20 Canadian books to give to kids and teens this holiday season
From quiet snails, to lost socks, to time travel, we've found a book for every young reader on your holiday list!
LISTEN | Lucy Mann speaks about the CBC Books kids holiday gift guide with Helen Mann on Here and Now:
How to Party Like a Snail by Naseem Hrab, illustrated by Kelly Collier
How to Party Like a Snail is a tale about a snail who loves to have a party — just not loud ones. Snail wishes for a quiet party but his animal friends have other ideas. They all soon learn just what it takes to have a get-together that all can enjoy.
How to Party Like a Snail is for ages 4 to 7.
Naseem Hrab is a Toronto-based writer and storyteller. She is also the author of Ira Crumb Makes a Pretty Good Friend and Ira Crumb Feels the Feelings. Her picture book Weekend Dad was a finalist for the 2020 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — illustrated books.
Kelly Collier is a Toronto artist and illustrator. She is the author-illustrator of two picture books, A Horse Named Steve and Team Steve, and the illustrator of Sloth and Squirrel in a Pickle.
Garden of Lost Socks by Esi Edugyan, illustrated by Amélie Dubois
Garden of Lost Socks is a story about friendship, curiosity and the magic of community. Akosua, who is a budding Exquirologist, and a new friend find a remarkable world hidden right in her very own community.
Garden of Lost Socks is for ages 4 to 7.
Esi Edugyan is a Victoria-based author of Half-Blood Blues and Dreaming of Elsewhere. Her book Washington Black was a finalist on Canada Reads 2022, shortlisted for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and the Booker Prize and won the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Amélie Dubois grew up in Montreal and currently lives in Mauricie, Que. She has illustrated children's books such as Rien du tout! by Marie-Hélène Jarry, Mingan les nuages by Marie-Andrée Arsenault and copine et Copine by Kim Nunès, Marie-Chantal Perron and Tammy Verge which was the French-language finalist for the 2020 Governor General's Literary Award. She has also illustrated for magazines and television.
Do You Remember? by Sydney Smith
A boy and his mother talk about their memories, like having a picnic with dad who is no longer with them. Do You Remember? is a picture book that explores how memories are made, whether they're happy or sad.
Do You Remember? is for ages 3 to 6.
Sydney Smith is a writer and illustrator from Halifax. Some of his other works include illustrating Town Is by the Sea which won the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award in 2017 and the Kate Greenaway Medal, and Small in the City which he also wrote. Small in the City won the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Ezra Jack Keats Award.
Bompa's Insect Expedition by David Suzuki, with Tanya Lloyd Kyi, illustrated by Qin Leng
Bompa's Insect Expedition follows a pair of twins as they go on an insect expedition with their grandfather. Inspired by David Suzuki's adventures with his grandchildren, the picture book showcases a part of nature that can sometimes be overlooked — the world of bugs.
Bompa's Insect Expedition is for ages 4 to 8.
David Suzuki is an environmentalist, scientist and science broadcaster. He was the host of CBC's The Nature of Things since October 24, 1979 before retiring from the show in spring 2023. The Vancouver-based environmentalist is a father of five and grandfather of 10, including twins Nakina and Kaoru. He is also an author of over 50 books, including Letters to my Grandchildren and The Sacred Balance.
Tanya Lloyd Kyi has written more than 30 books for children and teenagers, including The Best Way to Get Your Way, This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes, Under Pressure and Mya's Strategy to Save the World. Kyi lives in Vancouver.
Qin Leng is a Toronto illustrator, writer and visual development artist. Her recent books include I Am Small, which Leng wrote and illustrated, and she has illustrated numerous books including A Kid is a Kid is a Kid and A Family Is a Family Is a Family by Sara O'Leary.
Not Me by Elise Gravel
When dad asks who left socks all over the place, a brother and sister insist that it was "not me" in the picture book Not Me. Dad is quite sure the kids are not telling the truth, until he is introduced to the actual Not Me, a creature who in turn accuses Not True, who exposes the real sock bandit, the ever-complaining Not Fair!
