HALIFAX, June 1, 2026 – Ocean Week Canada and the TD Summer Reading Club are working together this summer to bring the ocean to public libraries in every province and territory. This initiative will reach hundreds of thousands of young readers through public libraries across Canada as the TD Summer Reading Club’s 2026 theme — “Dive In!” — invites kids to explore rivers, lakes, wetlands, and the ocean through books.
Ocean Week Canada runs June 1–8, 2026, with hundreds of community events unfolding from coast to coast to coast. The TD Summer Reading Club program continues throughout the summer, with kids tracking their reading, writing reviews, and completing water-themed activities online and at their local library.
The Centre for Ocean Literacy Collaboration has provided the TD Summer Reading Club program with a set of Canadian-authored, ocean/water-themed books, as well as 20 giant ocean floor maps to circulate to participating libraries across the country to spark hands-on learning about marine conservation in Canada.
This joint effort arrives at a telling moment: Polling from the Centre for Ocean Literacy Collaboration shows 89% of people in Canada agree ocean health is important to them, and one in four say arts and culture are how they learn about the ocean in the first place. With more than 2,200 public libraries delivering the TD Summer Reading Club’s 2026 water-themed program, this connection helps turn a summer of reading into a nationwide entry point for ocean connection and care.
“Most Canadians don’t live within sight of the ocean, but nearly all of them care about it,” said Diz Glithero, Executive Director of the Centre for Ocean Literacy Collaboration. “Polling shows that books, media, and cultural experiences are important pathways for people to get to know the ocean. That’s why this national joint effort matters.”
“When a kid in the Prairies picks up a summer reading book about marine life, the ocean stops being somewhere else. Libraries are doing the work of connecting Canadians to a blue planet they share, no matter how close or far they are from the shoreline. That’s the power of reading,” said Lianne Fortin, Program Manager of the TD Summer Reading Club from Library and Archives Canada.
The 2026 TD Summer Reading Club is illustrated by Andrew Kolb and features bilingual notebooks, recommended reading lists, and online activities available through every participating library. Ocean Week Canada will spotlight TD Summer Reading Club programming through its event portal and regional hubs throughout June.
Ocean Week Canada is coordinated by the Centre for Ocean Literacy Collaboration in partnership with regional hubs and hundreds of partners across the country. Find your local event at oceanweek.ca.
The TD Summer Reading Club is Canada’s biggest bilingual summer reading program for kids of all ages, interests and abilities. Co-created and delivered by over 2,200 public libraries across Canada, the national program is developed by Toronto Public Library in partnership with Library and Archives Canada, with sponsorship from TD Bank Group. Join the club at tdsummerreadingclub.ca.
Contact:
Meghan Callon
Communications and Design Manager
Centre for Ocean Literacy Collaboration
media@centreforoceanliteracy.ca
Lianne Fortin
Program Manager, TD Summer Reading Club
Library and Archives Canada
Lianne.Fortin@bac-lac.gc.ca