Is there an author or illustrator in Canada who doesn’t wait with bated breath for the annual Forest of Reading® shortlists to be announced? A Forest of Reading® nomination can make a book an instant bestseller and can transform a children’s author into something like a rock star.
I was curious about how the Forest of Reading® came about and also what it takes to run such a huge and successful program so I sat down with the woman behind the curtain and picked her brain:
What is the Forest of Reading?
The Forest of Reading® is Canada’s largest recreational reading program! This initiative of the Ontario Library Association (OLA) offers eight reading programs to encourage a love of reading in people of all ages. The Forest helps celebrate Canadian books, publishers, authors and illustrators. More than 250,000 readers participate annually from their School and/or Public Library. All Canadians are invited to participate via their local public library, school library, or individually.
When did the Forest of Reading begin?
The program began with the Silver Birch® award in 1993 (Grades 4 – 6) and over the next decade programs were continually added as they attracted the attention of principals, school boards and public libraries across Ontario.
For authors/illustrators and publishers, the exposure to their books is immense. In the 1990s the individual tree programs had their own small ceremonies with hundreds of kids in Toronto. In 2007, OLA teamed up with the International Festival of Authors to create the Festival of Trees and present all awards in one location. This is now the largest children’s literary event in Canada. In 2015, the Toronto Festival and satellite Forest events were attended by 20,000 young readers.
How did you first get involved in the Forest of Reading?
I began working at the OLA in September of 2001. I started as the Administrative Assistant to help the Executive Director at the time. I was supposed to be here for 3 weeks in between traveling and graduating from Queen’s University – it appears that I haven’t left! My role has evolved at OLA over the years and I have worked in almost every department in some capacity. In 2008, the Forest of Reading was 30% of my job. I left in October 2008 on maternity leave and before returning in 2009 I met with our current Executive Director, Shelagh Paterson, to discuss my role upon my return. I really felt the Forest of Reading needed a full-time position. There was so much more to do with the program and the Festivals and we hadn’t previously had the resources to grow the program. Thankfully, Shelagh was in agreement, and every day since 2008 I consider myself very lucky to have a job that I love.
What did you do before you became the Director of the Forest of Reading for the Ontario Library Association?
I graduated from university in 1999 and while in Kingston I was professionally coaching Figure Skating and Synchronized Skating to help pay my way through school. After graduating I wanted to travel to Europe, so I combined that with my other love, skating and applied to all of the International Skating Federations to work. In September, 1999 I boarded a plane and settled in Kalmar, Sweden teaching competitive figure skaters. I was supposed to be there 6 months and stayed two years (I seem to have this problem!). I absolutely loved it there, but in 2001 decided I needed to come home and get a “real job”. My three week temporary admin job here at OLA became my ‘real job’.
How many books are considered in any given year?
Over 700 books are submitted by publishers and authors for the Forest of Reading. The number is increasing every year and the 2016 program saw the highest submissions to date.
How many volunteers does it take to make the Forest run?
Over 400 volunteers are part of the Forest of Reading. The volunteer roles are anywhere from a day at the Festival to months of reading for a selection members. We have selection committees that select the nominated titles, the steering committees who work with the authors once the list has been confirmed, and then of course there are the Festival of Trees volunteers. These people make sure we keep our events running smoothly and thousands of kids are having a blast while celebrating our nominees.
How many students are involved?
We have over 250,000 that are involved, but getting the exact number is hard to determine based on the nature of our program. In 2015 we had 156,000 active voters but there are many kids who don’t read the minimum of 5 of 10 books to be eligible to vote, however are very active in the program. We still face a challenge of schools that run the program but don’t register and this is becoming increasingly problematic. The programs are trademarked/registered and we are trying to enforce this so that we can eventually secure corporate sponsorship to make the program cheaper on many levels. Registration is only about $30 for an institution to register.
You’ve recently expanded beyond Ontario. Can you tell me about that?
We have had several provinces show interest in the Forest, in addition to Canadian International schools. Many of these places are keen on our programs based on the selection process and that our nominees are not focused on authors from one province. In the school-aged programs the books must have a Canadian author and be published in the last two years. Our selection committees also follow a criteria that many outside of Ontario are interested in. In 2014/2015 we had schools from the following places outside of Ontario: Nunavut, Manitoba, Alberta, Quebec, Trinidad & Tobago, China, Hong Kong and the Netherlands. We are hoping for even more in 2016!
Can you tell me about the French program?
