Inclusive Lit

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1997. HABIBI. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689801491.

Children's Lit says, "Habibi is a book in the midst of an identity crisis. It can't decide if it wants to be a political novel about Arab/Israeli conflicts, a teen romance, a series of vignettes on loosely related events in one character's life, or a book of poetry that incidentally contains a novel as well. Because the text is, unfortunately, all of the above, its entertainment value is severely limited." I could not disagree more! In fact, what I love about the book is its combination of poetry, history, romance, and short, powerful chapters.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Liyana, a fourteen-year-old girl whose mother is American and father is Palestinian. One day Liyana is in a movie theater near her home in suburban St. Louis experiencing her first kiss. The very next day she learns that her father is moving the family to his homeland in Palestine.

Liyana's eleven-year-old brother has an easier time adjusting to their new home than she does. Liyana attends a private Armenian school in Jerusalem. She makes friends, sometimes going home for lunch with them to eat "their mothers' folded spinach pies. Here in the slowest country on earth, the students have a whole hour-and-a-half lunch break," she muses. Other days at lunchtime, she roams the ancient streets with its little shops and street vendors. It is on one of these outings that she meets Omer, a Jewish boy, who she likes a lot. This forbidden relationship between an Arab and a Jew challenges her father's open-mindedness, but he eventually comes to terms with it.

Liyana for her part, learns to appreciate her large extended family and its rich history, especially her grandmother, Sitti. When they first meet, Sitti tells Liyana, through her father who interprets, "I hope you come back tomorrow and stay for many, many days...and learn to sew, and pick lentils and marinate olives and carry water from the spring on your head and speak Arabic."

In addition to all of this, Liyana experiences and witnesses many acts of persecution and violence in her new country. Israeli soldiers shoot one of her friends in the leg looking for someone they think set off a bomb in the city. When her father, who is a doctor, tries to help, they take him to jail. The descriptions of the conflict between Arabs and Jews, and of the Israeli and Palestinian food, clothing and customs will give readers a feel for what it is like to live in that part of the world.

Connections:

Locate Jerusalem on a map or globe. Discuss the politics and upheaval that is going on in this region.

Point out the similarities and differences of being a teenager in the U.S. and Palestine.

Discuss the differences in male/female roles in the U.S. and in Palestine.

Pair HABIBI with Naomi Shihab Nye's poetry collection, A MAZE ME, POETRY FOR GIRLS. See if there is a poem to express some of the emotions Liyana must have experienced.

Sample falafel or other foods from the region.






Seeger, Pete and Paul DuBois Jacobs. 2006. THE DEAF MUSCISIANS. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. New York: J. P. Putnam Sons. ISBN 9780399243165.

Lee, the piano man, plays in a jazz band. When he loses his hearing, he also loses his job. The bandleader said, "I'm sorry, Lee, but I'll have to let you go. Who will listen to a deaf musician?" Lee is devastated, but he goes to a school for the deaf and learns sign language. He makes friends there. Some of them form a band. They play by signing. In the end their performances delight and entertain crowds of people in the subway. The illustrations are colorful, upbeat, and jazzy. They add to the cool vibe of this book.

Pictures of Max and Lee signing add to the meaning of the story. They will help hearing children understand what's going on; and they will be a welcome and familiar sight for deaf children. In addition to portraying the hearing impaired in a positive light, the illustrations of people are multicultural. Children's Lit says, THE DEAF MUSICIANS "is a lesson in acceptance and joy and working together. It is also about pursuing your dreams regardless of what other people think." This book turns a terrible thing, the loss of a musician's hearing, into an uplifting and inspirational story.

Connections:

Play a recording of jazz music before during or after the story.

Learn to sign the alpahbet. Better yet, learn to sign a song.

Display and make available sign language books and movies in the library or classroom.

Have a sign language interpreter in storytime or as a visitor in the classroom.

Here are two YouTube videos about deaf musicians. Young children will enjoy this one with Christmas songs.



Older children should watch "Deaf Girl Learns to Play Violin"



Encourage children to enterpret music in ways other than singing and playing, such as drawing, dancing.

