Announcing the First and Best List for 2016
The annual First and Best list for children comes out in late autumn, and today we announce the 2016 titles. Paren'ts are a child's first and best teachers, and so the First and Best list features our top ten picks of Canadian books for paren'ts to instill a love of books in their children, by reading together.
The books are selected by a committee of staff from different parts of Toronto Public Library. To be eligible, a book must be a first edition, authored, illustrated or translated by a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, published between January 1st and Dec 31st of the current year, written in English, or English and other languages. Lastly, the book must be appropriate for children between birth and five years old.
This year's list features a wide range of books and reflects Canada's increasingly diverse population both in terms of central characters, as well as in terms of authors and illustrators. The list of books follows, along with a brief annotation as well as a mention of what we liked about each book.
A Family Is a Family Is a Family by Sara O’Leary, illustrated by Qin Leng (Groundwood Books)
A young girl doesn’t know how to describe her family to her classmates. As she listens to their touching, humorous descriptions of their own families, her anxiety vanishes.
This book really shows just how many different ways families can be composed. The girl's very real sense of being an outsider is alleviated by the realization that her uniqueness is a cause not for alarm, but for celebration.
A Hungry Lion or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals by Lucy Ruth Cummins (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
We start with a hungry lion, and 13 other animals. These numbers keep changing. The pictures are sometimes vibrant and cheerful, and sometimes dark.
This is just a fun book that plays with readers' expectations and contains more than just one surprise.
Lila and the Crow by Gabrielle Grimard (Annick Press)
Lila is new in town and longs to make friends. Unfortunately, the other children make fun of her appearance. A crow helps her work some magic to win them over.
This is another book for older preschoolers who will soon find themselves going to school and hoping to make new friends.
My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith illustrated by Julie Flett (Orca Book Publishers)
A free-spirited young girl shares the things that bring her joy. Simple, bold yet gorgeous depictions of indigenous life are perfect even for infants.
The one board book on the list describes a native girl connecting with the rich tradition of her culture.
The Night Gardener by Terry Fan and Eric Fan (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Every night, the trees in Grimloch Lane are worked into fantastic sculptures until the entire town is transformed. A local orphan investigates, and finds inspiration and a calling.
The art in this book is striking and varies from detailed monochromes to vibrant and vivid two-page full colour spreads.
Skunk on a String by Thao Lam (Owlkids Books)
A skunk gets his leg tangled in a balloon string and is carried through a bustling city with so much to see and talk about in this wordless book.
For the second year running, we have included a wordless book on the list. Wordless books are perhaps paradoxically, a wonderful way to get a child talking.
The Toad by Elise Gravel (Tundra Books)
Le Crapaud par Elise Gravel (La Courte échelle)
Funny, gross, informative and cute. This is the latest enthusiastically illustrated non-fiction from Elise Gravel’s "Disgusting Critters" series.
This is the lone non-fiction title on the list and strikes a perfect balance between fascinatingly gross and informative.
Tokyo Digs a Garden by Jon-Erik Lappano, illustrated by Kellen Hatanaka (Groundwood Books)
In a sprawling metropolis where glass, steel, pavement and concrete have long since encroached, a boy lifts free a paving stone to plant three magic seeds.
Hatanaka's illustrations are distinctive for the way they blend minimalist approach to details such as facial features, and the playful expressiveness he achieves despite this.
We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen (Candlewick Press)
Two turtles find a hat. It looks good on both of them! Since there’s just one of them, it would be best to forget about it — assuming they can.
Words and pictures play equal parts in conveying this cute, funny and succinctly told story.
When Green becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons by Julie Fogliano illustrated by Julie Morstad (Roaring Brook Press)
Well-crafted poems for all seasons are complemented by beautifully compelling illustrations. This is a book that one can open at random and read with anyone.
High quality poetry and lots of it, with dazzling illustrations. This is a book that can captivate for years.
For more Award Winners, please visit the Ready for Reading website.
Comments