Photo: Tony Lanz
We surveyed experts from coast to coast to help us create this awesome list of titles. The writing and illustrations were assessed, of course, but we were also on the lookout for books that are iconic—or on their way to becoming iconic—members of the canon of English-language Canadian children’s lit. All our panelists completed a survey and the results were tabulated by statistical software, giving us this list of everything from time-honoured classics to pleasant surprises.
Meet our panel!
Melissa Bourdon-King
General manager, Mabel’s Fables Bookstore, Toronto
Lisa Doucet
Co-manager, Woozles Children’s Bookstore, Halifax
Janet Eastwood
Children’s librarian, Toronto Public Library
Sasha Emmons
Editor-in-chief, Today’s Parent
Meghan Howe
Library coordinator, The Canadian Children’s Book Centre
Ronald Jobe
Professor emeritus, Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia
Nikole Kritikos
Marketing and publicity manager, Scholastic Canada
Eleanor lefave
Co-owner, Mabel’s Fables Bookstore, Toronto
Pamela Osti
Publicity and marketing manager, Random House of Canada
Leah Rumack
Deputy editor, Today’s Parent
Kathryn Shoemaker
Children’s book illustrator and author; adjunct professor, Children’s Literature, University of British Columbia
Robin Tameshtit
Director, Kids and Teen Print, Indigo Books & Music
