![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/cbc-kids-reads-2025-shortlist.png\")
Here are all the books featured on the 2025 CBC Kids Reads shortlist. (Groundwood Books, Kids Can Press, HarperCollins, Inhabit Media, Owl Kids)<\/p>\nHere are all the books featured on the 2025 CBC Kids Reads shortlist. (Groundwood Books, Kids Can Press, HarperCollins, Inhabit Media, Owl Kids)<\/p>\n
The third edition of CBC Kids Reads,\u00a0a literary celebration for young readers, will see CBC Kids<\/a> friends\u00a0joining up with celebrity readers Jay Baruchel, Anna Lambe, Andrew Phung, Kayla Grey and\u00a0Josh Dela Cruz, to champion five Canadian picture books.<\/p>\n The five book shortlist\u00a0reflects the experiences and diversity of kids across Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n The CBC Kids Reads 2025 longlist<\/a>\u00a0of 15 picture books was revealed in August.\u00a0<\/p>\n The winner of CBC Kids Reads 2025 will be announced in a half-hour special that will be available\u00a0on Oct. 4,\u00a0on CBC TV, CBC Gem and CBC Kids YouTube at 10:20 a.m.\u00a0ET. An audience of kids and families will vote for the winning book in the\u00a0live-to-tape special\u00a0recorded at the Civic Centre Resource Library in Vaughan, Ont.<\/p>\n The special will celebrate all five picture books on the CBC Kids Reads shortlist\u00a0and will feature readings by each book’s celebrity champion.\u00a0<\/p>\n The CBC Kids Reads special will also be replayed as a CBC radio broadcast on Oct. 13.<\/p>\n The\u00a02025\u00a0CBC Kids Reads\u00a0contenders and their champions are:<\/p>\n Mad at Dad by Janie Hao\u00a0is championed by comedian, actor\u00a0and writer Andrew Phung\u00a0with\u00a0Gary the Unicorn Cone Dog\u00a0by Sarah Howden, illustrated by Carmen Mok\u00a0is championed by actor, writer and director Jay Baruchel\u00a0with\u00a0Stuffy the Dog I am a Rock\u00a0by Ashley Qilavaq-Savard, illustrated by Pelin Turgut\u00a0is championed by\u00a0North of North actress Anna Lambe\u00a0with Mosey Monster The Hockey Skates\u00a0by Karl Subban, illustrated by Maggie Zeng is championed by broadcaster, journalist and sports anchor Kayla Grey with Cottonball the Cat The Little Green Envelope\u00a0by Gillian Sze, illustrated by Claudine Crangle is championed by\u00a0Blue’s Clues & You! actor and singer Josh Dela Cruz\u00a0with Mr. Orlando the Moose. <\/p>\n Learn more about the 2025\u00a0CBC Kids Reads\u00a0contenders below.<\/p>\n Mad at Dad by Janie Hao, championed by Andrew Phung\u00a0with\u00a0Gary the Unicorn<\/p>\n Mad at Dad<\/a>\u00a0is a lift-the-flap picture book that explores big feelings and managing anger in healthy ways. A little girl gets mad at her dad, but quickly realizes she doesn’t like the feeling of being mad\u00a0\u2014\u00a0except she doesn’t know how to stop it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mad at Dad<\/a>\u00a0is for ages 2 to 6.<\/p>\n Gary the Unicorn is championing Mad at Dad<\/a> because he is always full of feelings \u2014 mostly about how much he loves hugs, and sprinkles on everything!<\/p>\n When asked about his\u00a0favourite kind of story,\u00a0Mad at Dad<\/a>\u00a0celebrity reader Phung said, “I love books about people’s lives. I love when they write about themselves and the things they have done. I think our lived experiences are so interesting and I love learning about people.”<\/p>\n I think our lived experiences are so interesting and I love learning about people.- Andrew Phung<\/p>\n Andrew Phung is an actor, writer and comedian. He received a Canadian Screen Award for\u00a0Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021 for his work on Kim’s Convenience.<\/p>\n He is also the executive producer, co-creator and writer for the series Run The Burbs. He is a regular contributor on CBC Radio’s Now or Never, The Debaters and Because News.\u00a0<\/p>\n Janie Hao is an illustrator and writer. She has a degree in illustration from Sheridan College and lives in Toronto.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cone Dog\u00a0by Sarah Howden, illustrated by Carmen Mok, championed by Jay Baruchel\u00a0with\u00a0Stuffy the Dog<\/p>\n After a visit to the veterinarian in\u00a0Cone Dog<\/a>,\u00a0a dog named Emma has to wear a plastic cone\u00a0and quickly learns that there are both advantages and disadvantages to wearing it \u2014 it dulls her digging, but also helps scare off the neighbourhood squirrel. She ultimately learns however, that cone or no cone, it’s her inventive spirit that makes her who she is.