Recommended Reads

After the deaths of his mother and his daughter, Sundar Paliwal is determined to change the village into a place where girls and boys are treated equally and the countryside is not destroyed by irresponsible mining. He manages to convince the villagers to celebrate every girl born with the planting of 111 trees, which results in turning a desert village into a green haven that is safe and prosperous for girls. A true story.

Secret ballrooms, hidden artwork and unlikely friends—welcome to the Regency apartment, where even time moves in surprising ways! Jake Simmons hates his new home initially, but with each passing day, the building reveals more of its mysteries to Jake. The occupants grow on him too. Unfortunately, Jake's feeling of belonging is short-lived: the city plans to demolish the Regency. Jake feels powerless. And then fate throws him a curveball: he's summoned to apartment 713, an apartment he's been told is off limits.

Sophia’s father was lost at sea and now she spends her days moping around Aqualand, the marine theme park her dad and uncle created. One day she witnesses an “aquanaut” breaking into the park’s research lab and shockingly discovers that inside it lives a band of four goofy sea creatures! With time, they all realize something sinister is afoot at Aqualand and they band together to free the park marine life before it's too late.

Enchanting Arab folk tales and kid-friendly recipes meet in this feast for young imaginations. Each tale incorporates food and concludes with a traditional Arab recipe. 

Arthur has always loved reading stories. Eventually, he writes his own, and after many years of struggle as a writer, he finally finds success with a series of mystery stories starring his genius detective, Sherlock Holmes.

From a young age, Maria Mitchell was fascinated by the stars. In 1847, she discovered “Miss Mitchell’s Comet.” Maria was an astronomer and a librarian. She advocated for the rights of women and was one of the first female professors of astronomy and the first woman member of the American Academy of Arts and Science. Maria believed that everyone should have the opportunity and freedom to learn about and pursue the things they were passionate about.

In this story set against a medieval backdrop, the ruling houses are influenced by constellations, intrigue and betrayal. When their father is murdered, the unremarkable and spoiled royal sisters of the Bear House are forced to escape along with Dev the Bearkeeper and the grizzly cub Alcor, the symbol of their house. The band must dig deep to find their courage, discover their skills and build trust in order to survive.

A young girl named Beatrice wakes up all alone in a forest treehouse. In this bizarre forest, every fish, bird, mammal and reptile coexist, and any creature with a beating heart can communicate with any other. How did Beatrice arrive in this cozy dwelling, stocked carefully with books and food? And who has been leaving a trail of clues, composed in delicate purple handwriting?

When Ari learns about an orangutan rehabilitation centre, he and his friend Malia plot a rescue for Ginger Juice, the orangutan his uncle keeps in a cage. 

The world is full of critters that are larger than life! Sure, there are the usual suspects: blue whales, polar bears, elephant seals . . . but others will take you by surprise. The giant snail, for instance, or the ginormous Atlas moth.

Inspired by the imagined childhood of adult mystery writer Agatha Christie and her most popular character, Hercule Poirot, the Aggie Morton series follows the adventures of Aggie Morton and her friend Hector as they investigate their cases. When Aggie meets Hector and discovers a dead body, the two must use their cunning and curiosity and the help of their friends to find the murderer before Aggie’s beloved dance instructor is framed.

Annabelle discovers an animal bone in the woods and decides to make it her new plaything. At first, Boney, as Annabelle names him, makes the perfect companion. While Mom is busy with the baby, Boney and Annabelle share a meal, play at the park, and share a bedtime story before Annabelle tucks Boney into his shoebox-bed for the night. But when creatures run wild through her dreams, Annabelle considers where Boney really belongs.

Did you know mosquitoes are attracted to smelly feet or that grasshoppers have ears on their bellies? Jump into the charming (yes, charming) world of bugs and maybe try out some of the cool activities offered too! Readers are bound to find a unique and strange bug fact in this fun and informative book. A MUST READ especially for fans of the Disgusting Critters series or The Mushroom Fan Club.

When 7-year-old Sophia Spencer was bullied at school for loving bugs, her mother wrote to an entomological society looking for a bug scientist to be a pen pal for her daughter. Hundreds of women scientists rallied around Sophia using the hashtag #BugsR4Girls and tweeting hundreds of times to encourage her to continue her interest in bugs – and it worked! This book celebrates women in science, bugs of all kinds and gaining the courage to be yourself.

