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The fireplace is turned on for the first time this season, colourful and crunchy leaves blanket the ground and… is that the smell of hot chocolate heating on the stove? The only thing missing is a good book. We’ve gathered some new titles featuring Canadian authors and illustrators.
Books for Primary Readers
The Wishing Leaf
By Kallie George, illustrated by Paola Zakimi
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, August 2025
About the book: This picture book about friendship and patience is perfect for this time of year! Bear eagerly waits for the last leaf to fall so that he can make a wish. One by one, the other animals grow impatient and start to head home. Bear, however, finds active ways to wait, all the while wondering what to wish for—until finally, he’s the only one left, and he’s growing tired. Will Bear be patient enough to get to see the last leaf fall?
About the Canadian author: Vancouver resident Kallie George is also the author of The Lost Gift; Secrets I Know; Duck, Duck, Dinosaur, and The Melancholic Mermaid, as well as The Magical Animal Adoption Agency series and The Heartwood Hotel series. She has taught writing workshops for children and adults across Canada and South Korea. George currently teaches at Emily Carr University.
The Bunny Ballet
By Nora Ericson, illustrated by Elly MacKay
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers, November 2025
About the book: This picture book is the ultimate read-aloud for dancers and dreamers of all ages and species.
When a brother and sister stumble upon an extraordinary woodland show, they’re introduced to the magic of dance. Noses twitch, whiskers quiver, and graceful bunnies leap and soar across the stage as the audience sits on the edge of their seats.
About the Canadian illustrator: Owen Sound resident Elly MacKay is an internationally recognized paper artist and children’s book creator. She is the illustrator of the picture book Too Early and The Enchanted Symphony, as well as the author-illustrator of Red Sky at Night, If You Hold a Seed, and Butterfly Park, among others.
The Other Side of the Rocks
By Nahid Kazemi
Publisher: Enchanted Lion, August 2025
About the book: An adventurous frog leaves her familiar pond and discovers another universe, making friends with creatures she hadn’t known before, as well as some that remind her of home. Time passes, and Froggy learns more than she could ever have imagined.
About the Canadian author and illustrator: Award-winner Nahid Kazemi has 20 years of experience in publication and more than 70 children’s books published worldwide. She is the recipient of the 2022 Canadian Governor General’s Literary Award for young people’s literature — illustrated books and a nominee of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
Don’t Eat Me! The Almost True Story of Belladonna
By Kate Finney, illustrated by Esmé Shapiro
Publisher: Enchanted Lion, October 2025
About the book: Belladonna is a tall, beautiful plant whose berries are so delicious that they’re forever being gobbled up. But unlike the animals who can leap, climb, or fly away, Belladonna needs to learn to harness her own chemical powers to protect herself and her descendants.
About the Canadian illustrator: Esmé Shapiro grew up in Laurel Canyon, California, and Ontario. Her previous picture books include Ooko, which was nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award in 2016; Yak and Dove by Kyo Maclear; Eliza: The Story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton by Margaret McNamara and A Garden of Creatures by Sheila Heti.
The Newest Gnome
By Lauren Soloy
Publisher: Tundra Books, October 2025
About the book: In this story about beauty, mindfulness and community, Grolly Mararu, The Pocket’s newest inhabitant, is unsure of what they want to do. Finally, inspiration strikes by the light of the full moon.
About the Canadian author: Nova Scotia resident Lauren Soloy has lived on both coasts of Canada. She is the author and illustrator of When Emily Was Small and Tove and the Island with No Address, as well as the illustrator of I’s the B’y: The Beloved Folk Song.
Lena the Chicken (But Really a Dinosaur!)
By Linda Bailey, illustrated by K-Fai Steele
Publisher: Tundra Books, October 2025
About the book: Dinosaur enthusiasts of all ages will love this feel-good story about courage, self-confidence and individuality. Unlikely hero Lena lives in a chicken coop, and she looks a lot like a chicken, but deep down, she’s convinced that she’s a dinosaur. When a weasel threatens the coop, Lena steps up to save them.
