By Nancy Cooper
The First Nation Communities READ (FNCR) program has entered its 23rd year and shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. Funded by Canadian Heritage through its Book fund, with the generous support of the Ontario Library Service, FNCR celebrates Indigenous excellence in literature. FNCR has grown throughout the years. When the program first began in 2002, the award was for one book that had been published within a three-year period. As the program grew, two separate categories were developed, the Children’s and the YA/Adult. Now the nominated titles must have been published during the previous year. In 2025 there were 33 Children’s titles, and 55 YA/Adult titles nominated. Canadian publishers are supporting Indigenous voices in greater numbers which is a wonderful thing to witness.
Background
Each of the two juries (Children and YA/Adult) is made up of First Nation Public Librarians from across Ontario. They are considering the titles through a very specific lens. How would this book be programmed in the library or the school? Is there accurate and relevant cultural knowledge transmission? Does the book encourage inter-generational relationship building? Does the book celebrate language learning and language retention? Does the book reflect the lived realities of community members? Each jury meets to decide on a selected title and a shortlist of titles. And as part of the funding from Canadian Heritage, FNCR is able to send a library set of five copies of each of the selected titles and one copy each of the shortlisted titles to each of the 38 First Nation Libraries in Ontario.
The selected titles are announced during First Nation Public Library week in Ontario which normally takes place during the first or second week of October, which is also Canadian Library Month. An award presentation takes place live via zoom and is later available as a recorded webinar on the First Nation Public Library week website at https://resources.olservice.ca/fnplw and on the FNCR website at fncr.ca.
For those wishing to delve more deeply into the shortlisted or selected titles from the last few years, there is a series of in-depth video interviews on the First Nation Communities READ website at fncr.ca with various authors and illustrators. These videos can help library programmers get ideas for using the titles or provide more information about books that might be excellent book club choices. FNCR plans to continue to add to the video interviews through the coming years.
Importance of Relationships
The relationships that have been built and nourished throughout the years help to maintain the success of the award program. Each year two large full colour posters are designed showing each of the nominated title covers with the highlighted selected title in the centre. These posters are sent all over Canada via our provincial and territorial partners who purchase multiple copies for disbursement in their areas. In addition to every one of the over 300 municipal libraries in Ontario, libraries and schools throughout Canada receive the posters. In 2024, over 3600 posters were distributed across the country.
The official wholesaler of the FNCR program is Goodminds, an Indigenous owned company based in Brantford, Ontario. Through their website Goodminds.com, all the nominated titles are available for purchase. Goodminds showcases the FNCR program prominently on its website and offers significant discounts on bundle purchases for schools and libraries. As an important aside, a portion of all purchases goes to the SILT (Supporting Indigenous Libraries Today) fund. So far, Goodminds has donated tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of resources to Indigenous communities wishing to start new libraries or augment existing ones.
For the past twelve years the Periodical Marketers of Canada (PMC) have sponsored the Indigenous Literature Award which is presented to each of the selected title authors. The award comes with a cash prize of $5000, making the award one of the largest literature awards for Indigenous writing in Canada. PMC also provides free media support to get the word out about the shortlisted and selected titles. This support has resulted in coverage through APTN, CBC, Quill and Quire, as well as many other smaller outlets.
Current Selected Titles
The selected titles for 2025-2026 are Boozhoo! / Hello! by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, published by Groundwood Books and The Baby Train by Stella Shepard, published by Acorn Press.
Boozhoo! / Hello ! Who do you see and hear in the woods today? Meet a variety of woodland and water animals in this story written in Anishinaabemowin and English. Can you see a fox digging, spot two minnows dancing or hear a swarm of bees buzzing? Boozhoo! / Hello! introduces children to familiar animals as they go about their daily activities: walking, running, swimming, climbing and finally — when the day is done — sleeping! Illustrated in a vibrant and colorful Woodland style that will appeal to readers young and old alike.
Mangeshig is from Barrie, Ontario and a member of the Wasauksing First Nation. He currently lives in British Columbia with his wife and daughter. A prolific illustrator, Mangeshig has been involved with the development of ten books, some of whom have been award winning works. He has received the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, and Indigenous Voices Award, a Blue Spruce Award, and has been shortlisted for a Governor General’s Literary Award. His illustrations will be showcased in the 2025 Society of Illustrator’s Original Artshow.
The Baby Train shares the shameful history of forced and coerced adoptions in eastern Canada. Thrust into the foster system at an early age, Apple moves from house to house without finding a home until she is a teenager. But her dream to have a family is torn apart by church and government officials who take her baby from her and give him to a wealthy family in the United States who have donated a large amount of money to the Catholic church. The book traces her life in the aftermath of this violence.
Stella Shepard of Prince Edward Island developed a passion for reading and writing in childhood that has followed her throughout her life. Her other publications include Ashes of my Dreams (Acorn Press, 2016) as well as essays in books, Atlantic newspapers, and magazines. She proudly connects to her Indigenous and African roots and is committed to telling stories that have otherwise gone untold.
For more information about the First Nation Communities READ program, please contact Nancy Cooper at ncooper@olservice.ca.
References
First Nations Communities READ | FNCR. (2025, October 6). First Nation Communities Read – FNCR. https://fncr.ca/
Resources Home: First Nation Public Library Week: Home. (n.d.). https://resources.olservice.ca/fnplw
Nancy Cooper is the First Nations Consultant at the Ontario Library Service. She administers the First Nation Communities READ Award program.