Furs By Fred Wah (Grades 10+)

A celebrated yet underknown poet, novelist and short story writer, Fred Wah has been a major force in the poetics of western Canada since the early 1960s. He was the Poet Laureate of Canada from 2011-2013, and a founding member of the 1960s Vancouver-based radical poetry collective and newsletter known as TISH, along with Daphne Marlatt and George Bowering, among others. He has been honoured as an officer of the Order of Canada and a Governor General's Award for Poetry. In this poem, he writes of a very specific winter moment and context--a winter evening in the interior of BC.

Christmas Eve By Cathy Song ( Grades 7-9)

In Cathy Song's poem Christmas Eve, the speaker reflects on the poignancy of the holiday season, interweaving memories, traditions, and the quiet weight of family bonds. The poem captures the contrast between the warmth of celebrations and the solitude often felt during moments of reflection. Hopefully the holiday season brings you much joy but you also create space for those who long for communion.

The Snowfall is so Silent By Miguel de Unamuno (Grades 4-6)

The late Miguel de Unamuno was a renowned Spanish philosopher, poet, and writer. Known for his deep existential themes, Unamuno’s works surround life, death, and the human spirit. The Snowfall Is So Silent is a reflective poem. Unamuno captures the serene and quiet beauty of snowfall through themes of stillness, nature's quiet power, and the deep, almost contemplative silence that snowfall brings to the world.

Baseball Bats for Christmas By Michael Kuzugak (Grades 1-3)

Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak is a Canadian Inuk storyteller and children's writer. He has won several awards for his books that primarily tell stories about the Arctic and Inuit culture. Baseball Bats for Christmas talks about kids from Repulse Bay receiving trees for Chritmas but not knowing what they are and turning them into baseball bats.

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice (Grades 10+)

Waubeshig Rice was born in Ontario, in Parry Sound, as a member of the Wasauking First Nation. He is a journalist, podcaster and writer. His fiction work includes short stories and novels, including both The Moon of the Crusted Snow and its 2023 sequel, Moon of the Turning Leaves. His work incorporates Anishinaabemowin, the language of his people, into the narration and dialogue. Moon of the Crusted Snow presents a wintery take on a dystopian near-future that is truly chilling.

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow By Jessica Townsend (Grades 4 -6)

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks--and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.

But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.

The following excerpt is describing the Christmas traditions of Nevermoor and the battle between St. Nick and the Yule Queen.

Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus! by Atinuke (Grades 1 -3)

Atinuke has told stories from Nigeria, where she was born, to adults and children in schools, festivals & theatres all over the world. Children constantly asked what it was like growing up there. Her first book – Anna Hibiscus – was her reply. In Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus!, Anna has never been away from her home in Africa. She has never met Granny Canada and she can’t wait to see snow! However, cultural differences become clear in Anna's eyes. Christmas is both familiar and new, with different foods, old and new carols and one splendidly decorated tree instead of lights everywhere.

Snow Falls on China's Land by Ai Qing (Grades 10+)

Ai Qing’s "Snow Falls on China’s Land" reflects on the beauty and transformative power of snow as it blankets China's vast landscapes. The poem uses snow as a metaphor for purity, renewal, and the unity of the land and its people. Through vivid imagery, Ai Qing celebrates the interconnectedness of nature and human life, portraying snow as a quiet force that covers both struggles and triumphs, embodying resilience and hope amidst China’s historical and cultural complexity.

Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden (Grades 7 - 9)

Robert Hayden was a groundbreaking African American poet and the first Black Poet Laureate of the United States. Known for his use of form and language, Hayden's work often explored themes of identity, history, and the human condition. This poem, one of his most well known, combines vivid imagery with emotional depth, addressing both personal and collective experiences. A deeply reflective poet, Hayden remains a importnat voice in American literature.

The Legend of the Fog by Qaunaq Mikkigak & Joanne Schwartz (Grades 4 - 6)

In this spooky, wintry tale, Qaunaq Mikkigak and Joanne Schwartz tell the traditional Inuit legend of how fog came to be in the world. In addition to co-authoring this story and Grandmother Ptarmigan, Mikkigak was also an aritst, most famous for her sculpture, but also know dor drawing, story telling and throat singing. Her abilities as a sculpture were developed at first in secret, at a time when only Inuit men were traditional carvers, and she is consequently one of the first Inuit women to become known for their art. Her writing, like her sculpture draws on the traditions of her people in cold, northern regions of Canada.

