Our favorite children’s books of 2022

Their heroes are endearing, lit and inspiring characters. These books speak of important values ​​that make children grow, while being very entertaining. Here are our favorites of the year 2022 in children’s literature.

For the little ones

A good book

Hypersensitivity is not a topic that has often been discussed in children’s literature. The reception that the public reserved for this album signed by Sarah Degonse confirms however that it affects a large number of families. The author, who was inspired by her daily life and that of her daughter to write this story, manages to skillfully speak of emotions by representing them with balloons. A very simple image that helps young readers, hypersensitive or not, to express what they feel in turn.

Laugh with an alien

For toddlers to develop the pleasure of reading, what could be better than an album that provokes laughter? The friendly extraterrestrial Boumbidoum is one of those characters likely to mark the imagination of children since they will want to read and reread his adventure. Throughout the pages, the little ones are invited to play with this visitor from the planet Badabang. Twirling, petting, tickling: each gesture has surprising and fun consequences.

Learn to listen

Through their adventures, some characters pass on valuable values ​​to children. This is the case of Clover. The girl who lives on a farm with dozens of siblings learns to trust herself and “listen to the voice of her heart” during a journey through the woods. The album stands out in particular thanks to the magnificent illustrations of the luxuriant forest where Trèfle walks. Some pages without text leave plenty of room for the beauty of nature.

Play hide and seek with a bear

What kid doesn’t like to play hide and seek? In Find Gustave, Mike Boldt invites the little ones to an unusual party. The brown bear they have to find is not very good at this game. The children must therefore help him to hide better. Funny and very playful, this album is the favorite of our 4-year-old girl. She spent many evenings staring at the large fold-out page at the end of the book, in which Gustave finally manages to camouflage himself very well.

For kids

See the world differently

Among the children’s books that lift the veil on social issues, Alone stands out with its poignant texts and touching illustrations. By recounting the moving journeys of Afshin, Alain and Patricia, this graphic novel raises awareness of the plight of refugees. Like some 400 minors who arrive alone in Canada each year, these three teenagers had to make many sacrifices to reach their new home. A book through which we see the world differently.

Word games

The formula is simple, but brings smiles page after page. A boy calls out to a girl looking for her bike. Too preoccupied to listen to what he has to say, she keeps interrupting him and preventing him from finishing his sentences. When he wants to talk to her about a balloon seller, she imagines a baguette seller. A seagull becomes a skunk and a doe a bicycle. A comic, absurd album with a surprising ending.

Raising awareness through humor

Raising awareness about climate change and pollution without using a moralizing tone. This is what Caroline Soucy manages to do with her comic strip Pol Polar. We follow a fearful and clumsy bear who raises his two children alone. Plastic islands, oil spills and melting sea ice are some of the issues addressed in Volume 2. Despite the seriousness of the subject, Pol Polar is an entertaining series, even if we sometimes laugh out loud.

A school like no other

Authors Carine Paquin and Chloé Varin reinvent school in their series The failed theory of evolution. And the Charles-Darwin College they imagined is a dream. Its residents can live with their pet. In volume 1, we follow Coralie and Carma, two teenagers with diametrically opposed tastes who will have to live together. Written by four hands, the novel alternates narrator in each chapter. An interesting process that allows you to identify with the two heroines. Volume 2 of the series is also published in 2022.

For teenagers

Coping with illness

When illness strikes a family member, we experience a roller coaster of emotions. It is on this winding journey that the author Julie Champagne leads the readers. Sam learns that his mother has cancer. Very Cartesian, the 14-year-old girl will do everything to save her. A touching novel, which features a resourceful heroine, written by a pen capable of navigating skillfully between humor and sensitivity.

Cuba differently

A book that transports readers to a reality that otherwise would be inaccessible to them is often very captivating. In Olas, María Carla recounts the daily life of Talia, a young Cuban who wonders about her future on this island of limited possibilities. Will she dare to take the path that thousands of migrants have walked before her? Although it is a work of fiction, the Cuban-born author, who immigrated to Canada in 2013, is well placed to take a critical but nuanced look at the situation in this country.

A balm for the brokenhearted

Some books contain tools that will last a lifetime. An elephant sitting on the heart, it’s a balm offered to teenagers to help them get through their first heartache (and the following ones). A graphic novel that looks like a diary full of scientific information, this title with an exploded layout presents the stages that one is likely to experience during a heartbreak. It is not a miracle cure to erase the pain (because such a remedy does not exist), but rather a benevolent reading that lulls the soul.

Disturbing disappearance

Surprising, captivating and a bit disturbing. The posthumous novel by François Blais is one of those readings in which we dive without being able to stop. We follow Adrienne, who tries to locate her young neighbor Joey, mysteriously missing. With the help of her friend Léonie, they will try to find out who is sending them disturbing text messages about the missing woman. A story on the borderline of the paranormal that raises questions about what it means to be “friends”.