The Ontario Library Association has named the nominees for the 2017 Forest of Reading program‚ which encourages literacy by promoting and administering awards for Canadian titles in eight English-language and three French-language categories‚ mostly aimed at young readers. Library patrons and students across the country are invited to participate by registering by Dec. 1‚ reading the listed titles‚ and voting for their favourites. More than 250,000 readers take part annually.

This year’s nominees include Daniel Daniel for Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox (Groundwood Books) and Eric Fan and Terry Fan for The Night Gardener (Simon & Schuster Canada) in the Blue Spruce category (JK–Grade 2); Kenneth Oppel and Jon Klassen for The Nest (HarperCollins) and Kevin Sands for The Blackthorn Key (Aladdin/S&S Canada) in the Silver Birch fiction category (Grades 3–6); and Maria Birmingham and John Holinaty for A Beginner’s Guide to Immortality: From Alchemy to Avatars (Owlkids Books) and Michel Chikwanine and Jessica Dee Humphreys for Child Soldiers: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War (Kids Can Press) in the Red Maple non-fiction category (Grades 7–8).

Voting for school-aged programs takes place in April‚ with winners announced at the Festival of Trees in May.