Ever wonder how we choose the books on our Reading List each year? 

A committee of children’s story lovers reads and recommends all of our titles for our year-round programming, including the 17th Annual Telling Tales Festival!

Who is the SAC?

The SAC invites educators, librarians, arts professionals, and children’s book-loving community members from the wider community into the programming selection process at Telling Tales, with the hope of selecting titles for the Reading List that represent a diversity of voices and perspectives and are representative of our regional community. The 2025 SAC consists of nine members working with Telling Tales staff and SAC Co-chairs from Hamilton Public Library and Burlington Public Library.

SAC Co-Chairs

Katelyn Granger (she/her), SAC Co-Chair at Telling Tales and Manager of Youth Services at Hamilton Public Library, smiling in a professional headshot. Telling Tales is Canada’s leading children’s literacy festival, dedicated to inspiring a love of reading through outstanding literary events. Katelyn has long, light brown hair and is wearing a light-colored top.

Katelyn Granger (she/her)

Katelyn (she/her) grew up in libraries, from avid storytime go-er to holding many different library positions since high school. Katelyn is currently the Manager of Youth Services at Hamilton Public Library. Prior to joining Team HPL, Katelyn spent six years working as a children and youth librarian (after a brief time dabbling in academic libraries – she missed picture books too much!). She has a passion for sharing the magic and power of children’s books, fostering the love of stories in all ages and building community connections.

Brynley Eckhart (she/her), SAC Co-Chair at Telling Tales and Digital Resource and Collections Librarian at Burlington Public Library, sitting at a library table with a stack of books. Telling Tales is Canada’s leading children’s literacy festival, dedicated to inspiring a love of reading through outstanding literary events. Brynley has shoulder-length brown hair and is wearing a dark blazer.

Brynley Eckhart (she/her)

Brynley Eckhart (she/her) is the Digital Resource and Collections Librarian at Burlington Public Library. She maintains and grows the Library’s digital and physical collections to meet the evolving needs of the Burlington community. With 10 years’ experience in the library field, Brynley finds passion in librarianship and loves working in a place that encourages people to gather and connect. Brynley loves dahlia gardening and spending time outdoors. Her ultimate day would be reading a great book by the water, with a coffee in hand. Being a part of Telling Tales 2024 has renewed Brynley’s love for children’s literature.  

SAC Members 2025

Angela Ventresca (she/her), SAC Co-Chair at Telling Tales and Indigenous Education Consultant (K-12) at Niagara Catholic District School Board, smiling in a professional headshot. Telling Tales is Canada’s leading children’s literacy festival, dedicated to inspiring a love of reading through outstanding literary events. Angela has shoulder-length dark hair and is wearing a patterned blouse.

Angela Ventresca (she/her)

With over 23 years in Catholic education, Angela has dedicated herself to fostering student success and development within diverse communities, embodying Niagara Catholic District School Board core values of integrity, faith, justice, compassion, stewardship, accountability and community. Her passion for literacy as an educator is deeply rooted in the transformative power of words. Angela believes literacy is not merely acquiring reading and writing skills but a
gateway to unlocking a world of knowledge, imagination, and empathy. By utilizing diverse and captivating texts, she strives to make the world of books a place of wonder and excitement for
her students. Angela’s position as the Indigenous Education Consultant (K-12) aligns with her passion for reading, transcending the boundaries of the classroom. Diving into the captivating world of literature brings her endless joy as she embraces stories, where every page weaves a story that fuels her love for reading.

“While holding a book, I feel the pulse of stories that connect us to the ancient wisdom of our ancestors and the timeless magic of imagination.” – Richard Van Camp, Indigenous Canadian author.

George Zeng (he/him), SAC member at Telling Tales and Grade 11 student at Westmount Secondary School in Hamilton, ON, smiling in a professional headshot. Telling Tales is Canada’s leading children’s literacy festival, dedicated to inspiring a love of reading through outstanding literary events. George is wearing a navy suit and tie, with a colorful illustrated background featuring books and paper planes.

George Zeng (he/him)

Hey everyone! My name is George Zeng, my pronouns are he/him, and I am a Grade 11 student from Westmount Secondary School, Hamilton ON.

