

The Darkest Dark

That's not hockey

Oddrey

The magic boat

The owl and the lemming 

The Owl and the Lemming

I Love Sharks Too!

Me, Toma and the Concrete Garden

The Cardinal and the Crow

The Magic Boat

Shark Lady

The Blue Spruce Award program brings recently published Canadian children's picture books to children in kindergarten to Grade 2. It is part of the Forest of Reading, an annual initiative of the Ontario Library Association. 

Check out the 2024 nominees [__here__](http://lists.tpl.ca/shared/blue-spruce-award-2024/0V2LA1WtxzNDS2lRSsn14VlUeYqs7ushEVrXrfcKwJnhSAYINZ).

Forest of Reading – The Blue Spruce Award

Even Superheroes Have Bad Days

Giraffe and Bird Together Again

That's Not Hockey

You Are Stardust

2012 Forest of Reading: The Blue Spruce™

2013 Forest of Reading: The Blue Spruce™

2014 Forest of Reading: The Blue Spruce™

2015 Forest of Reading: The Blue Spruce™

2016 Forest of Reading: The Blue Spruce™

2017 Forest of Reading: The Blue Spruce™

2018 Forest of Reading: The Blue Spruce™

2019 Forest of Reading: The Blue Spruce™

2020 Forest of Reading: The Blue Spruce™

2021 Forest of Reading: The Blue Spruce™

The Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award was awarded until 2016 to an outstanding illustrator of a Canadian children's book. Ages: 0-12 years

Amelia Frances Howard Gibbon Award

Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

Check out the 2022 winner and finalists [__here__](http://lists.tpl.ca/shared/caldecott-medal-2022/aYAaohKwE7daeqHHy1i1SbszqGPBJBaU409xVlKGqxKg88tnrX).

Caldecott Award

Caldecott Medal

Awarded annually by the Cooperative Children's Book Center since 1998, the Charlotte Zolotow Award is given for outstanding writing in a picture book. 

Ages: 0-7 years

Charlotte Zolotow Award

Founded in 1969, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards recognize outstanding Black authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that portray an aspect of the Black experience. The awards include several categories and are given annually at the American Library Association conference. 

Check out the 2022 winner and finalists [__here__](http://lists.tpl.ca/shared/coretta-scott-king-book-awards-2022/SsqveID60UTf8nPXaaRyB8Z7bWX4exIuxFO4QKg8cDpzXS8dTp).

Founded in 1969, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards recognize outstanding Black authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that portray an aspect of the Black experience. The awards include several categories and are given annually at the American Library Association conference.

Coretta Scott King Book Award

Coretta Scott King Book Award – Illustrator

First Nation Communities READ is an annual reading program launched in 2003 by the First Nations public library community in Ontario. 

Check out the 2021-2022 winner and finalists [__here__](http://lists.tpl.ca/shared/first-nation-communities-read-awards-childrens-2021-2022/GiVhsXlryR3DyYQMxHhg2JlLVPIkLIcJdm6RRdP0HncyUQY17i).

First Nation Communities Read

First Nation Communities READ: PMC Indigenous Literature Award - Children's

The Governor General's Literary Award: Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books is awarded annually to an author and an illustrator for a children's book written in English. 

Check out the 2022 nominees [__here__](http://lists.tpl.ca/shared/governor-generals-award-young-peoples-literature-2022/S8YeoqjhsLDNTLP4TPGt76znlubn6RJwKQDhDCxCqmFAbdAbkE).

Governor General Literary Award

Governor General's Literary Award: Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books

Established in 2006, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award honours excellence in the illustrated picture book format.

Check out the 2023 nominees [__here__](http://lists.tpl.ca/shared/marilyn-baillie-picture-book-award-2023/FkzE6uYAXcQg6qY42Ax9H1SePmfGwuJ57A9qaGjMTBfVlJSE9a).

Marilyn Baillie Award

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award

Our top picks of the best Canadian children's books for building reading readiness in kids under five. Because the first books you share with your child should also be the best!

Toronto Public Library - First and Best

Ready for Reading

2013 Forest of Reading: The Blue Spruce™

Winners

Kate and Pippin

Shortlist

The Busy Beaver

Don’t Laugh at Giraffe

Ella May and the Wishing Stone

Here Comes Hortense!

JoJo the Giant

Larf

Really and Truly

Splinters

You Are Stardust

Other Booklists You Might Like

2013 Forest of Reading: The Blue Spruce™

Award Winners and Other Booklists