Some bugs have superpower-like abilities. And then there's Burt the beetle. He's not strong and he can't run fast. He doesn't even bite. Burt wants a superpower. There's just one tiny problem: what kind of special abilities do June beetles have?

Inspired by a true story, The Deepest Dig is a celebration of scientific inquiry. Caden is a young boy who discovers something buried in his backyard. His parents and teacher are disbelieving, but he refuses to give up. With the support of his next-door neighbour, Martha, he unearths the giant bones of a mysterious creature! While they comically misassemble the bones, Caden succeeds in getting his parents’ attention, ultimately bringing the family together.  

It's the summer of 1978 and most people think Elvis Presley has been dead for a year. But eleven-year-old Truly Bateman knows Elvis is alive and well and living in the Eagle Shores Trailer Park on Vancouver Island. Truly is determined to raise as much money for herself as she can through her lemonade stand and to prove that her cool new neighbour is the one and only King of Rock 'n' Roll. 

Eric is a foreign exchange student who comes to live with a suburban family. The family takes Eric on a number of excursions, but they're never sure if he's having a good time, as he just doesn't say very much. He's mostly interested in small things he discovers on the ground. When Eric leaves the family suddenly, they're unsure if they've done something wrong. But Eric leaves them a surprise gift that they'll never forget.

Mole and Vole always venture out into the world to see what nature they can find. After an accidental move from the country to the city, the best friends have to learn to discover plants and animals in their new environment.

Some of the grossest yet most fascinating ways animals have adapted to survive and thrive. Includes more than 30 creatures in all their gross glory. 

Explore the science of flowers in this hilarious and totally true picture book. A bee reveals how flowers are so much stranger than what we think. Did you know that there are some flowers that only bloom in the nighttime? Some flowers are spooky and look like ghosts, or bats, or a monster’s mouth. And while most flowers smell good, there are some that smell like dead meat, or even horse poop!

Adventurous, trail-blazing Wolf lives in a northern mining town and spends her days exploring the mountains and wilderness with her three best friends. The girls’ secret refuge is their treehouse hideaway, Birchwood. After her beloved grandmother tells her that she is the great-granddaughter of a tree talker, Wolf knows that she is destined to protect the birch trees and wildlife that surround her. 

The true story of how Wendy Sloboda discovered an entirely new dinosaur species near Alberta’s Milk River.  

From an early age, Franz is drawn to machines, like the family cuckoo clock. He hears a tiny whisper calling him to imagine, discover, create. But growing up on a farm in rural Austria means there's no time for playing and imagining. Despite having to quit school to do farm work, Franz never loses his urge to invent. He collects hundreds of parts and interesting materials, often working late into the night to build them into something fantastic.

Gabe tells ghost stories every day as part of his job giving haunted tours of Toronto Island. He tries to make the stories scary enough to satisfy the tourists, but he doesn’t actually believe in ghosts—until he finds himself face to face with Rebecca Strand, a girl who fell to her death from the top of a lighthouse in 1839!

After seeing a giraffe at the zoo when she was young, Anne Innis Dagg decided she would one day travel to Africa from her home in Canada to study giraffes in their natural environment. Her persistence helped her overcome obstacles based on gender, and she was able to fulfill her dream in 1956. Anne became the world’s leading scientific expert on giraffes. This book follows her journey and shares interesting facts about the majestic creatures.

Xander thinks the George Wickerman Hospital would be the perfect setting for Spirits and Specters, a role-playing game where players go on missions to find evidence of paranormal activities. According to local legend, tuberculosis patients were used as test subjects in medical experiments that ended tragically, and their disfigured ghosts walk the hallways of this now-abandoned building. What better location to go ghost hunting? 

This book features some of the funniest, scariest, most maddening, and most confusing rules and regulations from around the world, which will motivate readers to think about governance and social justice. 

Look beneath the surface of animals’ exteriors and learn what makes these creatures so remarkable. With never-seen-before x-ray photographs, Arie van ‘t Riet creates ‘bioramas’ by using low energy x-ray techniques to capture curious creatures, plants, flowers and grasses in their natural environments. Interesting informative text by Jan Paul Schutten accompanies the stunning images, helping readers to understand what they are looking at.

