The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) and the Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) released the shortlists for the 2025 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards. The Schwartz Awards are the only Canadian literary award where student jurors work together to choose the winning books.
Student juries from Birch Cliff Heights Public School in Scarborough, Ont., will debate the shortlisted books and come to a consensus on the 2025 winners. The winning books will be announced at an event in June.
Children's Picture Book Award Category
Fighting Words
by Leonarda Carranza (Brampton, Ont.)
illustrations by Erika Medina (Vancouver, B.C.)
Annick Press
I Want to Read All the Books
by Debbie Ridpath Ohi (Toronto, Ont.)
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
The Little Regent
by Yewande Daniel-Ayoade (Calgary, Alta.)
illustrations by Ken Daley (Kitchener, Ont.)
Owlkids Books
Métis Like Me
by Tasha Hilderman (Lloydminster, Alta.)
illustrations by Risa Hugo (Salmon Arm, B.C.)
Tundra Books
One Giant Leap
by Thao Lam (Toronto, Ont.)
Owlkids Books
Young Adult / Middle Reader Award Category
Fledgling: The Keeper’s Records of Revolution
by S.K. Ali (Toronto, Ont.)
Penguin Random House / Kokila
Is There a Boy Like Me?
by Kern Carter (Mississauga, Ont.)
Scholastic Canada Ltd.
The New Girl: A Graphic Novel
by Cassandra Calin (Montreal, Que.)
Scholastic Canada Ltd.
The Shape of Lost Things
by Sarah Everett (Edmonton, Alta.)
HarperCollins
Today I Am: 10 Stories of Belonging
edited by Jael Richardson (Brampton, Ont.)
Scholastic Canada Ltd.
About the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards
- Two awards of $6,000 each are presented annually to recognize artistic excellence in writing and illustration in English-language Canadian children’s literature.
- The winners are selected by two juries of young readers, this year comprising students at Birch Cliff Public School:
- Five students in grade 4 will select the recipient of the Children’s Picture Book Award.
- Five students in grade 8 will select the recipient of the Young Adult / Middle Reader Award.
Learn more
- The Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards were established in 1976 by Sylvia Schwartz in memory of her sister, Ruth, a respected Toronto bookseller. In 2004, the family renamed the awards to honour both sisters.
- OAF administers the awards with the support of OAC, which manages the nomination and jury process.
- The nomination committee that chose this year’s shortlist consisted of Becky Dixon (librarian at the Niagara Falls Public Library), Rabia Khokar (teacher and equity and education consultant) and Christie Vella (teacher-librarian at John English Public School).
- See the full details on the award and the complete list of past laureates.
Ontario Arts Foundation inquiries
Bruce Bennett
Executive Director
OAF
bbennett@oafdn.ca