Sarabeth Holden, Kevin Sylvester and Gordon Korman among winners of 2024 Forest of Reading Awards
The program is the country's largest recreational reading initiative for kids
Canadian authors Sarabeth Holden, Kevin Sylvester and Gordon Korman are among the winners of the 2024 Forest of Reading awards.
Hosted each spring, the Forest of Reading is Canada's largest annual recreational reading program where children and young adults pick their favourite authors and illustrators.
This year, some 154,000 readers across the country have participated. Canadian students from kindergarten to high school are encouraged to read from a selection of shortlisted books and vote for their favourites.
A total of nine categories — six English and three French — reflecting different reading levels and genres are recognized.
Holden has won the Blue Spruce Award for readers in kindergarten to Grade 2 for her book Benny the Bananasaurus Rex, illustrated by Emma Pedersen. In the picture book, Benny knows that if he eats too many bananas, he might turn into one — but that's not going to stop him. After eating bananas morning, noon and night, he becomes a Bananasaurus Rex and silly chaos ensues.
Holden is an Inuk author who grew up between Nova Scotia, Nunavut, New Brunswick and Ontario. She is currently the president of the Toronto Inuit Association. Her debut picture book was 2020's Please Don't Change My Diaper.
Pedersen is a storyteller and illustrator from Ontario. She also illustrated the picture books The Blizzard, written by Heather Main, and Life Cycles of Caribou, written by Monica Ittusardjuat.
Sylvester has won the Silver Birch Award for fiction for readers from Grades 3-6. He is recognized for his book Apartment 713, which follows a boy named Jake Simmons who moves to an apartment building named The Regency, a place that features floors of peeling wallpaper and the barest of hints at its glory. Jake makes a few friends in the building but misses his old home. He quickly discovers that there are secrets hiding within The Regency, secrets that are begging to be explored, especially that off-limit unit known as apartment 713.
Sylvester is a Canadian broadcaster, illustrator and writer of middle-grade books such as the Neil Flambé Capers series and the MiNRS space adventure series. He is also the co-author of the book The Fabulous Zed Watson!, written with his child Basil Sylvester.
Korman's The Fort has won the Red Maple Award for fiction for readers in Grades 7-8. The Fort tells the story of five friends who set up a hideout in an abandoned bomb shelter in the aftermath of Hurricane Leo. The group make a promise to keep their refuge a secret, but once they share their personal secrets, they'll understand how seriously important the fort is.
Korman is a middle-grade and YA author of over 100 books. Born in Montreal, he is currently living in New York.
The complete list of English language winners is as follows:
- Blue Spruce Award Winner: Benny and the Bananasaurus Rex by Sarabeth Holden, illustrated by Emma Pedersen
- Silver Birch Express Award Winner: Rock? Plant? Animal?: How Nature Keeps Us Guessing by Etta Kaner, illustrated by Brittany Lane
- Silver Birch Fiction Award Winner: Apartment 713 by Kevin Sylvester
- Yellow Cedar Award Winner: Animal Eyes: How Creatures See and How Their Eyes Have Adapted to Their World by Françoise Vulpé
- Red Maple Award Winner: The Fort by Gordon Korman
- White Pine Award Winner: Pieces of Me by Kate McLaughlin
The Forest of Reading program is organized by the Ontario Library Association. The program began in 1995. There is also an adult program, the Evergreen Award, which is run by libraries in the summer.