Older children might enjoy reading FEATHERS by Jacquelene Woodson. One of the characters in this book is deaf.

Read and learn about Helen Keller or Beethoven!




Polacco, Patricia.2009.IN OUR MOTHER'S HOUSE. New York : Philomel Books. ISBN 9780399250767


The narrator and her two younger siblings experience an idyllic childhood within an unconventional family. All three children are adopted by a homosexual couple in Berkley, CA. "Marmee" and "Meema", a pediatician and a paramedic create a warm and loving environment in which to raise their children. The narrator tells of how her mothers loved laughter and music and of the many memorable events she and her siblings undergo with their mothers. The book is filled with diversity. Illustrations show that the narrator is a black girl. Her siblings are Asian and caucasian. One set of grandparents are Italian who make "gnocchi" and tell stories from the old country. School Library Journal recommends this book for grades 1 through 4 and says, "The story serves as a model of inclusiveness for children who have same-sex parents, as well as for children who have questions about a "different" family in their neighborhood."

Connections:

Read and talk about all different kinds of families. AND TANGO MAKES THREE would be a great book to share.

Discuss what the neighbor meant when she said, "I don't appreciate what you two are!" and what Meema meant by, "She's afraid of what she cannot understand."

Listen to different kinds of music including opera and rock-and-roll, like this family did. Play and do the Chicken Dance. Encourage the children to do different dances with different music.

Asian Pacific American Lit

Lin, Grace. 2009. WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON. New York : Little, Brown and Co. ISBN 9780316114271


Minli and her parents are poor farmers. At the end of their long hard days working in the fields, Minli’s father entertains her by telling stories. Minli’s mother thinks the stories are foolishness. She wishes for a better life. One day Minli sets out on a mission to find the Man of the Moon and ask him how to change her family’s fortune. Along the way she meets a dragon, an orphan, a king, and wonderful family, all of whom have stories of their own and lessons to teach Minli.

The story unfolds by going back and forth between Minli’s fantastical adventures and the telling of folktales. Cultural markers include the names of characters. Minli means “quick thinking”. Other characters have Chinese names like Ye Ye and Wu Kang. Foods identify the culture, too. Minli often has rice and tea at meals, and uses chop sticks. Full-page color illustrations throughout the book, and simpler drawings at the beginning of each chapter depict Chinese landscapes, scenes and artifacts from the story. The dragon, kites, rice bowls, are among the drawings that add to the Chinese setting.

The characters in the story are very well developed. Minli’s mother starts out as discontented and resentful, wishing for a better life. After Minli leaves she gradually learns that what is really important is the love for her family. Minli, too, learns this lesson. She saw that the orphan’s existence was much more meager than her own, and that more than anything she wanted to be back with her family. Booklist gave WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON a starred review and said, “Children will embrace this accessible, timeless story about the evil of greed and the joy of gratitude.”







Say, Allen. 1993. GRANDFATHER’S JOURNEY. Boston, MA : Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0395570352

This book won the Caldecott medal. School Library Journal said its “splendid, photoreal watercolors have the look of formal family portraits or candid snapshots, all set against idyllic landscapes in Japan and in the U.S.” Grandfather’s Journey is the story of author Allen Say’s grandfather immigrating from Japan to the United States. In the beginning it shows the grandfather as a young man in traditional Japanese dress. He travels across the country and gets assimilated into American culture. He returns to Japan to marry his childhood sweetheart. Back and forth the grandfather goes between the United States and Japan.

This book will give children a peek into Japanese culture. On one page the grandfather sits on a cushion on the floor, in Japanese clothing, with bamboo shades in the background, a pot of tea by his side. On another, the grandfather and his bride pose for a wedding portrait, she in traditional Japanese kimono, and he in a European suit.

Both the author and his grandfather love both places. In the end Say expresses the sentiment that lies within his own heart as well as his grandfather’s, “The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other.”