When a boy who stutters feels isolated, alone, and incapable of communicating in the way he'd like, it takes a kindly father and a walk by the river to help him find his voice. 

It fell from the sky on a Thursday. None of the insects know what it is or where it came from. Some say it’s an egg. Others, a gumdrop. But whatever it is, it fell near Spider’s house, so he’s convinced it belongs to him. 

Off the northern tip of Haida Gwaii, a boy goes fishing with Tsinii, his grandfather. As they watch the weather, jig for halibut, and row with the tides, the boy realizes there's more to learn from Tsinii than how to catch a fish. 

Jordan and Max get so distracted by the different exhibits in a museum that they don’t realize that their class has left them behind. All alone downtown, Jordan and Max enjoy the sights and sounds of urban life until they find themselves in a strange neighbourhood after dark. 

It's time for the annual pet fair and twin detectives Lark and Connor have been hard at work teaching their dog some new tricks. On their way to the pet fair, the twins are offered not one, but two intriguing cases. Pets from the fair have gone missing and their guardians are blaming each other for the disappearances. Meanwhile, Lark and Connor's frenemy, Sophie, thinks her house might be haunted and refuses to go inside. The twins split up to solve the mysteries. 

A young Indigenous girl moves to a big city and learns to find connections to her culture and the land wherever she goes, despite encountering bullies and feelings of isolation along the way. This inspiring tale combines traditional and contemporary Indigenous themes and artwork.

Jane and Maya become good friends at school. When they begin to learn about endangered species, they decide to take action by supporting migrating monarch butterflies with a garden and shelter. As the monarch butterflies prepare for their long migration from Canada to Mexico, Maya reflects on her own long journey to Canada as a refugee.  

A mysterious gift winds up spreading more than Christmas cheer, turning students into mutant zombies! Not to worry, the Lunch Club will save Christmas, if they can save themselves first! A funny, yet harrowing holiday adventure featuring the Lunch Club… and a lava lamp?!

When Pigeon Pea has a lot of questions about their family and ancestors, Auntie entrusts them with a special cowrie shell. It magically whisks Pigeon Pea back in time and away to visit their great-great-great-great-great-great grandmothers and others, including their orisha. Through this experience they learn more about their family and have their questions answered.

A spot on the International Space Station has opened up, and Mortimer, the journal-keeping lab rat, is not about to miss his chance to become an intergalactic space rat. Mortimer's master plan is to prove that rats are much better suited than humans when it comes to colonizing Mars. 

Welcome to the weirdest museum you'll ever explore—the one inside your body! Join tour guides Wisdom Tooth and Disappearing Kidney as they lead readers through a wacky museum dedicated to vestigial structures: body parts that were essential to our ancestors but are no longer useful to us. 

Rita Winkler’s greatest passion is making art. This book shows us the world as Rita sees it: a place full of joy, colour, and the delight of life with her family and friends. 

Based on the true story of an entomologist (bug scientist) who, with the help of his wife and their “butterfly family” – a community of children, teachers and nature enthusiasts from Canada, the United States and Mexico – is able to solve the mysteries of monarch butterfly migration. Back matter of the book includes maps of monarch migration, butterfly life cycle and environmental efforts towards butterfly conservation.

Lan, a teenager who recently came to Canada from Vietnam, spends every day searching for a sense of belonging. Books are the only things that make her feel at ease. But it comes as a shock when a mysterious wind whisks her right into the pages of her latest fantasy read.

When Nura causes the mine she works in to collapse, her search for her missing friend Faisal leads her to the realm of jinn. Unlike her mother’s cautionary tales of jinn, the luxury hotel she is invited to offers everything she could possibly imagine, until she is banished to its working quarters. There she finds Faisal and other missing kids who have been bound to work forever and now must find a way to escape.

On the first day of summer, Nuttah and Kitchi celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day by participating in the exciting activities and events at the Powwow. Readers will enjoy this rhyming book as they learn about Indigenous life and customs.

In this energetic, feel-good picture book, a band of resourceful neighbours comes together to make a meal for their community. The hardworking group harvests produce from their garden and prepares dishes in their little bustling kitchen. Our Little Kitchen is a celebration of food and diverse people building community and taking care of each other. Recipes and an author’s note are included in the bonus materials.

