Staff Picks

Black History Month

Celebrate Black History Month with books that honour the history, achievements, and lived experiences of Black communities. Featuring stories for all ages, this collection highlights powerful voices from the past and present and invites readers to learn, reflect, and celebrate.

Belly Full: Exploring Caribbean Cuisine Through 11 Fundamental Ingredients and Over 100 Recipes

Lesley Enston

The Trailblazing Life of Viola Desmond: A Civil Rights Icon

Rachel Kehoe with Wanda Robson; illustrated by Chelsea Charles

Lost Ark Dreaming

Suyi Davies Okungbowa

The Last Two Crayons

Leah Freeman-Haskin; pictures by Shantala Robinson

Black Boys Like Me

Matthew R. Morris

A Recipe for Rhyme and Rescue

Wanda Taylor

We Rip the World Apart

Charlene Carr

When It All Syncs Up

Maya Ameyaw

Blackness is a Gift I Can Give Her; On Race, Community, and Black Women in Hockey

R. Renee Hess

The Kids Book of Black history in Canada

Rosemary Sadlier; illustrated by Arden Taylor

Code Noir: Metamorphoses

Canisia Lubrin

The Hoop and the Harm

Jawara Pedican

The Winter Olympics

Get inspired by the spirit of The Winter Olympics with books that celebrate Canadian athletes, iconic moments, and the dedication behind winter sport. From thrilling victories to behind-the-scenes stories, this collection highlights Canada’s passion for excellence on ice and snow.

Tessa & Scott: Our Journey From Childhood Dream to Gold

Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir

The Golden Goal

Meg Braithwaite

Rock Star: My Life On and Off the Ice

Jennifer Jones

Lucy Tries Luge

Lisa Bowes; illustrated by James Hearne

Revolve

Bal Khabra

Paralympic Sport Events

Robin Johnson

Cool Runnings

DVD

Proud to Play: Canadian LGBTQ+ Athletes Who Made History

Erin Silver

Just Call Me Andi: Sports Stories From a Trailblazer

Andria Petrillo

Curling

Greg Cowan

A Team of Their Own: How an International Sisterhood Made Olympic History

Seth Berkman

Cara’s Kindness

Kristi Yamaguchi; illustrated by John Lee

Father Bauer and the Great Experiment: The Genesis of Canadian Olympic Hockey

Greg Oliver

Bea Mullins Takes a Shot

Emily Deibert

The Graham Effect

Elle Kennedy

What Are the Winter Olympics

Gail Herman

Hard Pivot: Embrace Change, Find Purpose, Show Up

Apolo Anton Ohno

One Jump at a Time: My Story

Nathen Chen

Freestyle Skiing

Greg Cowan

The Role I Played

Sami Jo Small

Nish: North Stars

Isabelle Picard

Home or Away

Kathleen West

Meet Clara Hughes

Elizabeth MacLeod; illustrated by Mike Deas

Freedom to Read

In recognition of Freedom to Read Week, this book list explores censorship and its impact on access to ideas, stories, and information. These titles invite readers to reflect on the importance of intellectual freedom and the right to read, learn, and think freely.

Not Another Banned Book

Dana Alison Levy

The Banned Books Club

Brenda Novak

A Kids Book About Banned Books

National Coalition Against Censorship

This Book Won’t Burn

Samira Ahmed

This Book is Banned

Raj Haldar; illustrated by Julia Patton

Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers' Rights

Ashley Hope Pérez; illustrated by Debbie Fong

The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale

Aya Khahil; illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books

Kirsten Miller

Banned Books, Crop Tops, and Other Bad Influences

Brigit Young

The Banned Books of Berlin

Daisy Wood

Book Comes Home: A Banned Book Journey

Rob Sanders; illustrated by Micah Player

Banned Books for Kids: Reading Lists and Activities for Teaching Kids to Read Censored Literature

Pat Scales

Ban This Book

Alan Gratz

Our Missing Hearts

Celeste Ng

Roar for Reading

Beth Ferry; illustrated by Andrew Joyner

Answers in the Pages

David Levithan

You Can’t Say That: Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell

Edited by Leonard Marcus

Miles Morales: Suspended

Jason Reynolds; illustrated by Zeke Pena

Ink Girls

Marieke Nijkamp; illustrated by Sylvia Bi

The CIA Book Club: The Secret Mission to Win the Cold War with Forbidden Literature

Charlie English

Celebrating Women & Girls in Science

Celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11) with books that highlight the achievements, curiosity, and contributions of women in STEM. From groundbreaking discoveries to inspiring personal stories, this collection encourages readers of all ages to explore science through a more inclusive lens.