About the Canadian author: Vancouver resident Linda Bailey has written almost 40 books for children, including three about dinosaurs: If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur, Princesses Versus Dinosaurs and The Great Dinosaur Sleepover. Her award-winning books have been translated into 22 languages.
I Will Not Be Scared
By Jean-François Sénéchal, illustrated by Simone Rea
Publisher: Milky Way Picture Books, October 2025
About the book: In this award-winning story about the power of talking through our fears to set ourselves free of them, a young rabbit tries to fall asleep one night but is kept awake by the trauma of his family’s past life in a war-torn region. He replays scenes in his head of an entirely new battle: being attacked by bullies the previous day at school. It’s only through addressing the root of his fears that he understands how to free himself and move forward.
About the Canadian author: As the son of two teachers, Jean-François Sénéchal grew up around books. After studying anthropology for a time, he ultimately gravitated back to his first love, devoting himself entirely to literature. His stories—exploring societal issues such as exclusion and inequality for audiences of children and adolescents—have garnered him various honors, including the 2017 Joseph S. Stauffer Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts, and a Governor General’s Award for children’s literature.
The Coziest Place on the Moon
By Maria Popova, illustrated by Sarah Jacoby
Publisher: Enchanted Lion, November 2025
About the book: Lonely Re decides to go live in a cozy nook on the moon. Shortly after arriving, Re meets Mi. Each remains alone but less lonely, and now each can watch over the solitude of the other. On certain nights, the solitary songs of them both might be heard cadencing the night together, in harmony, across the vast and starry sky.
About the Canadian author: Maria Popov is the creator of The Marginalian, An Almanac of Birds: Divinations for Uncertain Days and The Snail with the Right Heart.
The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t
By Laura Alary, illustrated by Ana Eguaras
Publisher: Beaming Books, September 2025
About the book: Aidan’s city is hit with an ice storm just days before Christmas, causing the electrical grid to go down (Ice Storm of 1998, anyone?!). The holiday plans are ruined: Grandma and Grandpa cannot travel, the Christmas pageant is canceled, there are no Christmas lights, and it’s impossible to cook a Christmas dinner. The family gets to work, bringing doughnuts and coffee to neighbors and attending a Christmas potluck. The book reminds readers that when things are taken away, it can still bring us closer together.
About the Canadian author: Toronto resident Laura Alary’s book, All the Faces of Me was named a 2024 Charlotte Zolotow Award Honor Book. She is also the author of Here: The Dot We Call Home, Make Room: A Child’s Guide to Lent and Easter, and The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything, among many others.
Fox and the Mystery Letter
By Alex G Griffiths
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, September 2025
About the book: In this book about friendship and feelings, Fox, who lives in a cottage in a dense forest, has a mystery to solve. When he receives a letter with a puzzle, he follows clues and gifts from fellow animals.
About the Canadian author/illustrator: Alex G. Griffiths specializes in children’s picture books and character design, doing the majority of his work by hand using a combination of pen and ink line work and brush textures.
For middle-grade readers
Anne of Green Gables: The Chapter Book Collection
By Kallie George, illustrated by Abigail Halpin
Publisher: Tundra Books, October 2025
About the book: An early illustrated chapter book series book box set inspired by Anne of Green Gables invites a new generation of young readers to discover Anne’s world. All the beloved characters – Anne, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, Diana, Gilbert, Ruby and even Josie Pye – are back for a new generation. The set includes Anne Arrives, Anne’s Kindred Spirits, Anne’s School Days, Anne’s Tragical Tea Party, Anne Dares and Anne Dreams. Those who know the story will recognize the plot and details from the original books. These books, which feature easy-to-read text divided into short chapters, is perfect for newly independent readers and makes for a great read-aloud.
About the Canadian author: Kallie George has written numerous books for early readers. She lives in Vancouver.