The French programs within the Forest of Reading are the fastest growing of our ‘trees’. Le Prix Peuplier, Tamarac and Tamarac Express Award programs had almost 300 institutions involved in 2015 (up 20% from 2014). The expansion of French immersion has been a contributing factor, plus the fact that our selection committees are curating a list of 30 current, great French-Canadian books for schools and libraries. The expansion of the Festival of Trees to include an ALL French Festival offering great programming, almost 20 francophone authors, and amazing entertainment allows for new field trip opportunities, also has been a great addition for schools.
How is the Forest of Reading different from other Canadian book awards?
There are over 60 children’s book awards in this country, however there are only a handful of these that are children’s choice awards. It is very important to the kids to be able to vote. Surprisingly every year what adults think are the best books on the list are not the ones that win. Winning authors repeatedly will tell us that winning a Forest Award program means they are doing something right! Kids are brutally honest and by winning it is proof that your books are a success in this genre. This gives the authors the confidence to keep writing, especially those new authors.
What has been the response from authors, parents, educators, librarians and kids?
Very good. Authors love the program for a variety of reasons – sales, exposure, an audience that is listening etc. Educators, librarians and library staff area engaged in the program and over the next few years we really want to connect with more teachers and parents through some initiatives we have in the works. And the kids – well, one day at the Festival of Trees will tell you that they are HUGE fans.
What are the biggest challenges that you face?
Taking over the universe! The programs are popular and wonderful, but could be so much more amazing with more marketing and getting the programs in the minds of every Canadian. We want every school board and every public library in this country involved in some capacity. There are great programs across the country, but most provinces don’t have programs for all ages. We do and we want to fill in the gaps where there is a need.
Additionally, in many provinces, school libraries are eroding and this is something the Ontario Library Association is working hard to advocate for. The Forest has been traditionally run through a trained library professional in a school library, but times are changing yearly.
Can you describe the qualities of a dream author to work with?
I deal with children’s and young adult authors – they are all amazing people to work with (I promise I am not lying!). Children’s authors in this country are very pro-active, are the biggest supporters of each other and are very easy to deal with for the most part. They do take some wrangling when it comes to the Festival, but over the years I have been pretty good at it. I have had so much fun taking authors to the satellite Festival and getting to know many of them. Really it is a perk of the job!
And now describe an author from heck.
The unnamed author that said ‘they can’t stand children’ would be my number one ‘author from heck’. Why would you ever write books for kids if you don’t like them? Why would you ever come to a festival for 10,000 readers so excited about reading? It is beyond me.
What is your book selection process?
Books are submitted year round to our official wholesaler. Our wholesaler for 2015-2017 is Tinlids Inc. The books are sent with a submission form and the folks at Tinlids work with each of the Selection Chairs to route the books to the selection committee members. Each ‘tree’ has a different timeline, but they all finish their reading in July or August and come up with their top 10 list. We then work with the publishers to ensure they have the right quantity for the program (due to sales, many publishers need to reprint for this program). The list is announced on October 15th each year.
Once a book is shortlisted, what comes next?
Authors get ready for the ride! Our committee members work with the authors and publishers to get information to populate the websites. The lists are announced to the public on October 15th, but really it is in December that the programs get under way in the schools, libraries and at home. Getting the books into the schools, on devices and into circulation takes some time. The program was originally intended to run starting in the new year, but with increasing popularity some start right after the announcement. At OLA we really think of December 1st as the start of the ‘official program’ for readers, as that is when we have over 500 resources available for readers to access about the books, authors etc.
Once the programs are up and running, we encourage schools and libraries to host Forest author visits through OLA’s partner, Authors’ Booking Service. A nomination in the Forest can triple or quadruple authors visits so most authors capitalize on this once nominated. It is a very exciting time for everyone involved. And of course lastly we hope to see all of the nominees at the Festival of Trees in Toronto and the other locations.
Can you describe your typical day?
I wish I had something really exciting to share here, but truly it is a work day filled emailing, meetings and dealing with people – lots of people electronically! Of course around the Festivals, OLA’s Super Conference and other events we run at OLA, it is crazy busy, but for the most part I come downtown to a great office, with great people and just work away in my cubicle!
What are you most proud of?
The growth of the Festival of Trees in Toronto and the fact it is now moving around the province. Every year I comment that 50% of my job stays the same and 50% is new and innovative. I am proud of what we do here at OLA and being able to expand and grow makes this job very rewarding.
If you had one wish, what would it be?
For the Forest of Reading to be run in schools and libraries across the country for it to be a recognizable in every household (I think that was two wishes!).
Marsha Skrypuch’s 20th book is Adrift at Sea: A Vietnamese Boy’s Story of Survival, illustrated by Brian Deines (Pajama Press), fall 2016.
This interview was originally published in CANSCAIP News, January 2016.
