Blue Spruce Award

The Blue Spruce Award is an award in the Ontario Library Association (OLA) Forest of Reading Awards. The Blue Spruce Award celebrates English-language Canadian picture books for grades Kindergarten to grade 2 (ages 12–14) every year.[1] Out of ten nominated books in each category students must read a minimum of five to vote for their favourite. The winner is chosen by the most popular book in all participating libraries, schools, groups, etc. The Blue Spruce Award was established in 2002.[2] A French-language version of the Forest of Reading prize for picture books is Le prix Peuplier.

Award Winners

2002-2009

Award winners and finalists, 2002-2009
Year Author(s) Illustrator(s) Title Result Ref.
2002 Valerie Coulman Rogé Girard When Pigs Fly Winner [2]
Linda Bailey Alan Daniel, Lea Daniel,
and Heather Collins 		The Best Figure Skater in the Whole Wide World Finalist [2]
Paulette Bourgeois Stephane Jorisch Oma's Quilt
Sarah Ellis Kim LaFave Big Ben
Sheree Fitch Janet Wilson No Two Snowflakes
Tomson Highway John Rombough Caribou Song
Jonathan London Paul Morin What the Animals Were Waiting For
Andrea Spalding Leslie Elizabeth Watts It's Raining, It's Pouring
Margriet Ruurs Barbara Spurll Emma's Cold Day
Mike Ulmer Melanie Rose M is for Maple
2003 Matthew M. Napier Melanie Rose Z is for Zamboni Winner [3]
Wallace Edwards Alphabeasts Finalist [3]
Marie-Louise Gay Stella, Fairy of the Forest
Celia Godkin When the Giant Stirred
Troon Harrison Zhong-Yang Huang Courage to Fly
Robin Muller Badger's New House
Marilynn Reynolds Don Kilby The Name of the Child
Joanne Taylor Susan Tooke Full Moon Rising
Jan Thornhill The Rumor
Frieda Wishinsky Dean Griffiths Give Maggie a Chance
2004 Linda Bailey Bill Salvin Stanley's Party Winner [4]
Jane Barclay, Kathryn Cole[a] Janice Donato How Hot Was It? Finalist [4]
Karleen Bradford Leslie Elizabeth Watts You Can't Rush a Cat
Anne Laurel Carter Rose Cowles The F Team
Valerie Coulman Rogé[b] Sink or Swim
Phoebe Gilman Jillian Jiggs and the Great Big Snow
Shenaaz Nanji Chum McLeod An Alien in My House
Susin Nielsen-Fernlund Louise-Andrée Laliberté Hank and Fergus
Barbara Reid The Subway Mouse
Vlasta van Kampen It Couldn't Be Worse
2005 Robert Heidbreder Bill Slavin & Esperanca Melo Drumheller Dinosaur Dance Winner [5]
Aubrey Davis Duesan Petriecic Bagels from Benny Finalist [5]
Dorothy Joan Harris Kim LaFave A Very Unusual Dog
Hazel J. Hutchins Ruth Ohi The Sidewalk Rescue
Lynn Manuel Kasia Charki Camels Always Do
Sheryl McFarlane Chrissie Wysotski This is the Dog
Gilles Tibo Bruno St-Aubin Too Many Books!
Maxine Trottier & Brian Deines Our Canadian Flag
Troy Wilson Dean Griffiths Perfect Man
Chieri Uegaki Stéphane Jorisch Suki's Kimono
2006 George Elliott Andrej Krystoforski The Boy Who Loved Bananas Winner [6]
Sean Cassidy Gummytoes Finalist [6]
Sarah Ellis Kim LaFave Ben Over Night
Marie-Louise Gay Stella, Princess of the Sky
Maureen Hull Leanne Franson Rainy Days with Bear
Hazel J. Hutchins Ruth Ohi Beneath the Bridge
Laura Langston Lindsey Gardiner Mile-High Apple Pie
Stehpanie Simpson McLellan Dianna Bonder Leon's Song
Evan Solomon Bill Slavin Bigbeard's Hook
Sheri Radford Christine Tripp Penelope and the Humongous Burp
2007 Mélanie Watt Scaredy Squirrel Winner [7]
Linda Bailey Bill Slavin Stanley's Wild Ride Finalist [7]
Lili Chartrand, Susan Ouriou[c] Rogé Girard Taming Horrible Harry
Don Gillmor Michael Martchenko Sophie and the Sea Monster
Susan Hughes Stephane Poulin Earth to Audrey
Ruth Ohi Clara and the Bossy
Sheri Radford Christine Tripp Penelope and the Monsters
Margriet Ruurs Sean Cassidy Wake Up, Henry Rooster!
Colleen Sydor Pascale Constantin Camilla Chameleon
Gilles Tibo Bruno St-Aubin Where's My Hockey Sweater?
2008 Melanie Watt Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend Winner [8]
Barbara Reid Fox Walked Alone Finalist [8]
Jeremy Tankard Grumpy Bird
Margriet Ruurs Ron Broda In My Backyard
Linda Bailey Bill Slavin The Farm Team
Kari-Lynn Winters Ben Hodson Jeffery and Sloth
Rebecca Upjohn Renne Benoit Lily and the Paper Man
Hazel Hutchins Maria van Lieshout The List
Frieda Wishinsky Marie-Louise Gay Please, Louise!
Debby Waldman Cindy Revell A Sack Full of Feathers
2009 Mélanie Watt Chester Winner [9]
Carolyn Beck Andrea Beck Buttercup's Lovely Day Finalist [9]
Chris Mizzoni Clancy with the Puck
Anne Cottringer & Alex T. Smith Eliot Jones, Midnight Superhero
Pamela Hickman Geraldo Valéro It's Moving Day!
Rachna Gilmore Leslie Elizabeth Watts Making Grizzie Grow
Hazel Hutchins & Gail Herbert Dusan Petricic Mattland
Linda Bailey Bill Slavin Stanley At Sea
Cary Fagan Dusan Petricic My New Shirt
Dan Bar-el John Manders Such a Prince

