| 1932 | Canadian Association of Children's Librarians (CACL) is established with goals which include the encouragement of the writing and publishing of good children's books in Canada. |
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| 1937 | Éditions Fides is established in Saint-Lambert, Quebec. |
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| 1945 | Ristontac, written by Andrée Maillet, illustrated by Robert LaPalme, is published by Éditions Lucien Parizeau in Montreal. (Published after the war, when new techniques permitted more complex, colourful illustrations, this book is considered by many to be the first picture book of quality published in Canada.) |
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| 1946 | Canadian Library Association (CLA) is established. |
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| 1967 | Tundra Books is established in Montreal by writer and editor May Cutler. |
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| 1967 | First issue of In Review, Toronto (last issue 1982), a quarterly magazine of critical reviews of Canadian literature for children is published. |
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| 1967 | The Republic of Childhood: A Critical Guide to Canadian Children's Literature in English, written by Sheila Egoff, is published by Oxford University Press, Toronto, the first definitive guide to Canadian children's books in English. |
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| 1968 | The Wind Has Wings: Poems from Canada, compiled by Mary Alice Downie and Barbara Robertson, illustrated by Elizabeth Cleaver, is published by Oxford University Press, Toronto, the first Canadian children's book with full four-colour illustration. |
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| 1971 | Communication-Jeunesse is established in Montreal as a non-profit organization for the promotion of children's literature published in Quebec. |
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| 1971 | Canadian Library Association awards the first Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award to Elizabeth Cleaver for her outstanding illustrations in The Wind Has Wings: Poems from Canada. (The award honours and commemorates Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon, the illustrator of An Illustrated Comic Alphabet Book, considered to be the first Canadian picture book, 1859.). |
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| 1973 | National Library of Canada exhibition "Notable Canadian Children's Books / Un Choix de livres canadiens pour la jeunesse" is mounted in Ottawa, focusing on the historical development of Canadian literature for children. |
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| 1973 | First Children's Literature Roundtable is established in Edmonton, to provide a means for enthusiasts to get together to share and discuss good children's books as well as to meet writers and illustrators. |
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| 1973 | Kids Can Press is established in Toronto. |
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| 1974 | Children's Book Store is established by former librarian, Judy Sarick, in Toronto, the first Canadian children's bookstore devoted exclusively to the sale of children's books. |
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| 1975 | The Republic of Childhood: A Critical Guide to Canadian Children's Literature in English, by Sheila Egoff, is published by Oxford University Press in Toronto. (This second edition of Egoff's landmark publication includes, for the first time, a chapter on picture-books and Picture-storybooks.). |
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| 1975 | First issue of CCL: Canadian Children's Literature/LCJ: Littérature canadienne pour la jeunesse, the first scholarly journal devoted to analytical discussion and review of Canadian children's books is published in Guelph.. |
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| 1975 | Canadian Children's Literature Service is established at the National Library of Canada in Ottawa, with Irene E. Aubrey, well-known children's librarian, at the helm. |
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| 1975 | Éditions le Tamanoir is established in Montreal. (Name changed to Les éditions la courte échelle in 1978.). |
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| 1975 | Canada Council Children's Literature Prizes are established. (These prizes were absorbed by the Governor General's Literary Prizes in 1987.) |
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| 1976 | Annick Press is established in Toronto. |
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| 1976 | First issue of Owl Magazine, an outdoor and wildlife magazine full of stories, articles and cartoons for young Canadians ages 8 to 12 is published in Toronto. |
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| 1976 | First Pacific Rim Conference on Children's Literature is held in Vancouver, exploring the relationship between child and book, with speakers from ten countries. |
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| 1976 | Children's Book Centre is established in Toronto to foster public awareness of Canadian children's books. (Name changed to Canadian Children's Book Centre in 1987.). |
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| 1977 | First annual supplements to the National Library of Canada exhibition catalogue Notable Canadian Children's Books/Un Choix de livres canadiens pour la jeunesse are published. These bibliographies were produced under the direction of Irene Aubrey until 1991. |