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cone Dog<\/a>\u00a0is for ages 3 to 7.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stuffy the Dog\u00a0is championing\u00a0Cone Dog<\/a>\u00a0because\u00a0it’s good research, should he ever need to wear a cone himself. His neighbourhood nemesis is a pigeon, whom he looks forward to startling with a cone one day soon.<\/p>\n When asked what he likes best about reading, celebrity champion for Cone Dog<\/a>, Jay Baruchel,\u00a0said “I love that when I open a book, I get taken on a journey.\u00a0I get transported to another world, another planet, another time.”<\/p>\n I love that when I open a book, I get taken on a journey.- Jay Baruchel<\/p>\n Jay Baruchel\u00a0is an actor, writer and director born in Ottawa, raised in Montreal and currently living in Toronto. He’s best known for his roles in Blackberry, in which he won a 2024\u00a0Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Actor,\u00a0How to Train Your Dragon, Knocked Up,\u00a0Million Dollar Baby\u00a0and This Is the End.<\/p>\n Baruchel\u00a0is one of the writers of the upcoming\u00a0anthology of essays,\u00a0Elbows Up!<\/a>. He also wrote the 2018 memoir, Born Into It<\/a>.\u00a0Baruchel championed the book Two Solitudes<\/a> by Hugh MacLennan\u00a0on Canada Reads<\/a> 2013.<\/p>\n Sarah Howden is an author from Toronto. Her previous works include\u00a0Cone Cat, The Tunnel\u00a0and\u00a05-Minute Stories for Fearless Girls.\u00a0<\/p>\n Carmen Mok is a Toronto-based illustrator. Some of her other works of illustrations include\u00a0When I Listen to Silence<\/a>\u00a0by Jean E. Pendziwol,\u00a0Cone Cat\u00a0by Sarah Howden\u00a0and\u00a0A Stopwatch from Grampa<\/a>\u00a0by Loretta Garbutt.\u00a0<\/p>\n I am a Rock\u00a0by Ashley Qilavaq-Savard, illustrated by Pelin Turgut, championed by\u00a0Anna Lambe\u00a0with Mosey Monster\u00a0<\/p>\n At bedtime, Pauloosie asks his Anaana, or mother, what rocks would say to us if they could. In\u00a0I Am A Rock<\/a>, Pauloosie’s pet rock, Miki Rock describes all that it can see, feel and hear as part of the land in the Arctic from the winds to the animals, the northern lights and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n I Am A Rock<\/a>\u00a0is for ages 3 to 5.<\/p>\n Mosey Monster is championing\u00a0I Am A Rock<\/a>\u00a0because\u00a0he is always amazed by how awesome nature is. Although he has never met a talking rock, he loved the way Miki\u00a0Rock described life in the arctic. Mosey hopes to visit one day!<\/p>\n When asked why telling stories was important, I Am A Rock<\/a>\u00a0celebrity reader\u00a0Lambe, said “it’s important to see how other people live their lives, what other people’s experiences are like and where they come from. Reading books from different places really allow you to have a bigger \u2014 and I think better \u2014 view on life.”<\/p>\n Reading books from different places really allow you to have a bigger \u2014 and I think better \u2014 view on life.- Anna Lambe<\/p>\n Anna Lambe is\u00a0an Inuk actress and television host from Iqaluit. She is best known for her role as the lead actress in the CBC, Netflix and\u00a0APTN\u00a0co-produced series\u00a0North of North<\/a>. Lambe\u00a0received a Canadian Screen Award nomination in 2021 for her role in CBC’s mini-series Trickster<\/a> based off of the novels by Eden Robinson.<\/p>\n Her previous film and television credits include\u00a0The Grizzlies\u00a0and HBO’s\u00a0True Detective. Lambe is also\u00a0a host on the APTN\u00a0documentary series\u00a0Warrior Up!.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ashley Qilavaq-Savard is an Inuk writer and artist from Iqaluit. She is the author of\u00a0Where the Sea Kuniks the Land<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0I Am A Rock<\/a>\u00a0is her first picture book. Qilavaq-Savard also makes sealskin and beaded jewellery and studies Inuktitut.\u00a0CBC Books<\/a>\u00a0named Qilavaq-Savard\u00a0a writer to watch in 2024<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pelin Turgut is a children’s book illustrator from Turkey.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Hockey Skates\u00a0by Karl Subban, illustrated by Maggie Zeng, championed by Kayla Grey with Cottonball the Cat<\/p>\n Inspired by his NHL hockey player son P.K.\u00a0Subban, Karl Subban shares the story of young P.K. waiting for his new skates in\u00a0The Hockey Skates<\/a>.\u00a0With each new delivery that arrives not being the right skates \u2014 whether it’s the wrong colour or size, P.K. learns to persevere and remain optimistic in this comical story.