New Titles

Room on the broom

Donaldson, Julia.

A witch finds room on her broom for all the animals that ask for a ride, and they repay her kindness by rescuing her from a dragon.

Date Published:2001

Homes

Kita, Joy.

Includes bibliographical references and index. Includes a glossary of terms and a Table of Contents. Explore the different types of homes Canadian settlers and Indigenous cultures built and lived in.

Date Published:2019

Sometimes I feel like a fox

Danielle, Daniel

"Sometimes I feel like a fox, sly and sharp..." Young speakers explore the different animals on the Anishinaabe totem and share the different qualities of the animals and the ways they feel connected to them.

Date Published:2015

The friendship blanket

Carranza, Leonarda

Blue Spruce Award Nominee 2026. Aurelia has left her home, her Abuelita, and her Tía Maricela to move to Canada with her mother. At first she's excited about her new neighbourhood with the big trees. She loves her room, which Mami says she can paint any colour she wants. And she's looking forward to starting school and making new friends. But school isn't what she expected. Some of her classmates tease her for being different and she's left out of schoolyard games. She ends up feeling quite alone. With the help of Abuelita's blanket and the love and support it signifies, Aurelia returns to school with a new perspective and makes a true connection. Inspired by the author's own experiences, this story is a touching and age-appropriate depiction of what it's like to experience racism and exclusion, and what it means to make true connections.

Date Published:2025

The most magnificent team

Spires, Ashley, 1978-,

Blue Spruce Award Nominee 2026. "Captures the emotional ups and downs of working with others in this celebration of collaboration in the creative process. As the girl perseveres through technical and emotional challenges, she learns that mistakes don't mean failure and setbacks are just part of the route to success"--Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2025

Barefoot skateboarders

Singh, Rina, 1955-,

Silver Birch Express Award Nominee 2026. "In this nonfiction picture book, the tiny village of Janwaar in Madhya Pradesh, India, gets a new skatepark, which inspires Ramkesh and all the local kids to learn how to skateboard, putting them on the map and uniting their community."--Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2024

Chomp-o-rama : the strange ways that animals eat

Birmingham, Maria,

Silver Birch Express Award Nominee 2026. "Lively text and vibrant, humorous illustrations present twelve food-focused scenarios in this inventive, engaging, and surprisingly relatable introduction to animal behavior. After a brief introduction, twelve playful comparisons demonstrate ways a variety of animals and humans are the same but different when it comes to their snacks and meals. The animals are from a wide range of geographic habitats, from arctic foxes to Amazonian turtles and butterflies to Canada Jays. And the kids we see are culturally diverse. On the recto, a human activity is described with a single sentence. With a turn of the page, the recto reveals the animal comparison along with a short factual paragraph explaining the animal's behavior. The final page offers a brief explanation of why humans and animals need to eat: nutritious food gives your body the energy to think, move, and grow. It goes on to explain that different animals have different food needs and introduces the terms herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore. Includes a list of suggested reading as endmatter"--

Date Published:2025

This is how a ball rolls : the science of wobbling, bouncing, spinning balls

Tekavec, Heather, 1969-,

Silver Birch Express Award Nominee 2026. "In this one-of-a-kind informational picture book, ... tongue-twisting descriptions introduce twelve different types of sports balls, and readers are encouraged to guess what they are. An accompanying block of text provides the answer and explains the science behind how the balls do what they do (hint: the fuzz on tennis balls is there for a reason) and what makes them so much fun. The balls are listed in ascending order by size, from a tiny marble, a 'clinking, plinking, bumping ball,' to a person-sized Zorb ball, a 'slip-and-slide-inside ball.' Entertaining, playful and loads of fun to read aloud, this is a perfect STEAM pick for classrooms, and a great mashup of sports and science"--

