Forest of Reading

Last updated
Forest of Reading
GenreLiterary Arts
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s)Toronto Ontario, Canada
Years active30
Established1994
Website Official Website

The Forest of Reading is Canada's largest recreational reading program, featuring ten award programs and run by the Ontario Library Association (OLA). [1] Programs are primarily geared towards French and English readers in kindergarten to grade twelve, but do also include programs targeting adult readers and ESL learners. The Forest awards are selected by readers themselves, who choose the winning titles for each award by voting for their favourite books. [2]

Contents

Forest of Reading award winners are announced annually at the Forest of Reading Festival (previously The Festival of Trees), which is Canada's largest annual literary event for children, [3] attracting as many as 15,000 youth annually. [4] [5] In addition to award ceremonies, the Festival also includes many author and illustrator events, including hands-on workshops.

History

In the early 1990s, the OLA conducted a small survey about recreational reading programs being offered by school libraries and concluded that more needed to be done to encourage reading for pleasure in school-aged children. [6] Inspired by the success of the Texas Bluebonnet Awards, a reading award program that was selected through reader votes, OLA representatives adapted the program for Ontario to re-stimulate school library interest in reading through the promotion of reading for pleasure. [6] The program was also intended to increase awareness for Canadian books and authors. [6]

The first Forest of Reading Awards program, the Silver Birch Awards program, was launched in 1994. It targeted children in grades 4–6 and focused on both fiction and non-fiction books. As the program gained traction, the Silver Birch Award attracted the attention of principals and teachers who encouraged its adoption in ever-widening circles, providing teacher-librarians with much needed support. Five years later, in 1999, the Red Maple Awards program was established for Grades 7–9 in response to growing school demand. [6] Today, the Forest of Reading has expanded to include eight additional reading programs and is the largest program of its kind in the country. [6]

Objectives

The stated objectives of the Forest of Reading are:

Award programs

The Forest of Reading consists of ten reading programs: [8] [9]

The Forest of Reading retired awards are:

Other lists: [10]

Festivals and ceremonies

The school-aged programs have one large award ceremony in the spring, which is delivered at the Forest of Reading Festival (formerly the Festival of Trees) at the Harbourfront Centre, Toronto. The festival take place over three days and includes workshops, author signings, and the awards ceremonies themselves. [11] In 2012, the Festival began touring with Satellite Festivals, which have been held in Thunder Bay, North Bay, Parry Sound, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Kitchener and London. [12] 2014 also saw the addition of a French festival in Toronto. [13]

The Evergreen Award winner is announced in November and the award is presented during the OLA's Super Conference in Toronto.

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References

  1. ↑ "About the Forest of Reading". Forest of Reading. Ontario Library Association. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Forest of Reading – Festival of Trees 2019". Canadian Children's Book Centre. 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  3. ↑ "Forest of Reading fest biggest children's lit event in Canada". thestar.com. 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
  4. ↑ "Forest of Reading Festival | About The Event" . Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  5. ↑ BPCeditor on May 16th, 2011 (2011-05-16). "The OLA Announces 2011 Forest of Reading Winners « The BPC". Thebpc.ca. Retrieved 2011-10-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-01. Retrieved 2011-10-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ↑ "About the Forest of Reading". Ontario Library Association. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  8. ↑ "About the Forest of Reading". Ontario Library Association. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  9. ↑ "Award Nominated Lists". Ontario Library Association. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  10. 1 2 "Other Lists". Ontario Library Association. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  11. ↑ "FOREST OF READING® FESTIVAL OF TREES™ with ALOUD: a Celebration for Young Readers". Blogto.com. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
  12. ↑ "Forest of Reading Festival | About The Event" . Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  13. ↑ "Forest of Reading Festival | About The Event" . Retrieved 2021-08-10.
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