
Selection Committee
FRANÇAIS
Mandate:
The Forest of Reading has ten individual selection committees that are tasked with selecting the annual nominated lists for children and adults. After reviewing all applications, the Forest of Reading Staff appoints the committees to read, review and recommend Canadian books that meet the selection criteria and are deemed to be the best available titles for a given year, in a given program.
- Terms of Reference – Selection Committee
- Terms of Reference – Selection Committee Chairs
- Selection Committee Timeline & Reading Requirements Chart
- Forest of Reading Selection Policy
Note: OLA strives to ensure that its staff, committees, and councils are diverse and inclusive in order to best serve the Ontario library community. There is immense value in bringing together various perspectives and ideas. OLA seeks out participation from members with different library experience; members from all regions of Ontario; Indigenous Peoples; and members with diverse backgrounds including but not limited to age, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and ability. If you have any questions about getting involved, please contact the OLA staff liaison for the committee/council.
Reading Timelines
The timeline for each Award varies due to the reading demands for each program. Below is the schedule of reading:
- Blue Spruce – April to June
- Silver Birch – January to August
- Yellow Cedar – December to July
- Red Maple – October to August
- White Pine – October to August
- Le prix Peuplier – July
- Le prix Mélèze – February to August
- Le prix Tamarac – February to August
- Evergreen – October to September
Application Deadlines
Applications are accepted all year round, however Chairs will try to select the committees based on applications up until the dates below. These are just guidelines.
- Blue Spruce – February 1
- Silver Birch – November 1
- Yellow Cedar – November 1
- Red Maple – October 1
- White Pine – October 1
- Le prix Peuplier – January 1
- Le prix Mélèze – January 1
- Le prix Tamarac – January 1
- Evergreen – September 1try
2026 Selection Committees
Co-Chairs of the Forest of Reading®
Co-Chair: Karen Devonish-Mazzotta, Teacher-Librarian, TDSB
Co-Chair: Amy Johnston, Library Technician

Blue Spruce Award™
Rabia Khokhar & Angie Wurster (Co-Chairs)
Lena Cybulskie, Michelle Collins, Anthea Bailie, Geetha Padassery, Tamara Kakish, Melissa Bruno, Daphne Tran, Sam McPherson, Holly Brown, Kelly Iggers, Christine Julien-Sullivan, Nisha Prajapati, Maria Ferreira

Silver Birch Express Award®
Fiction Portion:
Lillian Gretsinger & Amy Johnston (Co-Chairs)
Brittany Shantz, Elaine Young, Julie Najjar, Katie Sinclair, Katelyn Stoddart, Janet Milek Kalic, Katherine Stevenson, Stephanie Dafoe, Claire Perrin, Victoria Payson, Rachel Stein
Non-Fiction Portion:
Melanie Mulcaster & Wendy Burch-Jones (Co-Chairs)
Anne Marie Sisti, Carolyn von Hasselbach, Karen Clarkson, Klara Redford, Crystal Smith, Genevieve Jones-Edman, Selena Horrell, Sandra Lewis, Natalie Chong Tai, Sarah Alberts, Alisha Rotstein, Meaghan Nichols

Silver Birch Fiction Award®
Lillian Gretsinger & Amy Johnston (Co-Chairs)
Brittany Shantz, Elaine Young, Julie Najjar, Katie Sinclair, Katelyn Stoddart, Janet Milek Kalic, Katherine Stevenson, Stephanie Dafoe, Claire Perrin, Victoria Payson, Rachel Stein

Yellow Cedar Award
Melanie Mulcaster & Wendy Burch-Jones (Co-Chairs)
Anne Marie Sisti, Carolyn von Hasselbach, Karen Clarkson, Klara Redford, Crystal Smith, Genevieve Jones-Edman, Selena Horrell, Sandra Lewis, Natalie Chong Tai, Sarah Alberts, Alisha Rotstein, Meaghan Nichols

Red Maple Award™
Patricia MacPhail & Alison Yntema (Co-Chairs)
Bonnie Moffat, Candace Ramshaw, Casey MacDonald, Karen Upper, Laurie Orford, Mallory McMahon, Melissa Bogaert, Myra Junyk, Aileen Allore, Sue Prestwich

White Pine Award™
Serena McGovern & Leigh Ingram (Co-Chairs)
Arathy Sivasubramaniam, Corrina McGill, Diana Williams, Jennifer Clapp, Vanessa Vila, Kelly Marcella, Angela Thompson, Shelby Moffatt, Rebecca Roach, Olivia Slykhuis, Jessica Violi, Stacey Lapp, Amrita Bhat, Keirstin Gajadhar, Dana Pugh

Le prix Peuplier
Claudine Blanchard Evy Gambin, Nancy Dion (Chairs)
Madison Cumbaa, Karen Devonish-Mazzotta, Christine Labelle, Lynn MacDonald, Kristina Roudiy, Nathalie Soini, Tanya Woodward, Sonia Doyon, Natacha Akineza

Le prix Mélèze
Claudine Blanchard, Evy Gambin, Nancy Dion (Chairs)
Natacha Akineza, Chanelle Clément, Magali Enrico, Makelah Gay-Labbé, Adrienne Hubbard, Jennifer Aston, Lynn MacDonald, Deanna Vezina, Antonida Ligonde

Le prix Tamarac
Claudine Blanchard, Evy Gambin, Nancy Dion (Chairs)
Janet Beauchamp Wilson, Véronique Habel, Julie Charbonneau, Luisa Esposito-Karantakis, Mikelah Gay-Labbé, Chanelle Clément, Amélie Bachelard, Donna MacLeod, Geneviève Laurence, Suzanne Lalonde

Evergreen Award™
Enid Wray & Julie Wendland (Co-Chairs)
Victoria Levang, Shannan Sword, Adrienne Hubbard, Michael Broderick, Kathryn Drury, Kaley Stewart, Theresa Power, Jessica Casas, Stephanie Harnden