Resources for Teachers & Parents

We have books, homework help and online tools to support students of all ages and their teachers, parents and caregivers.

• Homework help
• Books & more
• Reading lists
• Français | French
• Online activities
• English as a second language
• Accessible collections
• Getting your library card
• Class visits

Homework help

• Ready for Reading - Kindergarten

  Learn more about early literacy skills and activities.

• Homework Help for Kids - Grades K to 6

  Find our homework help resources for kids.

• Homework Help for Teens - Grades 7 to 12

  The library has space to study and can help you learn with free online courses, tutoring and research resources.

• Brainfuse - Grades K to 12

  Online Homework Help for students in grades K to 12 offered daily from 2 to 11 pm.

• Databases and Online Research Tools: Student Resources - Grades 6 to 12

  Books and videos for all your research needs. Full-text articles from newspapers, magazines and journals.

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  We suggest

  Oxford English Dictionary
  Grades 4 to 12

  The accepted authority on the English language, the OED provides the meaning, history and pronunciation of over half a million words. Updated every three months.

Books & more

• Ready for Reading - Kindergarten

  Books for children ages five and under.

• Books for Kids - Grades 1 to 2

  Recommended titles for beginning and early readers.

• Books for Kids - Grades 3 to 6

  New and popular books for kids in middle grades.

• Books for Teens - Grades 7 to 12

  Books and reading recommendations for teens.

• OverDrive Kids - Grades K to 6
  Overdrive Teens - Grades 7 to 12

  Ebooks and audiobooks for kids and teens.

• Dial-a-Story - Grades K to 6

  Kids and their families can listen to a story by phone any time of day.

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  We suggest

  Winter Books for Kids

  Our children’s librarians recommend stories to celebrate winter and the magic of snowfall.

Reading lists

• Awards - Forest of Reading - Grades K to 12

  The Forest of Reading, an annual initiative of the Ontario Library Association, is Canada’s largest recreational reading program. (Check out this year’s nominees and award winners.)

• Disability: Read Up On It - Grades K to 8

  Picture books, novels and nonfiction featuring positive portrayals of people with different abilities.

• Rita Cox Black and Caribbean Heritage Collection

  Find book lists for children, teens and adults about Black and Caribbean historical and cultural experience, with a special emphasis on Canadian content.

• The List - Grades 7 to 12

  Find your next great read, watch video reviews and like your favourites on The List.

• The Pride Collection

  Find book lists for children, teens and adults about the culture, history and life experience of LGBTQ2S+ communities.

• Read Indigenous - Grades K to 12

  Read Indigenous is a yearly list of must-read titles written by Indigenous authors, writers, illustrators and knowledge keepers for all ages. The list is just a selection and there are many more you can read. So don’t stop here.

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  We suggest

  Intergenerational Stories

  Share a heartwarming picture book about children and grandparents spending time together.

Français | French

• En français à la Bibliothèque Publique de Toronto | French books and services at TPL

  Livres, programmes, et autres ressources français à la bibliothèque.
  Books, programs and other French resources at the library.

• Maternelle à la 12e année | Cantook Station - Grades K to 12

  Livres et livres audio numériques en français pour les enfants et adolescents.
  French ebooks and audiobooks for children and teens.

• Nouveautés jeunesse | New in French children’s fiction
  Nouveautés ados | New in French teens’ fiction

  Trouvez tous nos nouveaux livres en français.
  Find all of our French books, newest first.

• Programmes en français pour enfants | French-language programs for kids

  Clubs de lecture, heures du conte, activités et bien plus encore.
  Book clubs, storytimes, activities and more.

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  We suggest

  Romans pour les jeunes | Novels for kids - Grades 4 to 6

  Liste des livres pour les jeunes, recommandés par nos bibliothécaires.
  A list of novels for kids, recommended by our librarians.

Online activities

• TPL Kids Crowdcast - Grades K to 6
  TPL Crowdcast - Teens

  After School Clubs, author talks and more. Watch live programs or replays of past events.

• TPL YouTube - Grades K to 6

  Watch past programs for kids on YouTube.

• Puzzles - Grades 1 to 12

  Solve jigsaw puzzles and learn bits of Ontario history with items from our archives.

• Online Escape Rooms - Grades 7 to 12

  Figure out the clues and solve the puzzles at your own pace.

• Virtual Exhibits - Grades 7 to 12

  60+ online exhibits highlighting our Special Collections, from Black History in Toronto to retrofuturism.

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  We suggest

  58 Lesson Plans from Archives and Museums for Ontario Educators

  Find online lesson plans and educational activities to use in your classroom.

English as a second language

• Learn English - ESL

  The library has books, online tools and classes to help people learning English as a second language.

• New to Canada

  Library services to help newcomers to Canada.

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  We suggest

  Blog Post: Support for ESL Students

  Teens new to Canada or learning English as a second language can get help from the library.

Accessible collections

• Accessible Collections

  The library has a wide range of materials in accessible formats. Toronto Public Library card holders with print disabilities can also access the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) collection.

• IBBY Collection for Young People with Disabilities

  Located at North York Central Library, this reference collection offers books from around the world for and about children and teens with disabilities.

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  We suggest

  Dyslexia-friendly readers

  Dyslexia-friendly readers are books formatted to be super-readable, using a specifically-designed font and spacing on thicker, tinted pages.

Getting your library card

Class visits