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| 1977 | First annual Children's Book Festival is inaugurated by the Canadian Children's Book Centre. (A week-long celebration of Canadian children's books, the Festival's many activities include school visits by authors and illustrators who discuss their books and how they are created.) |
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| 1977 | CANSCAIP (The Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers) is established to provide a forum for individuals involved in writing and illustrating children's books and in performing for children. |
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| 1977 | Groundwood Books is established in Toronto. |
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| 1977 | First Kaleidoscope conference is held in Calgary. (Sponsored by the Alberta Learning Resources Council and focusing on literature for children and youth, the conference is held every four years.) |
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| 1978 | 100 livres pour nous, 100 livres à nous: une sélection de Communication-Jeunesse, edited by Louise Warren, is one of the first regular Communication-Jeunesse lists of good Canadian children's books in French. |
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| 1978 | First issue of Des livres et des Jeunes is published in Sherbrooke (last issue 1996), a periodical devoted to children's books published in French in Canada. |
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| 1978 | First issue of Lurelu is published in Montreal, a magazine of reviews, articles, interviews and information about Quebec and French-Canadian children's literature. |
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| 1978 | First issue of Our Choice is published in Toronto, a catalogue of Canadian children's books in English produced by the Children's Book Centre. |
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| 1979 | First issue of Chickadee is published in Toronto, a magazine especially for children under 8 published by the Young Naturalist Foundation. |
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| 1979 | National Library of Canada exhibition of Canadian picture books "Pictures to Share/Images pour tous" is mounted, with a catalogue of the same name, celebrating the International Year of the Child. |
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| 1980 | First issue of Hibou is published in Saint-Lambert, Quebec. (Hibou is the French version of Owl, a magazine for children, ages 8 to 12, who love nature and want to explore the world.). |
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| 1980 | First issue of CM: Canadian Materials for Schools and Libraries is published in Ottawa (last print edition 1994; electronic version available 1995), a periodical which began as an annotated list of Canadian books in English of interest to teachers and students in elementary and secondary schools. |
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| 1982 | Harbourfront exhibition "Images of Childhood - The Art of the Illustrator" is mounted in Toronto, featuring illustrations from Canadian children's books. |
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| 1982 | L'association des illustrateurs québécois is established. |
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| 1983 | Éditions Michel Quintin is established in Waterloo, Quebec. |
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| 1984 | Annick Press is first-ever children's book publisher to be honoured as "Publisher of the Year" by the Canadian Booksellers Association. |
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| 1984 | First issue of Coulicou is published in Saint-Lambert, Quebec. (French adaptation of Chickadee, includes stories, games, and non-fiction articles for children under 8.) |
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| 1984 | Éditions du Raton Laveur is established in Saint-Hubert, Quebec. |
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| 1984 | Marie-Louise Gay wins the Canada Council Children's Literature Prize for illustration, in English, for Lizzy's Lion, and in French for Drôle d'école, the only person ever to have won both prizes in the same year. |
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| 1986 | First Canadian images Canadiennes conference is held in Winnipeg. (Sponsored by the Manitoba School Library Association and held every four years, the conference programme features Canadian children's and young adult literature.) |
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| 1986 | First Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award (IBBY Canada [International Board on Books for Young People]), which honours the best illustrations in a Canadian picture book, is won by Ann Blades for By the Sea: An Alphabet Book. |
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| 1986 | Love You Forever, written by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Sheila McGraw, and published by Firefly Books sells more than three million copies in North America and occupies the number one spot on the New York Times Children's Bestseller List. |
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| 1987 | New edition of Pictures to Share: Illustration in Canadian Children's Books/Images pour tous: Illustration de livres canadiens pour enfants, prepared by Irene Aubrey, National Library of Canada is published. |
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| 1987 | Governor General's Literary Award/Children's Literature is established, replacing the Canada Council Literary Awards for children's literature. |