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Hockey Skates<\/a>\u00a0is for ages 4 to 7.<\/p>\n Cottonball the Cat chose\u00a0The Hockey Skates<\/a>\u00a0because\u00a0she is the sportiest kitten on the block. Learning something new is her favourite thing to do, and she thought the themes of patience and perseverance in this book were purrrfect!<\/p>\n When Kayla Grey, celebrity champion for The Hockey Skates<\/a>, was asked what she liked best about reading, she said, “I love how my vocabulary expands the more that I read, and I learn new things every time that I pick up a book. It makes me feel a sense of wonder.”<\/p>\n It makes me feel a sense of wonder.- Kayla Grey<\/p>\n Kayla Grey\u00a0is a Toronto-based broadcaster, journalist and sports anchor. She is the host and co-executive producer of TSN’s The Shift with Kayla Grey and reports courtside for TSN’s Toronto Raptors coverage.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2022, she won the\u00a0Jahmil French Award at The Legacy Awards for being a\u00a0“rising star” in the Canadian media world<\/a> and she won the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television’s inaugural Changemaker Award<\/a>.<\/p>\n Karl Subban has been a coach, teacher, principal and the father to three NHL hockey players. Subban, who resides in Toronto, is also the author of\u00a0How We Did It: The Subban Plan for Success in Hockey, School and Life<\/a>.<\/p>\n LISTEN | Karl\u00a0Subban\u00a0on\u00a0The Next Chapter:\u00a0<\/p>\n The Next ChapterRaising superstar hockey players with Karl Subban<\/p>\n Maggie Zeng is a Montreal-based student at Concordia University. She is an illustrator, animator and concept artist of children’s books. The first picture book she illustrated is\u00a0This Is the Boat That Ben Built.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Little Green Envelope\u00a0by Gillian Sze, illustrated by Claudine Crangle,\u00a0championed by\u00a0Josh Dela Cruz\u00a0with Mr. Orlando the Moose<\/p>\n In\u00a0The Little Green Envelope<\/a>, Olive has a little green envelope that wants to be chosen to be delivered to Olive’s friend that has moved away. Just like Olive, the little green envelope also longs to travel. But will the envelope’s\u00a0wish come true?\u00a0<\/p>\n The Little Green Envelope<\/a>\u00a0is for ages 3 to 6.<\/p>\n Mr. Orlando the Moose is championing\u00a0The Little Green Envelope<\/a>\u00a0because\u00a0he has a passion for postage.\u00a0As a lover of all things analogue, Mr. Orlando is thrilled to see the magic of a handwritten letter be celebrated in this beautiful book.<\/p>\n When asked how a good book makes him feel,\u00a0celebrity reader of\u00a0The Little Green Envelope<\/a>,\u00a0Josh Dela Cruz said, “a good book makes me feel like time just flies by. That I’m in this world\u00a0that I have participated in creating because I’m imagining what things look like, and how things feel, and it’s exciting! Those are my favourite types of books.”<\/p>\n A good book makes me feel like time just flies by.- Josh Dela Cruz<\/p>\n Josh Dela Cruz is an actor and singer. He is the host of Nickelodeon’s\u00a0Blue’s Clues & You!. Before joining\u00a0Blue’s Clues & You!, Dela Cruz was in several Broadway shows, including playing the\u00a0titular role in\u00a0Aladdin. He recently\u00a0toured with Theatre Group Asia’s production of\u00a0Into the Woods.\u00a0Dela Cruz splits his time between Toronto and New York.<\/p>\n Gillian Sze is a Montreal-based writer and teacher who is originally from Winnipeg. Some of her other books for children include\u00a0The Night Is Deep and Wide,\u00a0My Love for You Is Always\u00a0and\u00a0You Are My Favorite Color,\u00a0which was a\u00a0finalist for the Quebec Writers’ Federation Award<\/a>. Her poetry collections include\u00a0Quiet Night Think<\/a>, which won the 2023 Pat Lowther Memorial Award.<\/p>\n LISTEN\u00a0| Gillian Sze shares her\u00a0inspiration for the book with CBC Montreal’s\u00a0Let’s Go:\u00a0<\/p>\n Let’s GoMontreal author named in CBC Kids Read 2025 longlist<\/p>\n Claudine Crangle is a Toronto-based author and multidisciplinary artist whose previous picture books include writing and illustrating\u00a0Priscilla Pack Rat,\u00a0Woolfred Cannot Eat Dandelions\u00a0and\u00a0The House Next Door<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here are all the books featured on the 2025 CBC Kids Reads shortlist. 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