Yep, Laurence. 1997. Illustrated by Kam Mak. THE DRAGON PRINCE: A CHINESE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST TALE. New York : HarperCollins. ISBN 0060243813


Seven is the youngest daughter in a very poor family. When her father is captured by a powerful dragon, she agrees to marry the dragon to save her father’s life. She climbed on the dragon’s back, “…higher and farther the dragon raced, until the Milky Way wound its way across the night sky like an endless bolt of the whitest silk.” This kind of language sets the stage for quite a dramatic fantasy. The illustrations in the book add to the Asian setting by depicting the beautiful dragon, Chinese characters with dark eyes and hair, in traditional clothing.

Although the pictures are pretty and the language is interesting, the story is predictable from start to finish, and not very exciting in my opinion. Furthermore, I question the authenticity of the situation in which the father asks the daughter to marry the dragon to save his own life. This might have been an ancient Chinese custom, but certainly not one that would be considered realistic or acceptable today.

Native American Lit

Bruchac, Joseph. 2004. HIDDEN ROOTS. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439353580.


Eleven-year-old Sonny lives in a small town in the Adirondack Mountains, the only child in a troubled family. Sonny's father is angry and abusive to him and his mother. Uncle Louis teaches Sonny all about the secrets of the forest and the animals, but Sonny's dad doesn't like him hanging around. As the story unfolds, Sonny learns many things - why his dad is so angry, why Uncle Louis knows so much about the Abenaki Indians, and the true hidden roots of his family. The author's end note explains the 1930's Vermont Eugenics Project in which Abenaki people were routinely sterilized in an effort to keep their population down. Many Abenaki fled and hid their Indian ancestry as a result.


Connections


Talk about domestic violence, why it happened in this story, and what can be done when domestic violence occurs.


Discuss the extermination of the Jews in Europe during the Holocaust and the parallels with what the U.S. did to the Abenaki Indians during the Vermont Eugenics Project in the 1930's.


Research the Abenaki Indians and learn more about the tribe and its customs.

Alexie, Sherman. 2007. THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN. illustrated by Ellen Forney. New York: Little, Brown. ISBN 0316013684.

This 2007 winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature will have readers laughing out loud one minute and crying the next. It is a coming of age story about 14 year old Junior, a Spokane Indian who lives on a reservation he calls "the rez". Junior was born with hydrocephalus and loves to draw. " I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats," he writes. Ellen Forney's drawings add humor to the already clever narrative. Both words and pictures describe life on the reservation where there is not much hope, and almost everyone drinks themselves into tragedy. This book provides a rare glimpse into what it is like to be a teenage American Indian growing up in present day America. A 2007 Publisher's Weekly review describes what separates this work from others, " Unlike protagonists in many YA novels who reclaim or retain ethnic ties in order to find their true selves, Junior must separate from his tribe in order to preserve his identity."

Connections:


Have children illustrate events of their own lives, both important ones and everyday, mundane ones.


Keep a journal for a period of time, include illustrations.


Research Spokane Indians to learn more about the tribe, its customs and its history. Discuss the impact these have on the current living conditions and circumstances of tribal members.


Discuss the effects of stereotyping in the story, and in our own lives.





Tingle, Tim. 2006. CROSSING BOK CHITTO; A CHOCTAW TALE OF FRIENDSHIP AND FREEDOM. Illustrated by Jeanne Rorex Bridges. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN 0938317776

Martha Tom, a little Choctaw girl, and Little Mo, a young slave boy live on opposite sides of Bok Chitto River in Mississippi back in the days before the Trail of Tears. They become friends when Martha Tom gets lost on the slave side of the river and Little Mo helps her find her way home. The Choctaws have built a trail of stones across the river, just below the surface of the water. This trail helps save the lives of Little Mo's family as they flee the slave hunters. From the characters' clothing, to their dwellings, to the rich natural backdrop, Jeanne Rorex Bridges' illustrations add authenticity to the retelling of this history-filled, spiritual legend. A 2006 starred review in Booklist points out that CROSSING BOK CHITTO is a "... a picture book that highlights rarely discussed intersections between Native Americans in the South and African Americans in bondage."

Connections

Research and discuss the Trail of Tears.