2010-2019

Award winners and finalists, 2010-2019
Year Author(s) Illustrator(s) Title Result Ref.
2010 Jeremy Tankard Boo Hoo Bird Winner [10]
Tim Beiser Rachel Berman Bradley McGogg Finalist [10]
Robert Heidbreder & Rae Mate Crocodiles Play
Beth Cruikshank Lynn Johnston Farley Follows His Nose
Katarina Jovanovic Philippe Beha The King Has Goat Ears
Kenneth Oppel Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher The King's Taster
Linda Bailey Bill Slavin Stanley's Beauty Contest
Valerie Sherrard David Jardine There's a Cow Under My Bed
Marie-Louise Gay When Stella Was Very, Very Small
Frieda Wishinsky & Kady MacDonald Denton You're Mean, Lily Jean
2011 Dave Whamond My Think-A-ma-Jink Winner [11]
Nicholas Oldland Big Bear Hug Finalist [11]
Sharon Jennings Ashley Spires C'mere, Boy!
Mélanie Watt Have I Got a Book for You!
Andrew Larsen Irene Luxbacher The Imaginary Garden
Christina Leist Jack the Bear
Barbara Reid & Ian Crysler Perfect Snow
Jane Barclay Renne Benoit Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion
Tania Duprey Stehlik Vanja Vuleta Jovanovic Violet
Lana Button Tania Howells Willow's Whispers
2012 Rebecca Bender Giraffe and Bird Winner [12]
Sarah Tsiang Qin Leng A Flock of Shoes Finalist [12]
Heather McLeod Brooke Kerrigan Kiss Me! (I'm a Prince!)
Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas & Wangari Maathai[d] The Little Hummingbird
Nicholas Oldland Making a Moose Out of Life
Heather Hartt-Sussman Geneviève Côté Noni Says No
David Ward & Brian Deines One Hockey Night
Marie-Louise Gay Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth!
Ashley Spires Small Saul
Linda Bailey Bill Slavin Stanley's Little Sister
2013 Martin Springett Isobel Springett[e] Kate and Pippin Winner [13]
Nicholas Oldland The Busy Beaver Finalist [13]
Rebecca Bender Don't Laugh at a Giraffe
Cary Fagan Geneviève Côté Ella May and the Wishing Stone
Heather Hartt-Sussman Georgia Graham Here Comes Hortense!
Jane Barclay Esperança Melo JoJo the Giant
Ashley Spires Larf
Émilie Rivard Anne-Claire Delisle Really and Truly
Kevin Sylvester Splinters
Elin Kelsey Soyeon Kim You Are Stardust
2014 Dave Whamond Oddrey Winner [14]
Alma Fullerton Karen Patkau A Good Trade Finalist [14]
Helene Boudreau Serge Bloch I Dare You Not to Yawn
Elly MacKay If You Hold a Seed
Andrew Larsen Dusan Petricic In the Tree House
Cary Fagan Dusan Petricic Mr. Zinger's Hat
Peter H. Reynolds Sky Color
Jon Klassen This is Not My Hat
Wallace Edwards Uncle Wally's Old Brown Shoe
Lana Button Tania Howells Willow Finds a Way