Ty's Travels: Winter Wonderland by Kelly Starling Lyons (Grades 1 - 3)

Kelly Starling Lyons is an award-winning author dedicated to telling stories that center Black heroes, celebrate family, friendship and heritage and show all kids the stories they hold inside. The Ty's Travels series, Illustrated by Nina Mata, encourages young readers to embrace curiosity and explore the world around them.

They Called Us Enemy By George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven R. Scott (Grades 4-6)

They called us enemy is a retelling of the George Takei's expireince being imprisoned in American internment camps during World War II. Long before Takei braved new frontiers in Star Trek, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father's -- and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future.They Called Us Enemy is Takei's firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the joys and terrors of growing up under legalized racism, his mother's hard choices, his father's faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future.

Camp Tiger By Susan Choi ( Grades 1-3)

An author and a teacher at Yale university, Susan Choi has previously restricted herself to novels for adults. Camp Tiger marks her first foray into children's literature. It tells a surreal tale of a family visited in the forest on a camping trip by a tiger, which is befriended by the young son. It is about learning to face our fears of change and the unknown, and beautiful illustrations by John Rocco.

Nightmare By Kurihara Sadako (Grades 10+)

Lest we forget the extent of the ravages of war, Kurihara Sadako powerfully illustrates the pracitcal consequeces of the when sciecne and warfare meet. WARNING This poem contains graphic language about death.
"The atomic catastrophe occurred on 6 August, and a neighbor girl, a freshman at First Prefectural Girls' Higher School, did not come home. Finally, on 9 August, we heard that her corpse was in the primary school in Koi, so three of us—her uncle, her mother, and I—immediately set out at four o'clock to bring her body home. This is a poem about the scene at the aid station, the fires still burning as we came home, and the streets bright with crematory fires." Kurihara Sadako

The Alice Network By Kate Quinn (Grade 6-7)

Kate Quinn is known as a writer of historical fiction, and in this, her best-selling work, she bases her tale on a real-world British spy ring that existed during World War I in France. The heroic work of this all-female group of spies, who tracked German troop movement and plans, and reported them back to England, serves as the inspiration for an exciting and complex tale of courageous women in a time of war.

The Barren Grounds By David A. Robetrtson (Grades 4-6)

Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home -- until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Askí, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything -- including them.

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear By Lindsay Mattick (Grades 1-3)

The Great-grandaughter of Canadian Veternian and Soldier Harry Colebourn, Lindsay Mattick's picture book follows a young black bear cub named Winnie (Winnipeg) who was bought by a young version of her great grandfather. The story encapsulate the relationship between a man and a bear beginning a journey that leaves an imprint on the annal of wartime history. The story then transitions into the daunting settings of World War 1, as Harry is summoned for duty in Europe; what woiuld happened to this beloved bear.

The Sonnet-Ballad By Gwendolyn Brooks (Grade 10+)

Gwendolyn Brooks was a prolific poet and the first Black woman appointed Poet Laureate of the United States. Her poem "the sonnet-ballad" is a meditation on those who are left behind; the spouses, children and parents who migh never come back from the front. Not only that, but in 14 lines, she also introduces the changes that happen for those who leave.

In Memoriam By Alice Winn (Grades 7-9)

Alice Winn grew up in Paris and was educated in the UK. She currently lives in Brooklyn and is the author of In Memoriam. It’s 1914, and World War I is churning through thousands of young men on both sides of the fight. Henry Gaunt, Sidney Ellwood and the rest of their classmates, are safely ensconced in their boarding school in the English countryside. Gaunt is busy fighting his own private battle–an all-consuming infatuation with his best friend, the charming Ellwood. When Gaunt’s family asks him to enlist, Gaunt does so immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings for Ellwood. To Gaunt’s horror, Ellwood rushes to join him at the front, and the rest of their classmates soon follow.

Little Boy Crying By Mervyn Morris (Grades 4-6)

Little Boy Crying by Mervin Morris reminds us that everyone experiences trauma and that trauma plays a significant role in shaping who we become. Memories of loss or slights from youth pervade our adult life. Beinga child of conflict is a life sentence not to be taken lightly.