Date Published:2025

The big splash

Ahn, Angela,

Silver Birch Express Award Nominee 2026. "Julia is dismayed to learn that Coach Marissa has to leave the Vipers swim team for an urgent family matter. Coach Nathan, their new temporary coach, is strict and humorless. He doesn't even let them have Splash Time! And it's not just Julia who's upset - two of her teammates have even quit the team. So it's no surprise that the team is not enthusiastic when Coach Nathan asks them to put together a car wash fundraiser for the team. But then they learn that there's going to be a big increase in pool rental fees, which means the Vipers may lose practice days, or worse, not be able to swim at all. Julia takes the lead and gets the Vipers organized. Along the way, she learns more about her nemesis, teammate Olivia, and even Coach Nathan. Maybe first impressions aren't always the most accurate"--

Date Published:2025

Purranormal activity. Book 2, Purranormal activity /

Tysoe, Alina,

Silver Birch Express Award Nominee 2026. "When a new neighbor moves into the house next door, Poppy the puptective couldn't be more uninterested. She's too busy solving the mystery of the unseen culprit chewing up all the furniture in her house. But when Poppy catches a possible ghost playing with Truffles's toys in the middle of the night, whatever's going on next door becomes urgent! Good thing Poppy and Truffles the cat are on the case!"-- Publisher description.

Date Published:2025

The League of Littles

Lyall, Casey,

Silver Birch Express Award Nominee 2026. Eli, Lexi, and Mo, three trainees to an international organization that supports the needs of youngest siblings, accept their first mission and help find a lost hamster.

Date Published:2025

Salma speaks up

Ramadan, Ahmad Danny,

Silver Birch Express Award Nominee 2026. "Salma's best friend Riya has had a secret: she dreams of becoming a poet! So when their school's Speech Club announces an assembly where the winner will get a spot in a city-wide writing workshop, Riya convinces Salma to join the club with her. But Nathan, another member of the club, keeps criticizing the girls for not speaking English "correctly." Salma grows increasingly frustrated: why does Nathan get to decide which accents are good or bad? Also, Salma is worried about her beloved Khalou Dawood, who keeps canceling their dinner plans, although he claims he's not sick. Through research and discussions with her family, Salma discovers what might be impacting Khalou and also gains the courage and confidence to embrace her voice and speak up for herself and others"--

Date Published:2025

Plant attack : the fascinating ways flora defends itself!

Silver, Erin.

Silver Birch Express Nominee 2026. Includes a glossary of terms. Just like people and animals, plants need to defend themselves. They can’t scream or run away from danger, but many have developed surprisingly cool and courageous ways to keep themselves safe from pesky bugs, hungry animals and even large-clawed crabs. Plants can stab, poison, drown and even suffocate their predators. Discover the corpse flower, which smells like a combination of rotting wounds, garlic, cheese and sour sweat. Then there is the touch-me-not balsam that explodes, flinging anything that touches it through the air. Plant Attack! The Fascinating Ways Flora Defend Themselves explores 15 different plants and the unique, and sometimes bizarre, ways they defend themselves from predators, including us.

Date Published:2025

Dogs vs. humans : a showdown of the senses

Gibeault, Stephanie,

Silver Birch Express Nominee 2026. "In showdown of the senses, who do you think would win, dog or human? That is the question being explored in this fun, sense-by-sense look at the ways dogs perceive the world and how it compares to the way we humans do. Over the course of six rounds, the sensory abilities of dogs and humans are playfully pitted against one another, with a final tally provided at the end of each section. (For those who are counting, the last round is a bonus that explores the possibility that dogs have extra senses that we do not. And spoiler alert: they don't-or at least not ones scientists have discovered yet.) The competition comes to a sense-sational conclusion that will please curious readers of both species. (It's a tie.) For each sense, the science behind our differences is clearly explained and often accompanied by an illustration for further clarity. (See for e.g., Who Sees it Better? and Who Smells it Better?) And for added context, the dogs' senses are often explained in evolutionary terms. For instance, when it comes to the sense of touch, a dog's nose can actually feel the body heat of another animal from as far as 1.5 m (5 ft.) away -- about the length of a park bench. Stephanie explains that this ability probably helped dogs' wolf ancestors find the warm bodies of hidden prey when they were hunting. Includes a glossary"--

Date Published:2025