2025 Silver Birch Express Award® Nominees
Grades 3-4, fiction, non-fiction
Always Beginning: The Big Bang, the Universe, and You
Written by Candace Savage
Illustrated by Rachel Wada
Published by Greystone Books
For kids with big questions comes a mesmerizing celebration of the universe and our place in it, perfect for STEM learning.
The story of the universe is enough to send our minds spinning with wonder! This awe-inspiring picture book explores the science behind the start of our universe and how we came to be a part of it, from the Big Bang and the beginning of life on Earth all the way up until today.
Designed for readers 4-8, Always Beginning includes:
- Science-based information on how the world was created, and how life on Earth started
- Facts about our solar system and the Big Bang.
- Backmatter explaining the science, including a timeline of the origins of the universe through the ages of fish, reptiles, mammals, and humans.
Told with reassuring warmth and mesmerizing art, Always Beginning captures the immensity and strangeness of our galaxy.
Birds on the Brain
Written by Uma Krishnaswami
Illustrated by Julianna Swaney
Published by Groundwood Books
The sequel to the award-winning Book Uncle and Me features bird lover Reeni and her quest to save her city’s bird count event when the mayor tries to shut it down.
Reeni is wild about birds! So when she and her best friend, Yasmin, have to pick a survey topic for a school project, asking their neighbors what they know about birds is an obvious choice. They are shocked to learn that no one — not one single person! — has heard about Bird Count India and the major event it is about to launch all over the country. Thousands of birdwatchers will be out counting birds as part of a global movement. Global means world, and isn’t this city part of the world? How come people don’t seem to care about the threats to city birds? And why is the mayor intentionally thwarting their city’s bird count event?
Reeni and Yasmin enlist help from Book Uncle, Reeni’s family and even their school bus driver. They must get people interested in the bird count, get them to ask the city government to support the event. After all, what’s good for the birds is good for all of us … right?
A funny, triumphant story about learning to advocate for both the human and non-human inhabitants of your community.
Dragon on the Loose
Written by Marty Chan
Illustrated by Grace Chen
Published by Orca Book Publishers
When eleven-year-old Hailey and her friend Kyle make a wish on a Chinese lion statue, they accidentally bring a dragon to life.
Scared at first, the kids soon realize that Zhu the dragon means them no harm, and they show the dragon around their city. It’s all fun and games until Animal Control gets wind of a wild creature on the loose. The kids have to find a way to send their new friend back home before she’s taken away.
Ghost Girl
Written by Brooke Carter
Illustrated by Alyssa Waterbury
Published by Orca Book Publishers
Ten-year-old Sly is spending the weekend with their fortune-telling grandmother at the mysterious Madsen Mansion.
It’s Samhain, a time when the spirits can cross over into the living world, and the old mansion has secrets whispering in the rafters and unused rooms. When Sly and their grandmother hear a voice calling, Sly unlocks a cabinet that reveals a ghost girl who is trapped in a mirror. Then they accidentally speak the words of the spell that enchanted the girl in the first place, and Sly and their grandmother risk being imprisoned in the mirror as well. With the clock ticking till the end of Samhain, it’s up to Sly to solve the ghost’s riddles and puzzles and locate a long-lost book of spells in hopes of freeing them all.
Lost and Found: Based on a True Story
Written and Illustrated by Mei Yu
Published by Union Square Kids
“This bright and bubbly early reader graphic novel, based on debut creator Yu’s own immigration story, validates the sometimes overwhelming nature of learning an unfamiliar language as a child in a new country.” —Publishers Weekly
Being the new kid in school is scary enough. But imagine what it would be like if you were the new kid in a new school, in a new country. That’s exactly the situation Mei Yu finds herself in when her family moves from China to Canada. As she navigates her new school, she discovers a unique way to learn English and makes a new friend along the way in this heartwarming story based on the author’s own experiences.
Odd Couples: A Guide to Unlikely Animal Pairs
Written by Maria Birmingham
Illustrated by Raz Latif
Published by Owlkids Books
A fun and engaging guessing game that demonstrates how even the most unusual animal pairs can be two of a kind.
Hummingbirds and giraffes, sharks and snails, meerkats and bees … at first glance, these pairings may seem as different as can be. But guess what? Hummingbirds and giraffes are both hummers, sharks and snails both have thousands of sharp teeth, and meerkats and bees are both huggers.
