Loan Stars is the readers’ advisory tool that allows libraries across Canada to indicate popular upcoming titles. Using LibraryData, the library data aggregation service, the forthcoming titles with the most orders become Loan Stars top picks!
The January 2026 Loan Stars Junior Canadian top 10 list features ten books that have at least one author, illustrator, translator, or editor (in the case of an edited collection of material) who is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.
You can see each book and find out a bit more about them in the list below, or you can download our poster if you want to display it, say in your library or on social media. (Tag us: @LoanStarsCA!) You can also view these titles on CataList in this catalogue.
January 2026 Junior Canadian List
Loan Stars top pick:
10 Shocking Facts About Capybaras
by Mélanie Watt 🍁
9781039716179 | Animals
Description:
Acclaimed author-illustrator Melanie Watt introduces us to an incredible animal: the capybara!
We’ve all heard of capybaras, we all love capybaras, but how much do we know about them, really? Dive into this fact-packed picture book and uncover the secrets — some cute, some curious, some… not so much — of these lovable oversized rodents.
For as fascinating as these animals are, there’s one extra-shocking fact that this capybara does NOT want you to know! Will the truth come out in the end?
Funny and irreverent, this new picture book from the creator of Chester and Scaredy Squirrel teaches some very interesting animal facts and will have readers laughing the whole way through.
Chicka Chicka Peep Peep
by Julien Chung 🍁
9781665990646 | Holidays & Celebrations
Description:
It’s time for spring in this companion to the beloved and bestselling classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and the letters peep something hidden up in the tree…
A asked B
and B asked C,
“What’s up there
in the pretty pink tree?”
Everyone’s favorite alphabet crew is ready to hop to the occasion and sniff out the surprise, with the help of some fuzzy new friends. Celebrate springtime in this colorful romp that will have everyone chanting—and hopping!—along.
Your Truck
by Jon Klassen 🍁
9781536248234 | Transportation
Description:
From Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen comes the first board book in the Your Things series for the youngest of children.
This is your truck.
It is yours to have.
Your truck is red, but it could be other colors too. It can carry things around, like a chair and table, a dog, or a horse. It will wait for you until you tell it to go, then it will go wherever you want, as far as you want, whenever you want. At the end of the day it will sleep, and you can sleep, too. Jon Klassen brings his minimalist’s touch to a soothing story of a simple object that a child can command and befriend, one that is there whenever the child chooses to visit it. Building on the quiet but evocative world he created in Your Farm, Your Forest, and Your Island, Jon Klassen invites young children to consider more things that are theirs and theirs alone, reinforcing that they have a right to things like solitude, exploration, and companionship.
Left-Handed
by Maria Birmingham, 🍁 Illus. by Catherine Chan 🍁
9781771476201 | Science & Nature
Description:
A cross-disciplinary look at the history, mystery, and facts of left-handedness
Most of us define ourselves as lefties or righties based on the hand we use for writing. But what makes people prefer one hand over the other? And what if handedness doesn’t tell the whole story? Do we also favor one eye, one ear, or one foot? What about people who use different hands for different activities?
That’s where this book comes in. It examines all things lefty—from handedness in our ancient ancestors to lefty myths to current theories about the roles of genetics, environment, and brain structure. It also tackles intriguing questions: Why and when does someone become a lefty? Are humans the only left-handed animals? And what is it like to live a left-handed life in a right-handed world?
With a blend of pop culture, sports, history, and STEM, this middle-grade nonfiction book tackles these questions and more, while celebrating the traits that make us unique, no matter which hand we use.
Dreamcatcher
by David Bouchard,Illus. by Kristy Cameron,🍁 Translated by Nancy Jones
9781778540509 | Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island
Description:
Did you ever wonder where the iconic dreamcatcher came from? The dreamcatcher is a gift to the Ojibwe from Grandmother Spider, who weaves a web for each of us to hang above our beds when we sleep to catch dreams that are not as they seem. Dreamcatcher: Grandmother’s Web teaches readers to look to the seven directions as inspiration for how to live a healthy life in harmony with the world around us. East is the humble wolf. South is the proud raven. West is the delighted buffalo. North is the strong bear. Up is the hard-working beaver. Down is the mindful turtle. Within is the thoughtful eagle who asks us to look inside ourselves for what we need. This book deals with the different doubts we all contend with in life: we are not enough, we are weak, and we are not special, and reminds us that we are all unique stars.
