Applications Open for Fresh Coast Bookshelf 2026

Posted on by Lena Burdick

Applications Open for Fresh Coast Bookshelf 2026

brought to you by Library of the Great Lakes

Applications are now open for the Fresh Coast Bookshelf, a curated collection of 12 fantastic books across age range and genre that celebrate the Great Lakes, plus a full-color display kit! All local Great Lakes region public libraries are invited to apply. Up to ten libraries will be awarded the collection in this inaugural year of the Fresh Coast Bookshelf.

Apply Now

Applications are due by Midnight Eastern Time February 18, 2026. Please share this wonderful opportunity with your local library.

Check out this year’s titles:

Children’s Books
Cover of Bud Finds Her Gift by Robin Wall Kimmerer featuring a cartoon drawing of a young girl with a dog in a meadow with flowers.
Bud Finds Her Gift by Robin Wall Kimmerer
A book cover with cartoon graphics of a young woman standing on the decl of a lighthouse with a young man a few feet behind her.
The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry by Anna Rose Johnson
Cover of the book Skating Wild on an Inland Sea. The cover features an illustration of a frozen lake with a small figure skater. The skate marks in the ice form the script of the title.
Skating Wild on and Inland Sea by Jean E. Pendziwol

Family Nonfiction
The cover of The Great Lakes, Our Freshwater treasure by Barb Rosenstock featuring a pastel painting of two people and a dog in a canoe at sunrise near a sandy shore.
The Great Lakes, Our Freshwater Treasure by Barb Rosenstock
The cover of Plants of the Great Lakes Region by Philippa Joly. The cover includes pictures of children interacting with nature.
A Kid’s Guide to Plants of the Great Lakes Region by Philippa Joy
The cover to Dave Dempsey's book "The Great lakes: Fact or Fake?" with a silhouette of the Great Lakes and red questions marks in the background.
The Great Lakes: Fact or Fake by Dave Dempsey
YA and Adult Fiction
The cover of Sisters In The Wind by Angeline Boulley. The cover features a red background with artwork of a woman whose face is obscured by a bird.
Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
Cover for the book "The Best Part of Us" by Sally Cole-Misch. The cover features a photograph of water with distant, forested land.
The Best Part of Us by Sally Cole-Misch
Nonfiction
Great Lakes Champions: Grassroots Efforts to Clean Up Polluted Watersheds by John Hartig
A book cover featuring whimsical art of a large fish jumping out of water.
The Accidental Reef by Lynne Heasley
Poetry and Essays
The cover of Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes featuring a photograph of rolling storm clouds over water.
Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes, edited by Alison Swan
What Can the Matter By? by Keith Taylor

Visit our Fresh Coast Webpage!