NOTE: These sessions are pre-recorded due to all schools/libraries having different schedules. You can watch at any time until June 30th that works best for you. Schedule will be released in November 2025.
2026 FOREST OF READING - DIGITAL PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
FOREST FRIDAYS – Author visits with Award Nominees – January 23, 2026 release date
Silver Birch Express, Silver Birch Fiction and Red Maple Nominees will participate in Author and Panel workshops that will be released in the New Year.
| FOREST FRIDAY’S | BOOK NAME | Program | Release Date | Release Time | LINK TO CONNECT |
| Erin Silver | Plant Attack: The Fascinating Ways Flora Defends Itself | Silver Birch Express | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Stephanie Gibeault | Dogs vs. Humans: A Showdown of the Senses | Silver Birch Express | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Danny Ramadan | Salma Speaks Up | Silver Birch Express | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Rina Singh | Barefoot Skateboarders | Silver Birch Express | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Angela Ahn | The Big Splash | Silver Birch Express | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Vicki Grant | Death By Whoopee Cushion | Silver Birch Fiction | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Emily Deibert | Bea Mullins Takes a Shot | Silver Birch Fiction | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Tanya Lloyd Kyi | The City of Lost Cats | Silver Birch Fiction | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Jessica Renwick | Ghosts of Gastown | Silver Birch Fiction | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Sarena and Sasha Nanua | Spirit Service | Silver Birch Fiction | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Ted Staunton | Comic Shift | Silver Birch Fiction | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Wesley King | Benny on the Case | Silver Birch Fiction | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Gabrielle Prendergast | The Anxious Exile of Sara Salt | Silver Birch Fiction | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Nicola Dahlin | If We Tell You | Red Maple | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Kern Carter | Is There A Boy Like Me? | Red Maple | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Jessica Vitalis | Unsinkable Cayenne | Red Maple | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Maria Marianayagam | No Purchase Necessary | Red Maple | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Catherine Egan | The Factory | Red Maple | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Meagan Mahoney | The Time Keeper | Red Maple | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Caroline Pignat | The Discovery of Finnegan Wilde | Red Maple | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| David A. Poulsen | The Dark Won’t Wait | Red Maple | 1/23/2026 | 9:00:00 AM |
Illustrator Events with our Forest Illustrators – February 5, 2026 release date
Come draw with our very own Forest of Reading Illustrators! We are excited to bring you sessions on how to draw your favourite characters. Be sure to have your readers tune in with pencil and paper and have some fun with our amazing nominees or they can just watch!
| ILLUSTRATOR EVENTS | BOOK NAME | Program | Release Date | Release Time | LINK TO CONNECT |
| Ashley Spires | The Most Magnificent Team | Blue Spruce | 2/5/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Alina Tysoe | The Great Puptective 02 Purranormal Activity | Silver Birch Express | 2/5/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Erika Rodriguez Medina | The Friendship Blanket | Blue Spruce | 2/5/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Sahle Robinson | Patty Dreams | Blue Spruce | 2/5/2026 | 9:00:00 AM |
Mercre-LIT: Digital Author Visits – February 11, 2026 release date
French nominees for Le prix Mélèze and Tamarac will be hosting author visits. Come and connect with this years nominees.
| Mercre-LIT – WEDNESDAY’S | BOOK NAME | Program | Release Date | Release Time | LINK TO CONNECT |
| TBD | TBD | Mélèze | 2/11/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Simon Boulerice | Ma langue fleurie | Mélèze | 2/11/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Andrée Poulin | Comment sauver des chevaux sauvages & Quand ils sont venus | Tamarac | 2/11/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| TBD | TBD | Tamarac | 2/11/2026 | 9:00:00 AM |
White Pine Wednesdays: Author visits & Panel Discussions – February 18, 2026 release date
Our White Pine readers will get up close and personal with the authors of the White Pine Award learning about their craft, their nominated books and how they ended up where they are now. ALL 10 AUTHORS ARE PARTICIPATING THIS YEAR, so we will be putting them into 3 panels.
| WHITE PINE EVENT | BOOK NAME | Program | Release Date | Release Time | LINK TO CONNECT |
| Panel #1 | Author panels to be determined in December | White Pine | 2/18/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Panel #2 | Author panels to be determined in December | White Pine | 2/18/2026 | 9:00:00 AM | |
| Panel #3 | Author panels to be determined in December | White Pine | 2/18/2026 | 9:00:00 AM |
BLUE SPRUCE READ-ALOUDS – March 11, 2026 release date
Our amazing Blue Spruce nominees are given the option to read their books on video so that you can share with your young readers as you prepare for your voting. This is a great recap of the books and ensures that your young people get a chance to see the authors reading what they love.
Special Event Series
We will be hosting some special events for I Read Canadian, OLA’s 125th Anniversary and Freedom to Read Week 2026 (Feb. 22-28, 2026). In addition to these events we are partnering with other organizations to bring you amazing content from nominees.
| SPECIAL EVENTS | BOOK NAME | Program | Release Date | Release Time | LINK TO CONNECT |
| Telling Tales – I Read Canadian Event | Anoosha Syed and Marty Chan | 2025 Nominees | 11/5/2025 | 12:00:00 PM | LINK TO CONNECT |
| Freedom to Read Event | More to Come! | TBD | 2/25/2026 | ||
| Canadian Parents for French Special Event | Éric Péladeau (LPM) | Mélèze | 3/3/2026 | ||
| Celebrating OLA’s 125th Anniversary with Eric Walters | Eric Walters – Finding Harmony (Red Maple Nominee 2026) | Red Maple | 3/4/2026 | ||
| Celebrating the Forest of Reading with Non-Fiction award-winnning authors | Zoom in On Zombies with Kari-Lynn Winters & Catherine Marie Rondina | Yellow Cedar | 3/5/2026 |