Hello Baby, It's Me, Alfie
by Maggie Hutchings, Illus. by Dawn Lo 🍁
9781774886366 | Family
Description:
Join Alfie as he waits impatiently for his new sibling to arrive in this charming and funny picture book about the baby growth process — which includes an illustrated baby growth chart on the back of the book jacket!
Alfie has a new sibling on the way, and he can't wait to meet them! Follow Alfie and his enthusiastic narration all the way from six weeks, when his sibling is just a tiny lemon pip, to their highly anticipated welcome to the world at forty weeks when they're a big pumpkin! This funny and informative picture book follows the growth stages of a baby (with helpful fruit and vegetable comparisons!) and teaches how to be a good big sibling to a new baby.
The Trees Talk
by Jennifer Scott, 🍁 Illus. by Carla Joseph 🍁
9781778540882 | Indigenous
Description:
When the mighty oak whispers, you will hear That our loved ones are still very near. The Trees Talk is a lyrical poem that teaches children about the wisdom of the trees. When our loved ones pass on to the next world, author Jennifer Scott encourages us to sit with the trees. They carry messages from our ancestors for each of us, if we just take the time to listen. Sweeping and lush paintings by Carla Joseph move readers through a journey to learn about the relationship between our ancestors and the nature around us.
A Ramadan Night
by Nadine Presley, 🍁 Illus. by Asma Enayeh
9781665969338 | Holidays & Celebrations
Description:
Celebrate the beginning of Ramadan with a young boy and his father in this nighttime sensory picture book that celebrates the wonder, excitement, and peace of the holiday!
The call for prayer hugs tight the sky of Damascus on the first night of Ramadan. As steps flutter to fill spaces in mosques, Sami sets out on a nighttime walk with Baba to answer his question: what does a Ramadan night feel like?
Through an evening full of sounds and sights and scents, Sami feels the celebration of community. He feels the connection and calm of prayer. He feels the delight of a late-night dessert. He feels the joy of generosity.
He feels…a Ramadan night.
Freddie and Stella Got Hot
by Maggie Horne 🍁
9781250377371 | Romance
Description:
Jenny Han meets Mean Girls in Freddie and Stella Got Hot, Maggie Horne's YA rom com about getting revenge and falling in love.
"Sick, twisted, and more than slightly unhinged in the absolute best way." —BCCB
By the time the Beaumont-Gardiner Award is announced, everyone's going to hate Levi Preston. And they're going to love us.
Freddie and Stella are on a mission: take down their former best friend turned queen bee Levi Preston by depriving her of the one thing she wants more than anything: The Beaumont-Gardiner Award. Only the coolest, smartest, and—let’s face it—hottest girls win. . . so Freddie and Stella are going to have to get a whole lot cooler, smarter, and hotter.
At first, it seems to work—Freddie and Stella slowly manage to worm their way in with the cool girls. With every shopping date, agonizing salon appointment, and hot yoga class, the girls get closer to the in-crowd and Levi fades more and more into the background. The higher they rise, though, the more uneasy Freddie starts to feel. Stella’s gone from her lovable, goofy best friend to someone she barely recognizes, using her newfound power for evil at every opportunity. Soon, Freddie realizes she’s created a monster—and she needs Levi’s help to put a stop to it.
A Good Hide
by Karina Iceberg, Illus. by Natasha Donovan 🍁
9780063254930 | Native American
Description:
From these hands, old to new, a tradition of love passes through.
In Alaska, Fall is moose season. When the hunt is over, the community comes together to transform the raw moose hide into something truly special, step by step, with the work of many hands.
From stretching and scraping to making brain stew, each part of the process is a celebration! With humor and heart, debut author Karina Iceberg (Aleut/Alutiiq) and award-winning illustrator Natasha Donovan (Métis) share a resonant message of gratitude, community, and shared knowledge as an intertribal Native Alaskan community works together to tan a moose hide.
Features author's note and a note from Heartdrum author-curator Cynthia Leitich Smith.
Want to be the first to know which titles made it to the Loan Stars lists? Sign up for our newsletter. You can also find out more about the program at loanstars.ca.
Top Canadian Jr. picks for January 2026.