As part of our Telling Tales SAC (Selection Advisory Committee) this year, I hope to bring my passion for reading along with my experience in student leadership to this year’s Telling Tales Festival – together, let’s turn the page to a storybook journey of your imagination!

When I’m not trying to get into a good book (AKA this year’s selections), you might catch me lending a hand through volunteering or stuck in a different kind of book (textbooks).

I’m really excited to embark on this “novel” journey with everyone!

ig: @curious_george.z

Jennifer Mook-Sang (she/her), author and SAC member at Telling Tales, smiling in a professional headshot outdoors. Telling Tales is Canada’s leading children’s literacy festival, dedicated to inspiring a love of reading through outstanding literary events. Jennifer has shoulder-length gray hair and is wearing a white coat with a black scarf.

Jennifer Mook-Sang (she/her)

Jennifer Mook-Sang was born in Guyana and moved to Canada at the age of 14. She is the author of the best-selling middle grade novel Speechless and picture book Captain Monty Takes the Plunge. She’s uber-proud that her latest picture book The Care and Keeping of Grandmas is a Dolly Parton Imagination Library selection. When not writing, Jennifer loves to read picture books and graphic novels. She’s also fond of recipe books and likes to make tasty things like pepperpot, biryani, and cassava pone. Jennifer lives in Burlington, Ontario.

enny Sterzaj (she/her), Selection Advisory Committee member at Telling Tales, smiling in a professional headshot. Telling Tales is Canada’s leading children’s literacy festival, dedicated to inspiring a love of reading through outstanding literary events. Jenny has curly, shoulder-length brown hair and is wearing a neutral-toned top, with a brick wall background.

Jenny Sterzaj (she/her)

Jenny Sterzaj is an eclectic reader, traversing the realms of biographies, historical fiction, horror, spirituality, humour, war novels, and culturally diverse works. Alongside her literary passions, she immerses herself in woodworking, travel, and is continuously working on mastering French and Spanish. As a Social Worker and Recreation Therapist by profession, she brings empathy to her community. Recently, she’s embarked on the journey of children’s book writing. Though her love for dogs is unwavering, they don’t always accompany her on her adventures. Jenny also delights in exploring museum exhibits and being swept away by the enchantment of musical theater performances.

Khadeeja Maklad (she/her), Selection Advisory Committee member at Telling Tales, smiling in a professional headshot. Telling Tales is Canada’s leading children’s literacy festival, dedicated to inspiring a love of reading through outstanding literary events. Khadeeja has long, curly brown hair and is wearing sunglasses and a colorful shirt.

Khadeeja Maklad (she/her)

Hey everyone, I’m Khadeeja Maklad and I use she/her pronouns.  I’m a grade 12 student born in Cairo, Egypt and pursuing a career in STEM. I’m a huge reader and writer in my freetime, creating my own poetry and music. I’m a huge fan of dystopian and historical fiction, as well as work from the Victorian time period. I also love language learning, and finding different translations of iconic books. I am currently fluent in Arabic and English, but hope to learn French, Turkish and German as well. I look forward to what Telling Tales has to offer!

Macklin Loosley-Millman (she/her), Selection Advisory Committee member at Telling Tales, smiling in a professional headshot. Telling Tales is Canada’s leading children’s literacy festival, dedicated to inspiring a love of reading through outstanding literary events. Macklin has short dark hair, wears glasses, and is dressed in a casual green t-shirt, standing outdoors with a historic building and lush greenery in the background.

Macklin Loosley-Millman (she/her)

Macklin Loosley-Millman (she/her) is an avid reader of children’s books, mostly graphic novels. She got her Masters of Research in Children’s Literature at the University of Reading, studying themes of colonialism in middle grade portal fantasy. Since 2022, Macklin has been a bookseller with Another Story Bookshop in Toronto. She works in their education department, selling titles concerning equity, diversity, and social justice to schools and libraries across Southern Ontario and beyond. 

Setareh Masoumbeiki (she/her), Selection Advisory Committee member at Telling Tales, smiling in a natural outdoor setting. Telling Tales is Canada’s leading children’s literacy festival, dedicated to inspiring a love of reading through outstanding literary events. Setareh has short brown hair with bangs and is wearing a patterned top.

