October Newsletter: Fall Book Bank News
HONOURING TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
On September 28, The Children's Book Bank and The Globe and Mail co-hosted STORYTELLING, COMMUNITY AND RECONCILIATION. This event brought together authors Nancy Cooper and Sara Sinclair in conversation with Chief Archie Wabasse of Wunnumin Lake First Nation to discuss the state of Indigenous representation in children's books and the important role stories can play in Truth and Reconciliation. "Stories help us understand the past," Sara shared, "especially if we spend time with them and try to receive them in a way that allows them to be felt. But stories also help us to imagine different futures."
As we work to not only imagine, but build a future where all children have access to stories that represent their experiences, we are pleased to announce a new collaboration with The Globe and Mail to establish a Book Bank shelf in Wunnumin Lake First Nation (a remote First Nations community located about 500km north of Thunder Bay). Our goal is to increase access to diverse books for children and youth in this community, and we look forward to sharing more information about this project soon.
We want to share our gratitude to Nancy Cooper and Hawlii Pichette, who surprised us this week with a generous gift! T-shirts featuring artwork from their new picture book, The Girl Who Loves Trees, are now on sale, with proceeds going to support The Children's Book Bank.
SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
We kicked off back-to-school season by participating in the annual Backpack Giveaway hosted by The Children's Breakfast Clubs. This initiative gives kids the tools they need to succeed in school, and we know that toolkit wouldn't be complete without a book! We filled 1000 backpacks with new books to help Toronto students start the school year on the right foot.
September was a wonderfully busy month, full of community outreach events including the Cabbagetown Festival, the St. James Town Festival, and The Word on the Street—Canada's largest book festival! We also had the opportunity to run a book drive during the last home game of the Toronto Tempo's historic first season.
During our outreach, we met Officer Danny, an Auxiliary Police Officer serving the St. James Town community. He shared fond memories of visiting the Book Bank as a child. These experiences left a lasting impression, fostering a love of reading that has stayed with him.
September was also World Kid Lit Month. To celebrate, artist Sam Dizon brought her portable kamishibai theatre to the Book Bank and treated us to her original stories told in traditional Japanese paper theatre fashion!
UPCOMING EVENTS
With the aim of raising $200,000 for The Children’s Book Bank, the Story Soirée is uniquely positioned as the only gala in Toronto focused on the children’s literacy.
Join us on November 12 for interactive workshops facilitated by local artists, unexpected performances, inspiring stories, and spaces designed to spark wonder. We'll also honour champions of literacy with the presentation of three community literacy awards, recognizing individuals helping to build a more literate future for every child.
Three ways you can help make Story Soirée a success:
Buy a ticket: https://childrensbookbank.com/tickets
Submit a nomination for the Educator of the Year Award (teachers, elders, librarians, or community leaders) or the Community Leadership Award (individuals 25 years of age and under). Nominations close tomorrow (Tuesday, October 6): https://childrensbookbank.com/awards
Help us build an incredible silent auction and raffle. Whether it's introducing us to a worldly friend or small business you frequent, or donating an item yourself, we'd love to hear from you: https://childrensbookbank.com/auction
We're thrilled to be presenting Dr. Itah Sadu with The Children’s Book Bank’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Story Soirée!
🔎 Learn more about the remarkable contributions Dr. Sadu has made to literacy, storytelling, and community building in the Greater Toronto Area: https://childrensbookbank.com/news/sadu
OCTOBER AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR VISITS
We are excited to have four incredible children's literature creators visiting our spaces this month!:
Charlene Chua
Jane & Finch: Saturday, October 17 (1:30pm)
———Howie Shia
Regent Park: Monday, October 19 (5:00pm)
Sherbourne: Saturday, October 24 (1:00pm)
———Ruth Ohi
Regent Park: Saturday, October 24 (11:00am)
PLEASE NOTE: Ruth Ohi's storytime requires online registration. Click here to reserve your child's spot.
———Jess Hannigan
Morningside: Saturday, October 31 (11:30am)
OCTOBER PROGRAM CALENDARS
Every dollar you give to The Children’s Book Bank helps provide free books and literacy programs to children across Toronto, improving literacy rates and socioeconomic outcomes. Since 2008, the Book Bank has distributed over two million books across the city—please consider making a donation to help us get to the next million.