Percy moves from the city, where he never ran out of things to do or someone to do those things with. Now he lives in the country, and he is learning that being alone doesn’t have to be lonely. Explorers observe, record and can share their findings. Percy watches nature around him and collects pieces of it. He turns his collection into a museum, sharing his discoveries and making friends in the process.

In this easy-to-understand non-fiction picture book, readers will explore questions relating to gender identity, sexism and sexual orientation. Some topics covered include pronouns, different types of families and people who challenged gender stereotypes. 

Turtle loves standing in his spot beside a flower and invites Armadillo to stand there too. It is a perfect spot and there is no reason to leave, but somewhere above, there is something heading towards that same spot. A hilariously dark comical story with the tension, suspense and great timing that author and illustrator Jon Klassen has become known for. 

A man teaches his grandchild about the Ojibwe horses that once ran wild and free and the loving bond between humans and animals. The horses almost disappeared when the grandfather was a boy, and now he raises and tends to his own small herd to ensure the breed survives for future generations. Runs With the Stars highlights the history of the Ojibwe horses – one of only two breeds of Canadian horses.

Discover nature’s hidden signs as you dive into the amazing science of natural navigation. Join two adventurers as they use their senses to find nature’s clues in the sky, water, plants, animals and weather. How do rainbows help us tell the time? What exactly is that smell that comes with rainfall? What are prevailing winds? Examine the shapes of dunes, observe animal behaviour and more while learning to read nature. 

Learn unbelievably true animal facts in this fun picture book, while following Dr. Sugar Glider as she visits patients struggling with peculiar problems. Scientific vocabulary appears throughout each medical appointment and a list of species with a glossary at the end of the book. These hilarious, entertaining visits are bound to keep readers engaged, while learning about fascinating animals.

Indigenous knowledge keepers have shared wisdom passed on from their Elders and ancestors with younger people through many forms. Indigenous knowledge originated from centuries of practices, experiences and ideas brought together by people who have a lengthy and strong connection with the natural world. The use of fire and water, gathering of food, the study of astronomy and healing practices in Indigenous knowledge are explored in this non-fiction book.

Paz is the world’s first sloth sleuth. Though she moves slowly, she thinks quicker than the bad guys! In the tropical paradise of Winklefuss, criminals are everywhere, and it is up to Paz and her fanny pack of clues to solve the mystery. In this laugh-out-loud graphic novel mystery, Paz will win you over just like The Bad Guys and Investigators did.

Ben Harp is shocked when he sees his teacher’s watch crawling across the hallway. This is his first encounter with a Sneak – an interdimensional mischief-maker that can take the form of an ordinary object. When Ben gets stuck doing a group project with two friendless girls, the trio find themselves trying to decode a book while being chased by violent clothes hangers, fire-spitting squirrels and unfortunately more. A funny story about school, aliens and most of all friendship.

After her grandfather's death, a young girl explores her baba bazorg's house. As she looks through its rooms, the things she sees and the objects she touches bring to life memories of the man she knew, and also the man she didn't know.

Skye enlightens readers with Indigenous teachings passed down to her from her Ojibway Grandfather. 

A parent teaches their child about how the sun’s light becomes energy in their body through the breakfast she is preparing. This charming STEM picture book teaches readers about energy and nutrition, as well as plant growth and photosynthesis in an easy-to-understand story.

Welcome to the world of Simon and Chester, ghost and boy duo extraordinaire. The best friends are about to solve the mystery of a lifetime. 

In the 8th installment of the Super Potato series, things get prehistoric! When Augusta Richly, the world's richest girl, gets bored with her unicorn hamster, she decides she wants a pterosaur next. Her father hires the mad scientist villain Malicia the Malignant, who brings it to life only for it to fly away. Now Super Potato must come to the rescue to capture the pterosaur and bring it back!

Initially excited for middle school, Bree is disappointed to see that the only elective class that fits her schedule is Swim 101. The thought of swimming makes Bree cringe—she has a profound fear of the water. Luckily for her, an elderly neighbour in her apartment building is a former swim team captain, and she’s willing to mentor Bree.  

