Kids Archives - The FOLD

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the February FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: Stars in My Crown by Antonio Michael Downing and illustrated by Richy Sánchez Ayala; We Are the Medicine by Tasha Spillett and illustrated by Natasha Donovan; and Where Was Goodbye? by Janice Lynn Mather. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge25.

February FOLD Kids 2025 Challenge: A book by a Caribbean Canadian author

Feb 1, 2025

By Ardo Omer This month, we’re reading a book by a Caribbean Canadian author! Antonio Michael Downing (Trinidadian), Tasha Spillett (Cree/Trinidadian) and Janice Lynn Mather (Bahamian) have titles that range in form and in topics. There are many islands in the Caribbean with a rich history of storytelling and many of its people have made...

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the January FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: Made in Korea by Sarah Suk; The Party Diaries: Top Secret Anniversary by Mitali Banerjee Ruths and Aaliya Jaleel; and Take Me to Lǎolao by Kelly Zhang and Evie Zhu. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge25.

January FOLD Kids 2025 Challenge: A book by an Asian Canadian author about love

Jan 2, 2025

By Ardo Omer This month, we’re reading a book by an Asian Canadian author about love. Love can come in all forms. It can be the love for a grandparent like in the picture book, Take Me to Lǎolao. It can be celebrating your parents’ love for one another like in the chapter book, The...

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the December FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: For Our Daughters by Mel Nyoko and Joelle Avelino; Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War by Michel Chikwanine, Jessica Dee Humphreys and Claudia Dávila; Listen, Layla by Yassmin Abdel-Magied; and Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge24.

December FOLD Kids 2024 Challenge: 2024 in Reflection – A book by a Congolese and/or Sudanese author

Nov 30, 2024

by Ardo Omer This year, we introduced a new challenge for December: 2024 in Reflection. This new addition allowed us the flexibility to look back at the year and showcase a conversation that we felt was important to cover. We started the year with reading a book by a Palestinian author and this year, we’ve...

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the November FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline; The Trailblazing Life of Viola Desmond by Rachel Kehoe, Wanda Robson and Chelsea Charles; and When You Can Swim by Jack Wong. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge24.

November FOLD Kids 2024 Challenge: An ACCESSIBLE* book by a marginalized author

Oct 31, 2024

by Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) CELA is a national accessible library service which provides more than 1.4 million titles to people in Canada who have print disabilities. It is estimated that more than 1 in 10 people have a print disability which includes low vision or blindness, learning disabilities, or physical disabilities which...

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the October FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: A House Unsettled by Trynne Delaney; Asking for a Friend by Ronnie Riley; and Abolition is Love by Syrus Marcus Ware and illustrated by Alannah Fricker. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge24.

October FOLD Kids 2024 Challenge: A book by a non-binary and/or transgender author

Sep 27, 2024

by Ardo Omer This month’s challenge is a book by a non-binary and/or transgender author. We’re seeing more and more trans and nonbinary authors in the KidLit space and it would be nice to see more in the middle grade/chapter book realm in particular. The books chosen for this month’s recommendations showcase a wide range...

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the September FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: Something More by Jackie Khalilieh; Paige Not Found by Jen Wilde; and Too Much by Jolene Gutiérrez and illustrated by Angel Chang. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge24.

September FOLD Kids 2024 Challenge: A book about a neurodivergent character

Aug 31, 2024

This month’s challenge is a book about a neurodivergent character. This includes but is not limited to people with Autism, ADHD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Dyslexia, Schizophrenia, DID, Tourette Syndrome, DCD or learning disabilities. In putting together this list, we noticed that Canadian children’s literature needs more books about neurodivergent characters by neurodivergent authors. That...

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the August FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: The Signs and Wonders of Tuna Rashad by Natasha Deen; The Antiracist Kitchen edited by Nadia L. Hohn and illustrated by Roza Nozari; Julie and the Mango Tree by Sadé Smith and illustrated by Sayada Ramdial; and Little Black Lives Matter by Khodi Dill and illustrated by Chelsea Charles. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge24.

August FOLD Kids 2024 Challenge: A novel or book of poetry by a Caribbean author

Jul 24, 2024

By Alexandra Yeboah The Caribbean is made up of many diverse and vibrant cultures, each with their own traditions, music, dishes, festivals and influences. In the region alone, there are people of African, European, Indigenous, Asian, and Middle Eastern decent. Here in Canada, we celebrate the rich heritage of Caribbeans in October, where we are...

A graphic of a book opening with colours coming out. Text reads, "Pitch Perfect: KidLit Edition. Deadline: September 4. *Picture Book, Middle Grade and Young Adult."

Pitch Perfect: KidLit Edition at FOLD Kids Book Fest 2024 (FAQs)

Jul 5, 2024

What do you do with a KidLit manuscript when you think it might be done? You PITCH IT. Submissions are OPEN. Deadline is Wednesday, September 4 at 11:30PM ET. Pitch Perfect: KidLit Edition is back! If you have a draft of a picture book or a book for preteens or teens, and you’re not...

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the July FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: The Words We Share by Jack Wong; Abuelita and Me by Leonarda Carranza and Rafael Mayani; Let's Go by Julie Flett; Next Door by Deborah Kerbel and illustrated by Isaac Liang. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge24.

July FOLD Kids 2024 Challenge: A book that explores a different language from an independent Canadian press

Jul 1, 2024

By Anita Ragunathan The developmental benefits of multilingualism for children are many and include improved problem-solving, multitasking, and creativity. Children’s publishers have tapped into this market with Dual Language books that encourage young children to read and learn the many languages spoken inside and outside of their households. This selection includes Dual Language picture books...

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