Alberta Books for Young Readers

In celebration of National Young Readers Day, which strives to remind adults of the importance of encouraging children to read, we’re sharing Alberta books for young readers. With varying reading levels, these books are perfect for all children— whether they’re reading independently, reading with guidance, or being read to.

Juggling the Jitters by Deborah Fannie Miller, illus. Danielle Bazinet

When Jacob woke up, everything was great. But when Jacob goes to bed, everything gets JITTERY! That’s when the Jitters appear and the troubles begin! You try getting ready for bed with six Jitters in your way and they keep multiplying! This is Jacob’s funny and frustrating problem in Juggling the Jitters.

Juggling the Jitters

Deborah Fannie Miller

Published: Oct 13, 2013 by Frontenac House, Ltd
ISBN: 9781927823026

Howdy Books Series

The award-winning Howdy Books series brings the real-life legends of Canada’s western pioneers to life.

Howdy, I’m Flores LaDue is about Canada’s little-known rodeo queen Flores LaDue. A world champion trick roper and First Lady of the Calgary Stampede, Flores helped put Western Canada on the world map.

Howdy, I'm Flores LaDue

Ayesha Clough

Published: Mar 08, 2022 by Red Barn Books
ISBN: 9781989915042

And Howdy, I’m John Ware is about Canada’s legendary Black cowboy. Despite experiencing enslavement, war and discrimination, this gifted horseman blazed a trail of kindness, becoming one of Alberta’s most loved and respected pioneer ranchers.

Howdy, I’m John Ware

Ayesha Clough

Published: Jun 01, 2020 by Red Barn Books
ISBN: 9781999108786

Why Are You Still Here by Lynda Partridge

Why Are You Still Here continues the charming story of Lillian and Kokomis, which follows a complex and not-always-lovable foster kid. In Why Are You Still Here? Lillian furthers her sense of belonging through her connection with a surprising spirit that returns her to traditional ways, legends, and Indigenous ways of knowledge. She and her buddies also uncover the mystery of ghosts and spirits that live behind a window at the family farm.

Why Are You Still Here?: A Lillian Mystery

Lynda Partridge , Dave Nicholson

Published: Sep 01, 2022 by Durvile Publications
ISBN: 9781988824826

Find more books for young readers through the Alberta Books for Schools Collection!

Alberta Blue by Pat Hatherly, illus. Jesse Horne

Snuggle up with your little one and enjoy this made-in-Alberta board book, a tribute to our big skies and wide-open landscapes. Marvel at the beauty of our province with rhyming verses by Pat Hatherly and watercolour paintings by Jesse Horne.

Alberta Blue: A prairie sky lullaby

Pat Hatherly

Published: Oct 10, 2021 by Red Barn Books
ISBN: 9781989915028

Îethka by Trent Fox and Valentina Fox

This middle-reader kids book features the Stoney Nakoda First Nation language in context and in action. The book contains a collection of stories and teachings by Trent and Valentina Fox, ranging from memories of grouse hunts to the desperate challenges of residential school. Each chapter culminates in a learning quiz and to assist in nuances of the language, the book includes audio components as web links.

Iethka: Stories & Language in Stoney Nakoda Country

Valentina Fox , Trent Fox

Published: Jun 01, 2024 by Durvile Publications Ltd.
ISBN: 9781990735455

Secrets of Jarrow by Bill Slavin

In the early 22nd century, tech scavenger Mordecai Crow barely escapes a group of bandits by reaching Jarrow, a castle-like community wealthy in food. Rare in a world ravaged by climate change, it’s one of the mysteries Crow tries to unravel as he works with Jarrow’s archivists. Unfortunately for Crow, the murder of one of Jarrow’s food experts – central to its dominance of the local economy – is pinned on Crow. How and why this happened are two questions he must solve before the real culprit kills him too. Secrets of Jarrow is the first book in the Mordecai Crow trilogy.

Secrets of Jarrow

Bill Slavin

Published: May 17, 2023 by Renegade Arts Entertainment
ISBN: 9781989754269

Rescue at Fort Edmonton by Rita Feutl

Janey doesn’t want to spend the summer away from her friends in Toronto—and certainly not in Edmonton with the grandmother she hardly knows. But her parents will be away—her mother in Turkey designing housing for earthquake victims, her dad on business trips. Her first surprise is her feisty grandma, who meets her at the airport in her vintage Cadillac, Marilyn. The second comes when she visits the Fort Edmonton historic park and time travels to 1907.

Rescue at Fort Edmonton

Alberta Books for Young Readers