Not Me is for ages 3 to 8.
Elise Gravel is a Quebec author and illustrator who has written and illustrated over 50 books for children. Her books include The Bat, The Worst Book Ever, The Mushroom Fan Club, I Want a Monster! and What Is a Refugee. Gravel won the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People in 2022 for her body of work. She lives in Montreal.
The Origin of Day and Night by Paula Ikuutaq Rumbolt, illustrated by Lenny Lishchenko
The Origin of Day and Night is an Inuit myth that shares the origin story of light and darkness. Passed orally from storyteller to storyteller for hundreds of years, this beautifully illustrated story weaves together elements of an origin story and a traditional animal tale.
The Origin of Day and Night is for ages 6 to 8.
Paula Ikuutaq Rumbolt is from Baker Lake, Nunavut. She is currently attending Concordia University in Montreal.
Lenny Lishchenko is a Ukrainian Canadian illustrator, graphic designer and comic maker who now lives in Mississauga, Ont.
More than Words by Roz MacLean
In More than Words, Nathan, who is a quiet boy, observes in school how people can communicate in different ways. From peers that use sign language, to peers that sing, there are many different ways of communicating. More than Words is a story about understanding each other to create belonging and friendship.
More than Words is for ages 4 to 8.
Roz MacLean is a B.C.-based visual artist and writer and illustrator of children's books. Some of her other works include Violet's Cloudy Day and The Body Book.
Auntie's Rez Surprise by Heather O'Watch, illustrated by Ellie Arscott
Cree receives a new puppy as a special surprise from her Auntie Rez in Auntie's Rez Surprise. She not only has a new friend who she names "Atim," the Nehiyaw word for dog, Cree gets to learn about the importance of dogs in her culture from her Auntie.
Auntie's Rez Surprise is for ages 6 to 8.
Heather O'Watch is a Nakota and Nehiyaw writer from Okanese First Nation, located in Treaty 4 Territory. She is currently a graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan, pursuing a Masters in Public Policy.
Ellie Arscott is a Toronto-based illustrator. Her first picture book that she illustrated was Night Walk by Sara O'Leary, which received an SCBWI Canada East Crystal Kite award.
Top Secret Anniversary by Mitali Banerjee Ruths, illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel
Top Secret Anniversary is the third book in the early chapter books series, The Party Diaries, about a third grader named Priya who starts her own party planning business and raises money for endangered species. In Top Secret Anniversary, Priya is planning a party for her mom and dad's anniversary, but Priya and her mom want the party to be a surprise for Priya's dad. Priya is trying her best to keep it a secret from her dad and works hard to create the best anniversary party ever.
Top Secret Anniversary is for ages 5 to 7.
Mitali Banerjee is a Montreal-based children's book writer and a pediatrician. Her previous books include picture book Archie Celebrates Diwali, the early readers series The Inside Scouts and two other books in the The Party Diaries series: Awesome Orange Birthday and Starry Henna Night.
Aaliya Jaleel is an illustrator, a designer and a visual development artist. Previous books that she has illustrated include Awesome Orange Birthday, Starry Henna Night, Maryam's Magic, Under My Hijab and Muslim Girls Rise.
Nutshimit: In the Woods by Melissa Mollen Dupuis, illustrated by Elise Gravel
In the non-fiction book Nutshimit: In the Woods, Innu writer Melissa Mollen Dupuis takes children on a guided walk through the forest to learn about Innu culture. Illustrator Elise Gravel brings the words to life with her comic style illustrations.
Nutshimit: In the Woods is for ages 6 to 8.
Melissa Mollen Dupuis is a writer, director and radio show host and a member of the Innu community of Ekuanitshit on Quebec's Côte-Nord. Dupuis is the co-founder of the Quebec branch of the Idle No More movement. She lives in Granby, Que. Nutshimit: In the Woods is her first children's book.
Elise Gravel is a Quebec author and illustrator who has written and illustrated over 50 books for children. Her books include The Bat, The Worst Book Ever, The Mushroom Fan Club, I Want a Monster! and What Is a Refugee. Gravel won the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People in 2022 for her body of work. She lives in Montreal.