Setareh Masoumbeiki (she/her)

I’m passionate about storytelling in all its forms, from the pages of classic literature to the vibrant panels of comic books. As a lover of narratives, I find joy in exploring diverse tales that captivate and inspire. Whether it’s diving into the intricate worlds of graphic novels or unravelling the layers of a timeless novel, storytelling is my fuel. I’m thrilled to be part of Telling Tales and contribute to the community’s journey through the 2025 Reading List.

Alethea Hindra (she/her), Selection Advisory Committee member at Telling Tales, smiling in a professional headshot. Telling Tales is Canada’s leading children’s literacy festival, dedicated to inspiring a love of reading through outstanding literary events. Alethea has dark hair styled in a short bob with bangs and is wearing a cozy green sweater. The background features a colorful bookstore display.

Alethea Hindra (she/her)

My name is Alethea Hindra and I use she/her pronouns. I am a grade 12 student who is an avid reader, constantly reading anything from romantasy to murder mystery. I have participated in multiple short story writing contests, most of which were the Power of the Pen contests hosted by Telling Tales. I won 4 of the contests, as well as one honourable mention. I also enjoy singing and playing several instruments. I love to write my own original music and am currently pursuing a career in teaching music. The only thing I enjoy as much as reading and music is discussing books, so I look forward to being a part of this year’s SAC! I hope to focus on literature that exposes a unique perspective on different cultures and places through an exciting narrative.

Nicole Clark, Selection Advisory Committee member at Telling Tales, smiling in a professional headshot taken at night. Telling Tales is Canada’s leading children’s literacy festival, dedicated to inspiring a love of reading through outstanding literary events. Nicole has long dark hair and is wearing a stylish yellow coat, posing in front of an illuminated city street with a "Vogue" theater sign in the background.

Nicole Clark

Nicole is a Jamaican-Chinese Australian storyteller and dedicated cat mom. Her favourite book is To Kill A Mockingbird by Lee Harper and her favourite movie is Cool Runnings. Nicole fell in love with reading when she was a child, she would borrow books constantly and won “Best Borrower” at elementary school for four years running and begrudgingly relinquished the title when she graduated. She got started in Los Angeles as a Script Intern for Conan O’ Brien on TBS and has worked in film and television for seven years on productions for Amazon Prime, Netflix and Dreamworks. She currently resides in Burlington as a freelance writer and is currently working on a picture book and one-person production. Off the page, Nicole is a proud UCB graduate who enjoys travelling to perform improv and just being a clown in general. Nicole is thrilled to be a part of this lovely team, gushing over books and talking in the third person.

Content Warnings

Telling Tales is committed to providing Content Warning Labels on an ongoing basis.

Content/Discussion Topics

You have probably seen ratings on movies or video games. Maybe you’ve noticed a little list of content before the episode of a TV show you’re streaming. These content labels are a gentle “heads up” to prepare people for what they are about to see.

Books are only just beginning to highlight the content in them. 

Because content labels are not always put in books by authors and publishers, Telling Tales will provide these labels on our Reading List titles.

Why Label Content?

Labeling sensitive content helps people make informed choices. The decision to warning is with care for our community of readers in mind. 

We encourage parents, caregivers, and educators to research and/or read any of the materials before introducing them to children to be sure the themes and content in them are appropriate. This also allows parents, caregivers, and educators to be prepared to have conversations with child readers about the content they will encounter in a book.

Who Decides What to Label?

Staff together with our Selection Advisory Committee decide on Content Warnings. Our Selection Advisory Committee is a diverse group of volunteer students, teachers, educators, librarians, and community members who read and vote on the books that are featured in our programming.

As the book space changes we will see more books containing content warnings listed. If the author or publisher provides content warnings, Telling Tales will use those in addition to the expertise of our Selection Advisory Committee.

A Commitment to Ongoing Review

An important part of providing labels for content warnings is listening to our community who uses the Reading List and doing continuous review. Telling Tales will continue to change and grow in order to provide our community with the best possible reading experiences.

We welcome feedback from our community. Email selection@tellingtales.org.