Does everyone know what a dinosaur is? Alongside dinosaurs were other less well-known animal species that look like them. Readers will be introduced to ten prehistoric animals that look very much like dinosaurs, but are missing at least one key characteristic that all TRUE dinosaurs have. Each of the “missing” characteristics is added to a list, so that by the end of the book, readers will learn what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur.

For Thunder, the sounds at school often become overwhelming noise storms. His mosom (grandfather) asks him about what he hears on an urban nature walk, and he begins to understand that the sounds of nature – like the flapping wings of a bird or rushing water – can help him feel calm, centered and connected.

A child collects items from everyday life and put them into a jar. Once sealed, the jar is buried in the ground as a gift from the present day to those in the future. The objects tell a story of the child who collected them and of what life was like in the past.

While he is still healthy enough, Grandpa continues to enjoy spending time with his granddaughter as she searches for things to add to her secret box of treasures. Into the box go various findings such as a broken robin’s egg, a rusty spring and a snakeskin that makes Grandpa squirm. A story about discovery, love, grief and the special bond between grandparents and their grandchildren.

A hilarious middle-grade novel about a group of kids forced to unplug at a wellness camp. Without technology, they find intrigue, adventure, and a whole lot of chaos at the camp. 

Hope’s anxiety skyrockets when her parents announce they are moving from their small New Brunswick town to Toronto for her father’s job. She fears making new friends and leaving her home, her beloved ocean and her carefully maintained sea glass collection. As the move date approaches, Hope shifts her focus to the nationwide TV contest that highlights “Canada’s tiniest treasures,” and she and her best friend Willa dedicate themselves to the campaign.

One morning Rafe wakes up to find his room is floating on an endless sea of water. Alone with only his dog Buddy, he tries to adapt to the situation and keeps a look out. One day, he meets a girl named Dao, who joins him, and although they don’t speak the same language, together the three form a makeshift family to face their uncertain future together.

The mysterious sisters Hildegurp, Yuckmina and Glubbifer have arrived in the town of Covenly to open a new pet store. As the sleuthing sisters fly around on their broomstick tracking a missing goat and finding the author of an unwelcoming note, the community begins to look past their appearances and embrace their weirdness. Filled with laugh-out-loud misunderstandings, clever wordplay and exciting illustrations, this first book in a whimsical mystery series will have readers hooked.

This book highlights the journeys of a mixed-ability group of kids as they creatively collaborate to overcome everyday barriers, participate in activism and build community. A great starting point for conversations about disability, accessibility, social justice and community building.

Myra is a listener, a thinker and an observer whose words come out soft and slow. Her classmates, teacher and even her mom demand to know, “why are you so quiet?” To answer, Myra invents her own listening machine and while using it realizes that listening alongside someone else can be quite special.

Every question in this book came from kids who visited a makerspace cafe at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Canada. Their questions were laser-cut into wooden coasters for use at the cafe to start science conversations with other visitors and were later answered by educators and science researchers who work at the centre. If you have ever wondered, “are birds really dinosaurs?” or “why do we have butts?” this is definitely a must read.

A darkly hilarious, quirky and touching graphic novel about fitting in and overcoming obstacles by finding community. Bellwether Riggwelter needs to leave his home, but the forest is full of predators. He disguises himself with a wolf suit, but this limits his ability to enjoy the forest. Little does he know that things may not as they appear and maybe there is a way for him to be safe and be himself.

Explore 31 of the world’s most extraordinary monuments, along with their locations, sizes, fun facts and features. Each illustrated site is introduced by a famous character connected to its history, like Antoni Gaudi, designer of the Sagrada Familia church. Other landmarks include Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Himeji Castle in Japan, Machu Picchu in Peru and more.

Meditative text reflects the ways children experience life using their senses, from the sound of a turning page to feeling their muscles when they run. Both positive and negative emotions are identified and embraced. Illustrated by fourteen artists with all-new original art, this beautiful story will support readers in their mindfulness journey.

Based on their #1 kids podcast, Wow in the World, hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz guide readers on an engaging, fact-filled and laugh-out-loud illustrated journey through the animal kingdom! Meet the quirky and strange animals in a kingdom of nearly 9 million known species.

In this fantasy novel, Zack is compelled to travel across China after his augmented reality gaming headset is possesed by the spirit of the First Emperor of China.