2015 Maureen Fergus Mike Lowery The Day My Mom Came to Kindergarten Winner [15]
Roy MacGregor Geneviève Després The Highest Number in the World Finalist [15]
Ruth Ohi Kenta and the Big Wave
Anne Villenueve Loula is Leaving for Africa
Kathy Stinson Dusan Petricic The Man with the Violin
Christine Baldacchino Isabelle Malenfant Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress
Ashley Spires The Most Magnificent Thing
Jessica Young Catia Chien My Blue is Happy
Dave Whamond Oddrey and the New Kid
Frank Viva Young Frank, Architect
2016 Linda Bailey David Huyck If Kids Ruled the World Winner [16]
Elly MacKay Butterfly Park Finalist [16]
Michael Moniz The Cardinal and the Crow
Colleen Sydor Brooke Kerrigan Fishermen Through and Through
Sandra Bradley Sara Palacios Henry Holton Takes the Ice
Alma Fullerton Brian Deines In a Cloud of Dust
Sangeeta Bhadra Marion Arbona Sam's Pet Temper
Heather Tekavec Pierre Pratt Stop, Thief!
Claudia Dávila Super Red Riding Hood
Nancy Wilcox Richards Tom Goldsmith We're All Friends Here
2017 Terry Fan & Eric Fan The Night Gardener Winner [17]
Shane Peacock Sophie Casson The Artist and Me Finalist [17]
Kyo Maclear Marion Arbona The Good Little Book
Kathy Stinson Qin Leng Harry and Walter
Vikki VanSickle Cale Atkinson If I Had a Gryphon
Maureen Fergus Dusan Petricic InvisiBill
Hazel Hutchins Dusan Petricic Snap!
Danielle Daniel Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox
Linda Bailey Bill Slavin Stanley at School
Willow Dawson The Wolf-Birds
2018 Jess Keating Marta Álvarez Miguéns Shark Lady Winner [18]
Mireille Messier Pierre Pratt The Branch Finalist [18]
Chris Hadfield & Kate Fillion The Darkest Dark [19]
Shelly Becker Eda Kaban Even Superheroes Have Bad Days [18]
Kari-Lynn Winters Francois Thisdale French Toast
Lauri Holomis, Glen Gretzky, Wayne Gretzky[f] Kevin Sylvester Great
Carolyn Huizinga Mills Brooke Kerrigan Little Boy Who Lived Down the Drain
Bree Galbraith Josee Bisaillon Milo and Georgie
Roselynn Akulukjuk The Owl and the Lemming
Andrew Larsen Mike Lowery A Squiggly Story
2019 Pierre Collet-Derby Barnaby Never Forgets Winner [20]
Jessica Scott Kerrin Qin Leng The Better Tree Fort Finalist [20]
Jean Little Joel Weissmann Harry's Hiccups
Belle DeMont Sonja Wimmer I Love My Purse
Leanne Shirtliffe Lorenzo Montatore I Love Sharks, Too!
Zachary Hyman Joe Bluhm The Magician's Secret
Deborah Kerbel Suzanne Del Rizzo Sun Dog
Kari Rust Tricky
Aviaq Johnston Tim Mack What's My Superpower?
Cale Atkinson Where Oliver Fits

