Canadian Books for Canadian Kids

…or kids from other countries too. All are welcome!

For Canada Day this year I thought I’d share some of our favourite Canadian kids books. The possibilities here are practically endless so I limited myself to the books that are on Pearl and Rose’s shelves.

Carson Crosses Canada – This is a new one. We picked it up at the library and then were thrilled when it arrived as a recent Imagination Library book. (Thanks Dolly Parton!) Carson the Dog embarks on a road trip across Canada with many interesting sights along the way. The map at the end is one of my favourite parts:

The Ferry Boat Ride – This is a Coast classic and I’ve blogged about it before. (Check it out here.) Pearl loves it and it depicts a fairly important aspect of where we live. (Since our community is only accessible by boat or plane.)

The Hockey Sweater is, of course, a Canadian classic. Our copy is an English translation but my first introduction to this one actually was in French, long ago. The unique pictures and the funny story make this one an easy story to read again and again.

These board books are newer releases, as well as being new to our family library. Harbour Publishing has released a series of picture books that retell Indigenous myths, from Vickers and Budd. Roy Henry Vickers is a well-known BC artist whose artwork is absolutely stunning. These two books are geared for a younger audience and perfect in their board book format. Pearl loves looking at the illustrations and I love that we can talk about which creatures she’s seen at the beach or around our home. Counting is one of the things we’re currently working on so One Eagle Soaring has been a great addition to the library. Hello Humpback has been one of my go-to baby shower gifts since it came out last year, so of course Rose had to have her own copy this year.

The above book is If You Hold a Seed, a picture book gifted to Pearl when she was a baby. I love the beautiful illustrations and the sweet story that follows the growth of a tree. From a tiny seed you can hold in your hand to an enormous tree that can hold you. It might not be a classic but the author is Canadian and it’s one we read a lot in our household.

And, of course, Robert Munsch! You can’t really write a list of Canadian kids books and not include Robert Munsch. We have a few though not a lot (he has a lot of books). These are my two favourites. I’ll be honest, I thought Love You Forever was kind of mushy…until I had kids. Now it gets me all teary at the thought of my babies growing up. Even if I still think driving across town and climbing through your grown son’s window is a bit much.

I bought Alligator Baby for Pearl when I was pregnant with Rose and it was a great one to read together as we prepared to welcome our new addition. We talked a LOT about babies in our house last summer and this book helped some of those conversations while being slightly different from the other big sister books Pearl has. It’s classic, goofy Munsch and tons of fun.

Do you have any favourite Canadian kids authors? I’d love to hear them!