If you need help, please contact Adena Brons, Education Librarian at 778 782 7419 or abrons@sfu.ca or Ask a librarian.
All of SFU's children's literature is located in the Curriculum Collection. For more children's literature resources, including reviews, awards, and teacher book lists, please visit the Children's Literature resource guide.
Books for Preschool to Grade 12
Search the Library Catalogue and limit by Location: "Curriculum Collection"
Use keywords for your topic. For example: science | music | plants | emotions | bilingual
Search the Library Catalogue using subject terms
Use keywords for your topic, together with one of the subject terms below. For example:
disabilities AND fiction | (indigenous OR aboriginal) AND juvenile literature
Subject terms:
- For information books, search subject juvenile literature
- For textbooks or exercises, search subject textbooks OR problems, exercises OR composition and exercises
- For novels, search subject juvenile fiction OR fiction
- For picture books, search subject pictorial works OR stories without words
- For graphic novels, search subject graphic novels OR comic books
- For books in French, use the language filter and use English or French keywords
- e.g. for novels, search subject juvenile fiction OR romans pour la jeunesse
- e.g. for information books, search subject juvenile literature OR ouvrages pour la jeunesse
Key websites
General children's literature websites
Canadian Children’s Book Center (CCBC) 
Contains a range of news, theme guides, awards lists, and programs, all related to Canadian children's books.
Global Digital Library
Thousands of openly accessible children's books, along with pre-organized collections, self learning games, and classroom materials.
Storyweaver
Multilingual story books arranged into themes and levels, which can be downloaded/read offline, includes automatic translation.
BIPOC focused websites
Anti-Racism and Diversity Resources
From Queen's University, anti-racism curated resources recommended by Education faculty, teacher candidates, and graduate students.
Books to Build On: Indigenous Literatures for Learning
Interactive resource designed to assist educators with weaving Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing into their teaching and learning, starting with story. Explore Indigenous texts, including picture books, and how these can be used within educational settings.
Diverse Book Finder
Depictions of Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) in mainstream picture books published or distributed in the U.S. since 2002. For each book, gives information about who is represented. Includes a blog with news and highlighted books.
From Sea to Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture Books
Collection of the best 25 picture books published in Canada from 2018-2020, chosen to reflect the diversity of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit voices. Also included are resources for educators in selecting works, and the 2018 edition of the collection, containing a further 100 titles.
Indigenous Storybooks
Leveled-texts, images and audio of stories available in Indigenous languages, as well as English, French, and the most widely spoken immigrant and refugee languages of Canada.
Storybooks Canada
Promotes literacy and language learning. Makes 40 picture books from the languages of Africa available in English, French, and the most widely spoken immigrant and refugee languages of Canada. Details the level of each book as well as theme and curricular content.
LGTBQIAP+ focused websites
Queer Books for Teens
Lists all LGBTQIAP+ YA titles published between 2000 and 2020
Rainbow Book List
An annual annotated bibliography consisting of LGTBQIAP+ literature intended for readers from birth to age 18.
The Rainbow Owl
Documents the growing international body of literature and resources that focus on trans and gender diverse young people, their families, and those who support them.
Articles for Grade 4 and up
Canadian Points of View Reference Centre
Essays that present multiple sides of a current issue. Each article has an overview, point (argument), counterpoint (opposing argument), and Critical Thinking Guide.
Frontier Life: Borderlands, Settlement and Colonial Encounters
Primary sources documenting European settlement across North America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, between 1650 and 1920. Free to schools across Canada. (Request access for your placement school if they don't already have it.)
Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
A multidisciplinary encyclopedia, appropriate for grade 4 and up.
MAS Ultra - School Edition
Appropriate for secondary school and up. Includes popular magazine articles, book reviews and historical documents and publications like CIA World Fact Book. Magazines include National Geographic Kids, Time for Kids, and Ranger Rick.
Points to the Past
Books, magazines, and primary source material (maps, photos, newspapers, manuscripts, pamphlets, portraits, sermons, poems). Free for residents located in British Columbia and the Yukon, Canada.
= Openly accessible resources. SFU login not required. These resources may be reused, but check the resource's permissions about altering or revising materials
= Requires SFU login; may be used for non-commercial educational purposes, including in your practicum classrooms.