Featuring eight unexpected animal pairings, this informative and entertaining book gives readers an implicit lesson in empathy, highlighting that we are all more alike than we think.
Written in an interactive question-and-answer format perfect for reading out loud, Odd Couples is full of nonfiction fun with lots of visual humour and appeal.
Operation Cupcake: How Simple Machines Work
Written and Illustrated by Bambi Edlund
Published by Kids Can Press
In this hilarious story about a couple of clever mice on a quest for a tasty treat, readers get a “paws-on” introduction to six simple machines.
Ginger and Mac are pros at snatching up delicious tidbits and bringing them back to their cozy mousehole to eat. Today, though, their mission is complicated. Their target is an especially aromatic vanilla cupcake with pink buttercream frosting. Only, it’s (a) too big for them to carry, (b) on a high counter within leaping distance of both the resident cat and dog and (c) under a heavy glass cake dome. Luckily, these mice love nothing more than solving a challenging problem (except maybe eating buttercream frosting!). Ginger is sure they can use simple machines to get the job done. But is she right?
Bambi Edlund has created a fun way to teach children about the basic concepts of mechanical physics. Ginger and Mac’s adventure story is told in panels with dialogue boxes, while the science behind how simple machines work is explained throughout the story in fully illustrated sections that never interrupt the flow of the narrative. The result is a highly entertaining book that gives readers a clear and easy-to-understand overview of the six simple machines – inclined plane, lever, pulley, wheel and axle, screw, and wedge – and how they make life easier. It’s sure to inspire readers to search for examples of simple machines that exist all around them. With loads of hands-on activities that can be done at home or in the classroom, this is an excellent choice for teaching elementary physics and engineering.
The Salma Series 03: Salma Joins the Team
Written by Danny Ramadan
Illustrated by Anna Bron
Published by Annick Press
Salma dreams of becoming a champion swimmer like her hero, Olympian Yusra Mardini. So when she signs up for her school’s swim club, it feels like her dreams could come true . . . until mean comments from older girls at the pool and women at her mosque spark body image and self-esteem issues. But with the help of her close friends and family—the team that always has her back—Salma is ready to claim her place in the pool.
Sarah Ponakey, Storycatcher and Âhâsiw’s Forest Powwow
Written by Sita MacMillan
Illustrated by Azby Whitecalf
Published by Annick Press
Sarah Ponakey has moved to the city from her home community with her mom and it’s the pits! She misses her Kôhkom, her best friend Eden, and the forests around her community. She’s had a hard time making new friends at school but at least she keeps in touch with Eden through meticulously written letters with very big words. After a particularly tough day where she nearly loses her favorite stuffed animal, Âhâsiw, and is brushed off by her mom, Sarah finds herself transported to a magical forest powwow . . .
Accompanied by a life-sized Âhâsiw in his beautiful regalia, Sarah watches in excitement as a chipmunk emcees, and bears play the host drum at her first ever powwow. The more she sees, the more her confidence grows. As she joins in the celebration, Sarah discovers that she can connect to her Cree culture no matter where she is. Her Kôhkom’s going to love this story! Âhâsiw’s Forest Powwow, the first book from debut children’s author Sita MacMillan, features Cree words throughout the story and a note to the reader. Azby Whitecalf’s dynamic illustrations bring life to this warm, charming, and funny introduction to Sarah Ponakey, the storycatcher.
Whales and Us: Our Shared Journey
Written by India Desjardins
Translated by David Warriner
Illustrated by Nathalie Dion
Published by Orca Book Publishers
In the course of history, humans have had a negative impact on the lives of whales.
There are many stories and legends about whales. Humans have long been fascinated by these majestic creatures. Maybe it’s their immense size or their mysterious songs. But how many of the stories are true? What do we really know about whales? And are we a threat to these creatures that captivate us?
Author India Desjardins offers a glimpse into the lives of whales—their history, environment, biology and behaviour. She explores our relationships with whales and the dangers that threaten their existence, and she shares what we can do to help keep them safe. Whales and Us is a beautifully illustrated tribute to these fragile giants and a powerful call to action, with the hope that they will never stop roaming the world’s oceans.