The Wizard’s Guide to Magical Experiments: 40 Science Experiments to Try at Home
By A.J. Wood, illustrated by Jo Rioux
Publisher: Magic Cat, September 2025
About the book: Wizards-in-training can try dozens of magic tricks and spells that are actually age-appropriate science experiments. Mini-booklets and fold-out activities include instructions for making water bend, moving water on command, rainbow eggs, magical ice towers, stopping water from freezing, making oil fireworks, lava lamps, invisible ink, turning bones to rubber and even edible experiments like crystal lollipops and magic lemonade.
About the Canadian illustrator: Carp resident and Sheridan College graduate Jo Rioux’s debut graphic novel Cat’s Cradle won the Joe Shuster Comics for Kids Award.
Witches of Brooklyn: Curse and Reverse
Publisher: Random House Graphic, September 2025
By Sophie Escabasse
About the book: For readers who love character-driven stories, this graphic novel – the fifth in the Witches of Brooklyn series – tells the story of a tween witch.
Being a teenager is hard — and twelve-year-old witch-in-training Effie is about to find that out for herself! When a witch targets the emotions of teenagers, Effie and Garrance have to go undercover as teenagers themselves—luckily it’s nothing magic can’t do! Fans won’t have to wait too long for the sixth book in the series: it’s scheduled for release in fall 2026.
About the Canadian author and illustrator: Sophie Escabasse lives in Montreal with her husband and three children and their black cat, Terrence. She has illustrated many books for middle-grade readers, including Florence Parry Heide and Roxanne Heide Pierce’s Spotlight Club Mysteries series and the Freestyler Funnies series by Tom Easton.
Robot Island
By Cary Fagan
Publisher: Tundra Books, October 2025
About the book: In this new novel by acclaimed writer Cary Fagan (The Wild Robot), Willis’ uncle forces him into stealing valuable books from a rich widow, Mrs. Shorthouse. To his surprise, Willis likes Mrs. Shorthouse and even the books they read together. When he discovers an abandoned town from the 1950s populated by square-headed robots, he wonders about the connection between Mrs. Shorthouse and Robot Island.
About the Canadian author: Toronto native and resident Cary Fagan’s kids’ books include Hans Christian Andersen Lives Next Door; Water, Water (winner of the Vine National Canadian Jewish Book Award); The Collected Works of Gretchen Oyster; the Kaspar Snit novels; and the Wolfie and Fly chapter book series. He is also the author of many picture books, including Mr. Zinger’s Hat (Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award winner), Little Blue Chair, and Bear Wants to Sing. Fagan has received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People for his body of work.
Books for Teens
Into the Deep Blue
By Jennifer E. Archer
Publisher: Marble Press, September 2025
About the book: Nick and Fiona were meant to be friends – best friends – and they wouldn’t change that for the world. At least, that’s what they tell themselves. Because they can’t be an us. Nick doesn’t believe in happy endings ever since they both lost their moms unexpectedly senior year. And Fiona often wonders if all they have in common is their numb hearts. Still, they’re content to share everything else with each other. But when Fiona accidentally lets her guard down more than she intended to with Nick, it threatens to ruin their fragile balancing act. Luckily, Nick isn’t about to let a little misunderstanding get in the way of the weekend trip they’ve been planning for months. Fiona is just hoping for some closure on the first anniversary of her mom’s death – except grief isn’t that simple, and choosing to love again isn’t, either. Now the only thing standing between Fiona and Nick is the truth. They just need the courage to reach for it.
Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon’s The Sun is Also a Star and John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, Into the Deep Blue is Fiona and Nick’s achingly moving, wry, and hopeful tale about falling apart and coming together, told from two unforgettable points of view.
About the Canadian author: Toronto-based author and screenwriter Jennifer E. Archer won the 2022 Academy Nicholl Fellowship Award in screenwriting for her screenplay, Into the Deep Blue, based on her debut novel. Filming begins next spring with Maxton Hall’s Damian Hardung set to star.
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