Priya Puts Herself First by Nathan Fairbairn, illustrated by Michele Assarasakorn
Priya Puts Herself First is the third book in the PAWS graphic novel series. The third volume takes place during the holidays when their business is impacted due to a big storm and the PAWS members go through some personal challenges — Gabby wants to be internet famous and Priya's family is being evicted. Can PAWS overcome these challenges and stay afloat?
Priya Puts Herself First is for ages 8 to 12.
Nathan Fairbairn is a Vancouver-based and Eisner-nominated comic creator. Other projects he has worked on include the characters Spider-Man, Batman, Wonder Woman and the graphic novel Lake of Fire.
Michele Assarasakorn is a colorist who has worked on comic book series such as Isola, Gotham Academy and The Magnificent Ms. Marvel. Assarasakorn is originally from Thailand and now lives in Vancouver. Her previous books include the first two graphic novels in the PAWS series, Mindy Makes Some Space and Gabby Gets It Together.
The Boy, the Cloud and the Very Tall Tale by Heather Smith
The Boy, the Cloud and the Very Tall Tale is a historical middle-grade novel with a dash of magic. When Ewan was nine years old, he was still grieving the loss of his mother when his father disappeared by getting swept away by a magical cloud. It is now the year 1924 and 11-year-old Ewan is living with his younger sister Flora, his Grumple and his cat. He is determined to find out what happened to his father so he decides to take his grandfather's most reliable horse and sets off on a journey up the Newfoundland coast to get some answers.
The Boy, the Cloud and the Very Tall Tale is for ages 9 to 12.
Heather Smith writes books for children and young adults. She is originally from Newfoundland, but now lives in Waterloo, Ont. Smith's picture books include The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden, A Plan for Pops and Granny Left Me a Rocket Ship, and her YA books include Chicken Girl, The Agony of Bun O'Keefe and Baygirl. She won the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award in 2019 for her YA novel in verse Ebb & Flow.
Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
Swim Team follows middle schooler Bree as she navigates swim class. Bree is excited for her first day at her new middle school until she's stuck with the only elective class that fits her schedule, Swim 101. Swimming makes Bree sick to her stomach, but she's forced to dive headfirst into her fear. With the help of Etta, her elderly neighbour and former swim team captain, Bree becomes good at swimming. Her swimming obsessed community is counting on her to guide her school's failing swim team to a state championship, but first, they have to defy all odds and beat their rival, Holyoke Prep.
Swim Team is for ages 8 to 12.
Johnnie Christmas lives in Vancouver and is a #1 New York TImes bestselling graphic novelist. He's the author of the sci-fi series Tartarus and Crema, the book Firebug and is working on three middle-grade graphic novels. He's best known for creating the Angel Catbird series with Margaret Atwood and adapting the lost Alien 3 screenplay into a graphic novel of the same name.
We the Sea Turtles by Michelle Kadarusman
In the short story collection We the Sea Turtles, nine stories are told featuring different children on islands around the world. The stories all have one thing in common — a turtle swims into each of the children's lives at a critical moment. From Georgian Bay, Ont., to Australia, the U.S., Denmark and Indonesia, all nine children form connections with the natural world in different ways.
We the Sea Turtles is for ages 8 to 12.
Michelle Kadarusman is a Canadian Australian Indonesian writer of books for children and teens. She is the author of Berani, Music for Tigers, The Theory of Hummingbirds and Girl of the Southern Sea, which was a finalist for the 2019 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — text. Kadarusman lives in Toronto.
Think Like a Goat by Lisa Deresti Betik, illustrated by Alexander Mostov
Think Like a Goat is an illustrated nonfiction book that highlights the ways animals can innovate, communicate and cooperate with one another. Author Lisa Deresti Betik explores facts such as how elephants grieve, how ants teach one another the routes to new sites to set up their home and how fireflies attract their mates by flashing patterns of light from their abdomens. The book also explores what humans can learn from how animals solve problems.
Think Like a Goat is for ages 8 to 12.