2020-2025

Award winners and finalists, 2002-2009
Year Author(s) Illustrator(s) Title Result Ref.
2020 Andrée Poulin Félix Girard That's Not Hockey! Winner [21]
Anne Renaud & Leanne Franson Emma's Gems Finalist [21][22]
Rebecca Bender Giraffe and Bird Together Again
Kit Pearson & Katherine Farris Gabrielle Grimard The Magic Boat
Heather Smith Brooke Kerrigan A Plan for Pops
Kerry Lyn Sparrow Guillaume Perreault Sheep, Sheep!
Andrew Larsen Anne Villeneuve Me, Toma and the Concrete Garden
Marie-Louise Gay Mustafa
Maureen Fergus Elina Ellis The Reptile Club
Helaine Becker Orbie Sloth at the Zoom
2021 Mike Boldt Bad Dog Winner
Peter H. Reynolds Be You! Finalist [23][24]
Kim Smith Boxitects
Heather O'Connor & Claudia Davila Fast Friends
Sherry J. Lee Charlene Chua Going Up!
Rina Singh Ellen Rooney Grandmother School
Sennah Yee Elaine Chen My Day with Gong Gong
Ibtihaj Muhammad, S. K. Ali[g] Hatem Aly The Proudest Blue
Danny Ramadan Anna Bron Salma the Syrian Chef
Hazel Hutchins & Gail Herbert Dusan Petricic The Truth About Wind
2022 Peggy Collins Harley the Hero Winner [25]
Sara de Wall Erika Medina 48 Grasshopper Estates Finalist [25][26]
Bonnie Sherr Klein Élisabeth Eudes-Pascal Beep Beep Bubble
Nhung N. Tran-Davies Ravy Puth The Doll
Bahram Rahman Gabrielle Grimard The Library Bus
Nadia L. Hohn Irene Luxbacher Malaika's Surprise
Alma Fullerton No More Plastic
Stephanie Simpson McLellan Zoe Si The Sorry Life of Timothy Shmoe
Jeffrey Ansloos & Shezza Ansloos Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley Thunder and the Noise Storms
Monique Gray Smith Nicole Neidhardt When We Are Kind
2023 Monica Arnaldo Are You a Cheeseburger? Winner [27]
Leonarda Carranza Rafael Mayani Abuelita and Me Finalist [27]
Leona Prince & Gabrielle Prince Carla Joseph Be a Good Ancestor
Mahak Jain Anu Chouhan Bharatanatyam in Ballet Shoes
Dane Liu Lynn Scurfield Friends Are Friends, Forever
Sadé Smith Ken Daley Granny's Kitchen
Tina Athaide Åsa Gilland Meena's Mindful Moment
Nan Forler Yong Ling Kang Rodney Was a Tortoise
Bahram Rahman & Peggy Collins A Sky-Blue Bench
Anoosha Syed That's Not My Name!
2024 Sarabeth Holden Emma Pedersen Benny the Bananasaurus Rex Winner [28]
Sandra Bradley Gabrielle Grimard Cocoa Magic Finalist [28]
Lindsay Zier-Vogel Caroline Bonne-Muller Dear Street
Esi Edugyan Amélie Dubois Garden of Lost Socks
Naseem Hrab Kelly Collier How to Party Like a Snail
Ibtihaj Muhammad & S. K. Ali Hatem Aly The Kindest Red
Shauntay Grant Kitt Thomas My Fade is Fresh
Kuljinder Kaur Brar Samrath Kaur My Name is Saajin Singh
Maureen Fergus Danesh Mohiuddin Princess Pru and the Ogre on the Hill
Jack Wong The Words We Share
2025 Sakshi Mangal Asha and the Toymaker Finalist [29]
Flo Leung The Blue Bowl
Lisa Wyzlic Rebecca Syracuse Harold the Iceberg Melts Down
Bahram Rahman Gabrielle Grimard If You See a Bluebird
Yewande Daniel-Ayoade Ken Daley The Little Regent
Anoosha Syed Lost Stick
Kuljinder Kaur Brar Samrath Kaur Mandeep's Cloudy Days
Roz MacLean More Than Words
Sylv Chiang Mathias Ball Still My Tessa
Brittany Luby Natasha Donovan When the Stars Came Home

Notes

  1. ^ Editor.
  2. ^ Also translator.
  3. ^ Translator.
  4. ^ Afterword
  5. ^ Photographer
  6. ^ Foreward
  7. ^ As told to

References

  1. ^ "About the Forest – Forest of Reading". Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  2. ^ a b c "Blue Spruce Nominees, 2002". Queen's University Library. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Blue Spruce Nominees, 2003". Queen's University Library. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Blue Spruce Nominees, 2004". Queen's University Library. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Blue Spruce Nominees, 2005". Queen's University Library. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Blue Spruce Nominees, 2006". Queen's University Library. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2007". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  8. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2008". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  9. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2009". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  10. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2010". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  11. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2011". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  12. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2012". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  13. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2013". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  14. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2014". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  15. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2015". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  16. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2016". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  17. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2017". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  18. ^ a b c Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2018". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  19. ^ van Koeverden, Jane (2017-10-16). "Chris Hadfield, Gord Downie among Forest of Reading's 108 nominees for 2018 awards". CBC Books. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  20. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2019". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  21. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2020". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  22. ^ "Here are the Blue Spruce Award nominees: 10 great Canadian books for readers in". CBC Books. 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  23. ^ Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2021". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  24. ^ "Here are the 2021 Blue Spruce Award finalists: 10 great Canadian books for readers in kindergarten to Grade 2". CBC Books. 2020-10-15. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  25. ^ a b Education Library Team. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2022". Queen's University. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  26. ^ "Here are the 2022 Blue Spruce Award finalists: 10 great Canadian books for readers in kindergarten to Grade 2". CBC Books. 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  27. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2023". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  28. ^ a b Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2024". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  29. ^ Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2025". Queen’s University. Retrieved 2024-11-08.