reading challenge Archives

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the June FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: A Constellation of Minor Bears by Jen Ferguson; Maggie Lou, Firefox by Arnolda Dufour Bowes, Illustrated by Karlene Harvey; and Métis Like Me by Tasha Hilderman, Illustrated by Risa Hugo. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge25.

June FOLD Kids 2025 Challenge: A book by a Métis author

May 30, 2025

By Calyssa Erb June is National Indigenous History Month and on June 21, we celebrate National Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The Métis who reside within what is now known as Canada are one of the three distinct Indigenous communities highlighted during this month, along with the First Nations and Inuit peoples. From picture books about Métis...

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the May FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: Fighting Words by Leonarda Carranza and Erika Medina; The Mask That Sang by Susan Currie; and Hacking Heartbreak by Kevin heronJones. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge25.

May FOLD Kids 2025 Challenge: A book by a Brampton author

May 1, 2025

By Alya Somar The FOLD has called Brampton home since the first festival in 2016. Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of highlighting local talent from the Brampton community. For May’s reading challenge, we encourage you to dive into the world of children’s literature, plucked right from “The Flower City”. Brampton has a rich...

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the April FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: How the Boogeyman Became a Poet by Tony Keith Jr.; Wings to Soar by Tina Athaide; and Black Boy, Black Boy by Angela Bowden and Ibeabuchi Ananaba. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge25.

April FOLD Kids 2025 Challenge: A book in verse by an author from a marginalized community

Apr 1, 2025

By Ardo Omer This month, we’re reading books written in verse by an author from a marginalized community. A book in verse is when a story uses poetry instead of traditional prose. The books we’ve chosen to recommend for this month use poetry to share powerful feelings and messages. In his YA memoir, How the...

Rectangular graphic with green border showcasing the book covers for the titles chosen for the March FOLD Kids Challenge. The titles are: Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution! by Joy Ellison and illustrated by Teshika Silver; Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words edited by Dr. Lindsay Herriot and Kate Fry; and Identity: A Story of Transitioning by Corey Maison and illustrated by Ahmara Smith with Zuiker Anthony. Below the text is the website: thefoldcanada.org/kidschallenge25.

March FOLD Kids 2025 Challenge: A book inspired by a true story by a transgender author

Mar 1, 2025

By Toni Duval This month, we’re reading books that were inspired by true stories by transgendered authors. The true story of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, two transgender women of colour who helped to kickstart the Stonewall Riots, is captured in the engaging picture book “Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution!” by Joy Ellison...

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...

White horizontal graphic with gold border. The FOLD Reading Challenge. Celebrating a Decade of Change. Lists each reading challenge by month. A the bottom is a bookshelf with icons for audiobooks, paperbacks, and eReaders.

2025 FOLD Reading Challenge

Jan 1, 2025

Happy New Years, Book Lovers! We’re so excited to share this year’s 2025 FOLD Reading Challenge! In keeping with our 2025 Festival of Literary Diversity 10th anniversary theme “A Decade of Change”, this year’s challenge is inspired by the 12 books that shaped the way we read. Visit the FOLD Reading Challenge page to...

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...

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