Lisa Deresti Betik is children's nonfiction writer and former teacher originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Her first book was In the Dark, illustrated by Josh Holinaty. Betik currently lives in Waterloo.
Alexander Mostov is an illustrator who lives in Seattle.
Junior High by Tegan Quin & Sara Quin, illustrated by Tillie Walden
Tegan and Sara: Junior High is a middle-grade graphic novel by Canadian sister musician duo Tegan and Sara. The story is inspired by the authors' own experiences of finding one's identity, musicianship and family in their adolescence. Growing up as identical twins, Tegan and Sara move to a new home and school and begin to come into their own as individuals.
Tegan and Sara: Junior High is for ages 10 to 14.
Tegan Quin and Sara Quin are twin sisters and a pop music duo from Calgary. They previously published a memoir called High School.
Tillie Walden is an American cartoonist, illustrator and writer. She has published several graphic novels, including On a Sunbeam and Spinning.
Woke Up Like This by Amy Lea
In Woke Up Like This, ultra-organised Charlotte Wu is 17 and trying to plan the perfect prom. While hanging up decorations in the gym with her archnemesis J. T. Renner, Charlotte falls off a ladder and crash lands directly on Renner. The next thing Charlotte knows she is waking up in a strange room, she is 30 and her and Renner are engaged to be married. Charlotte and Renner are determined to figure out what happened and how to get themselves back to their 17-year-old selves.
Woke Up Like This is for ages 13 and up.
Amy Lea is an Ottawa-based contemporary romance writer and Canadian bureaucrat. Her previous novels include Exes and O's and Set on You.
Songs of Irie by Asha Ashanti Bromfield
Songs of Irie is a historical coming-of-age YA novel set in 1976. Irie and Jilly are from two different worlds — Jilly lives in the hills, safe in a mansion, while Irie is from the heart of Kingston, where fighting on the streets is a regular occurrence. Tension is building on the streets and there is civil unrest in the lead-up to an important election. Irie and Jilly bond at Irie's dad's record store over their love of Reggae music and must fight for their friendship, and budding romance, to survive.
Songs of Irie is for ages 13 and up.
Asha Ashanti Bromfield is a writer, actress, singer and producer of Afro-Jamaican descent. She is known for starring as Melody Valentine, drummer for the band Josie and the Pussycats, in the television show Riverdale and as Zadie Wells in the Netflix show Locke and Key. Her YA novels include Hurricane Summer and Songs of Irie. She is from Toronto. CBC Books named Bromfield a Black Canadian writer to watch in 2022.
Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline
Into the Bright Open is a queer YA reimagining of The Secret Garden. When Mary Lennox becomes an orphan at 15 years old, she is sent from her home in Toronto to the wilderness of the Georgian Bay to live with her uncle. Mary is settling into her new life when one night she finds her cousin Olive, who has been medicated and hidden away in an attic room. Mary and Olive become instant friends and, along with a Métis girl named Sophie, set out to try and free Olive. Then one day they stumble upon a long-forgotten and overgrown garden.
Into the Bright Open is for ages 13 and up.
Cherie Dimaline is a Métis author best known for her YA novel The Marrow Thieves, which was named one of Time magazine's top 100 YA novels of all time and was championed by Jully Black on Canada Reads 2018. Her other books include VenCo, Red Rooms, The Girl Who Grew a Galaxy, A Gentle Habit, Empire of Wild and Funeral Songs for Dying Girls.
The Space Between Here & Now by Sarah Suk
In The Space Between Here & Now, Aimee Roh has a rare condition called Sensory Time Warp Syndrome. When Aimee smells something that is linked to a memory, she will travel in time to that moment in her life. When Aimee time travels to a memory about her estranged mother, the moment she is brought back to doesn't match up with the story she was told about why her mother left. Aimee decides to travel to Korea in search of some answers.
The Space Between Here & Now is for ages 13 and up.
Sarah Suk is a YA writer living in Vancouver. Her debut novel, Made in Korea, was named one of the best Canadian books for kids and young adults of 2022 by CBC Books.