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| 1987 | May Cutler of Tundra Books is awarded the Eve Orpen Award for Publishing Excellence (Canadian Booksellers Association) in celebration of Tundra's twenty-year commitment to publishing quality children's books and developing an international market. |
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| 1988 | Vancouver Art Gallery Exhibition, "Once Upon a Time", is the first public art gallery exhibition in Canada devoted to the work of contemporary children's book illustrators. |
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| 1988 | National Library of Canada exhibition "The Secret Self" opens, exploring the importance of literature in the lives of children and young adults. |
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| 1989 | Mr. Christie's Book Award is established, to reward excellence in the writing and illustrating of good Canadian books for children and to encourage the development and publishing of these books. (First winners of the illustration prizes are Ian Wallace for The Name of the Tree: A Bantu Tale and Philippe Béha for Mais que font les fées avec toutes ces dents?.) |
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| 1989 | Kids Can Press, Toronto, is named Publisher of the Year by the Canadian Booksellers Association. |
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| 1989 | Gilles Tibo wins Japan's prestigious Owl Prize at the "Exhibition of Original Pictures of International Children's Picture Books" in Tokyo, for the airbrush paintings in Simon et les flocons de neige. |
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| 1990 | "Canada à Bologne/Canada at Bologna", an exhibition of Canadian children's book illustration is mounted at the children's book industry's annual international trade fair, the Bologna Children's Book Fair, Italy. |
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| 1990 | The New Republic of Childhood: A Critical Guide to Canadian Children's Literature in English, written by Sheila Egoff and Judith Saltman, is published by Oxford University Press in Toronto, addressing Canadian children's literature from the perspective of the nineties. |
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| 1990 | Barbara Reid is the first Canadian to win the UNICEF - Ezra Jack Keats International Award for Excellence in Children's Book Illustration, for The New Baby Calf, Sing a Song of Mother Goose and Have You Seen Birds?. |
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| 1990 | First annual Read Up On It/Lisez sur le sujet kit is published by the National Library of Canada with booklists, bookmarks, poster, and ideas for stimulating childhood reading. |
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| 1991 | To commemorate its 20th anniversary, Communication-Jeunesse collaborates with the Galerie de l'UQAM to mount the exhibition "La griffe québécoise dans l'illustration du livre pour enfants". |
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| 1991 | Hat trick for Paul Morin's The Orphan Boy, when he wins the Governor General's Literary Award/Children's Literature (English) for illustration, the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award (Canadian Library Association) for best illustrations, and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award (International Board on Books for Children and Young People - Canada) for best illustrations in a picture book. |
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| 1992 | Children's Literature in Canada, written by Elizabeth Waterston, is published by Twayne Publishers (New York) and Maxwell Macmillan (Toronto) as part of Twayne's World Authors Series: Children's Literature.. |
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| 1992 | Waiting for the Whales, illustrated by Ron Lightburn wins three prestigious awards: the Governor General's Literary Award/Children's Literature (English) for illustration, the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award (Canadian Library Association) for best illustrations, and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award (International Board on Books for Children and Young People - Canada) for best illustrations in a picture book. |
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| 1994 | Du petit Poucet au Dernier des raisins: introduction à la littérature jeunesse, written by Dominique Demers with the collaboration of Paul Bleton, is published by Québec/Amérique Jeunesse in Boucherville, Quebec and Télé-Université in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, describing and analysing children's literature in French from a historical and contemporary perspective. |
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| 1995 | La Bibliothèque des enfants: des trésors pour les 0 à 9 ans, written by Dominique Demers and others, is published by Éditions Québec/Amérique in Boucherville, Quebec, an annotated bibliography of the best books in French for children up to 9 years of age. |
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| 1995 | One hundred and twenty-five pieces of art by Canadian picture book artists are auctioned to rais $75 000 for the Canadian Children's Book Centre in Toronto. |
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| 1996 | Tenth annual Guadalajara Book Fair, Mexico, "features" Canadian publishing, including a large number of children's publishers and an exhibition of work by 47 children's book illustrators from across the country. |
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| 1997 | National Library of Canada exhibition "The Art of Illustration" opens, presenting the original art of 29 contemporary Canadian children's book illustrators. |
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