2025 IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities
IBBY Canada is honoured to announce that three books from Canada will be part of the 2025 IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities. The books are:
Chris, by Jean-François Sénéchal. Leméac Éditeur, 2023.
Simon Sort of Says, by Erin Bow. Scholastic Canada, 2023.
Waking Ben Doldrums, by Heather Smith and illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler. Orca Book Publishers, 2023.
These three titles were among the 49 English-language books from 17 publishers and 21 French-language books from 11 publishers that were submitted to IBBY Canada this year. From that list, IBBY Canada was permitted to submit 12 books for consideration for addition to the IBBY Collection for Young People with Disabilities.
Every two years IBBY National Sections nominate books for young people with disabilities to be added to the collection. This year, IBBY received 230 submissions from 31 countries in 23 languages. Of these, 40 books from 24 countries in 18 languages have been selected for the 2025 catalogue. The books become a part of the permanent collection held at the North York Central Branch of Toronto Public Library. Two additional collections will travel around the world. Having three books to represent Canada on this list is an exceptional honour and speaks to the quality of the books for and about young people with disabilities produced in Canada.
On March 31, 2025, at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, IBBY will officially launch the collection with an exhibition of the books at the IBBY stand. A print catalogue will be available. The digital catalogue will be posted on both the Toronto Public Library and IBBY websites. The books can be searched on Toronto Public Library’s catalogue by author, title, publisher, language, and subject. Researchers from around the world will be able to search titles online or even arrange to visit the library to read the books in person.
The IBBY Canada selection committees had this to say about the three honoured books:
Chris is a majestic, sensitive and moving novel by Jean-François Sénéchal. It offers a philosophical look at life, the strength and fragility of feelings, loyalty, love, and parental responsibilities. The story revolves around a perspective rarely addressed with such finesse and credibility in literature, far from the clichés about intellectual disability. Read it without delay!
Simon Sort of Saysmasterfully combines grief and trauma with humour, showing kids that life in not just one thing. Simon and Agate’s friendship can be summed up by this sentence: “Agate being cool about her brain stuff makes me feel a little safer about my brain stuff.” This book is a frank and reassuring look at PTSD in kids.
Waking Ben Doldrums depicts depression in an original way. Through the illustrations, the reader watches as Ben Doldrums is overcome by his depression, even as his neighbours try to cheer him up. His young neighbour comes up with a solution that does not undermine the seriousness of depression but accepts Ben’s challenges and gives him a way to continue to play an important part in his community. Waking Ben Doldrums is a gentle way to introduce young readers to the impact of depression on a person and how a community can care for them, even while they are in the “doldrums.”
IBBY Canada thanks co-chairs Nicholas Aumais (French) and Theo Heras (English) and their committee members for all of their work in reading and selecting the books submitted this year.
IBBY Canada congratulates the creators and publishers of these wonderful books.
Submitted by Theo Heras, Co-Chair, IBBY Canada Selection Committee for the 2025 IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities
2025 IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities
IBBY Canada is honoured to announce that three books from Canada will be part of the 2025 IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities. The books are:
Chris, by Jean-François Sénéchal. Leméac Éditeur, 2023.
Simon Sort of Says, by Erin Bow. Scholastic Canada, 2023.
Waking Ben Doldrums, by Heather Smith and illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler. Orca Book Publishers, 2023.
These three titles were among the 49 English-language books from 17 publishers and 21 French-language books from 11 publishers that were submitted to IBBY Canada this year. From that list, IBBY Canada was permitted to submit 12 books for consideration for addition to the IBBY Collection for Young People with Disabilities.
Every two years IBBY National Sections nominate books for young people with disabilities to be added to the collection. This year, IBBY received 230 submissions from 31 countries in 23 languages. Of these, 40 books from 24 countries in 18 languages have been selected for the 2025 catalogue. The books become a part of the permanent collection held at the North York Central Branch of Toronto Public Library. Two additional collections will travel around the world. Having three books to represent Canada on this list is an exceptional honour and speaks to the quality of the books for and about young people with disabilities produced in Canada.
On March 31, 2025, at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, IBBY will officially launch the collection with an exhibition of the books at the IBBY stand. A print catalogue will be available. The digital catalogue will be posted on both the Toronto Public Library and IBBY websites. The books can be searched on Toronto Public Library’s catalogue by author, title, publisher, language, and subject. Researchers from around the world will be able to search titles online or even arrange to visit the library to read the books in person.
The IBBY Canada selection committees had this to say about the three honoured books:
Chris is a majestic, sensitive and moving novel by Jean-François Sénéchal. It offers a philosophical look at life, the strength and fragility of feelings, loyalty, love, and parental responsibilities. The story revolves around a perspective rarely addressed with such finesse and credibility in literature, far from the clichés about intellectual disability. Read it without delay!
Waking Ben Doldrums depicts depression in an original way. Through the illustrations, the reader watches as Ben Doldrums is overcome by his depression, even as his neighbours try to cheer him up. His young neighbour comes up with a solution that does not undermine the seriousness of depression but accepts Ben’s challenges and gives him a way to continue to play an important part in his community. Waking Ben Doldrums is a gentle way to introduce young readers to the impact of depression on a person and how a community can care for them, even while they are in the “doldrums.”
IBBY Canada thanks co-chairs Nicholas Aumais (French) and Theo Heras (English) and their committee members for all of their work in reading and selecting the books submitted this year.
IBBY Canada congratulates the creators and publishers of these wonderful books.
Submitted by Theo Heras, Co-Chair, IBBY Canada Selection Committee for the 2025 IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities
Back to Winter Newsletter 2025
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