Anoosha Syed and Joel A. Sutherland among winners of 2025 Forest of Reading Awards
The program is the country's largest recreational reading initiative for kids
Canadian authors Anoosha Syed and Joel A. Sutherland are among the winners of the 2025 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 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.
Syed won the Blue Spruce Award, for readers in kindergarten to Grade 2, for her book Lost Stick.
In Lost Stick, Louise and her dog Milo are great friends. When Louise throws Stick, a twig, a little too far, Milo sets off on an adventure across the world to bring it back for her — but all sticks look the same! What ensues is a hilarious story of friendship which shows that sometimes the best place to be is home.
Syed is a Pakistani-Canadian illustrator, writer and character designer for animation. Her books include That's Not My Name!, Bilal Cooks Daal, Sari Sisters and The Salt Princess. She is currently based in Dallas.
Sutherland was awarded the Yellow Cedar Award for nonfiction for grades 4-8 for Haunted Canada: The Graphic Novel, Vol 1.
Haunted Canada: The Graphic Novel, Vol 1 is an illustrated collection of four "terrifying tales" from the original Haunted Canada series. In Rotting In a Cage a dead body looms, in Mandy Lives a doll is scarily alive, Isle of Demons focuses on an eerie part of the Maritimes and in Don't Get Caught there's a neighbour everyone avoids.
Adapted in four different art styles by illustrators Hannah Barrett, David Bishop, Matt Salisbury and Jenn Woodall, the graphic novel for young readers combines horror and Canadian history.
Sutherland is an Ontario author of thriller, horror and fantasy short stories and novels, anthologies and children's books. Alongside other titles in the Haunted Canada series, he is also the author of Summer's End, which received a Red Maple Award Honour, and House of Ash and Bone.
The complete list of English language winners is as follows:
- Blue Spruce Award: Lost Stick by Anoosha Syed
- Silver Birch Express Award: Lost & Found: Based on a True Story by Mei Yu
- Silver Birch Fiction Award: The Legendary Mo Seto 01 by A. Y. Chan
- Yellow Cedar Award: Haunted Canada Graphic Novel 01: Four Terrifying Tales by Joel A. Sutherland
- Red Maple Award: 40 Days in Hicksville by Christina Kilbourne
- White Pine Award: The Space Between Here & Now by Sarah Suk
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.