Imagine what might have happened after the escape.

Read and discuss FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD and other slave escape stories.

Hispanic/Latino(a) Lit

Mora, Pat. 2010. DIZZY IN YOUR EYES: POEMS ABOUT LOVE. New York: Knopf. ISBN: 9780375843754

Pat Mora's collection of love poems for teens is written in a variety of poetic forms. School Library Journal says, "The love here is neither hot and heavy nor cliched, however, but rather a glimpse into the last remaining innocence of the teen years. At times, the narration even slips a bit astray from an authentically teenage voice. Those expecting a more typical raw, edgy approach to love with poetry akin to the ramblings of a teenager's journal will be better off elsewhere." Fifteen-year-old Georgia from Little Rock agrees. She critiques, "Some of the poems were pretty, like in 'You're Beautiful' where it says, "Like the green romance of a bud/ and lily's pink, gentle sway./ You: more beautiful than yesterday."...and 'Fortune Cookie' was cute because it told a little story. But mostly it just seemed like a grown up with a generic idea of what a teenager might be like, trying to sound like a teenager."

With the exception of "Oda a las maestras", the Spanish translation of "Ode to Teachers", there are not many cultural markers to identify this writing as Hispanic. In "Mirrors", one of the few poems in my opinion with a voice that rings teen, the narrator's Grandma says, "You're beautiful. Tan linda." The Spanish phrase is repeated effectively and sarcastically throughout - "...wide waist, Tan linda...my eyes that won't open wide/ and round like my sister's,/ that hypnotize guys./ Tan linda./ What does Grandma see?"

"Mariachi Fantasy" includes references to cholla cactus and mariachi dancing. "Valentine to Papi" includes the endearing term "Papi", "Remember, Papi, ten years ago?/ You smiled when you saw me/ wearing a new yellow dress." These cultural markers add interest and authenticity to the poems. Some are charming, but most were not exciting, or what I would expect a teen to enjoy.

Connections:

Read some of Pat Mora's other works.

Pair with Gary Soto's collection of love poems, PARTLY CLOUDY. Read, discuss and compare.

Try writing some love poetry about friends, family, pets, even inanimate objects like chocolate!

Try writing some of the forms of poetry included and described in the book.




Soto, Gary. 2009. PARTLY CLOUDY: POEMS OF LOVE AND LONGING. Boston : Harcourt. ISBN: 9780152063016

"Soto skillfully captures the voice and emotions of young teens in love.", so says School Library Journal, and I could not agree more. Divided into two sections, "A Girl's Tears, Her Songs" and "A Boy's Body, His Words", the love poems are told convincingly from the points of view of teen girls or boys. Some are happy, others are sad. "Consequences", a particularly thought-provoking one ponders, "With love, when it falls/ The rocks shoot sparks. Gossips/ Gather at the river's edge,/ Skipping stones across the water,/ Asking intently, "Who brought it down?"

Very few cultural markers identify this collection as Hispanic. In "Barriers", the narrator and her love are identified, "As I'm Japanese/ And you are Mexican,/ Both of us third generation./What do we know-/ Gracias, por favor,/ Arigato, sayonara."

"Neighborhood" describes a setting with gangs, though not necessarily Hispanic, - "But gangsta rap/ Behind the smoked windows/ of long squeaky cars,/And the long yellow grill on the face/ Of a thug leaning from/ The porch, calling, "Hey, baby." Gangs, again, come up in "Time", where the narrator is "Tired of the same cats in the Dumptser,/ Tired of blaring radios, of gangsters with their grills/". By and large, the collection will be universally accessible and enjoyable to most any teen, anywhere.

Connections:

Pair with Pat Mora's collection of love poems, DIZZY IN YOUR EYES. Read, discuss, compare.

Try writing poems from the point of view of the opposite sex.

Read other works by Gary Soto.

Write a love poem, maybe to a family member, friend or pet.

Ancona, George. 2010. ¡OLE! FLAMENCO. Boston : Harcourt. ISBN: 9780152063016

Author and photographer George Ancona has produced a book about flamenco song, dance and music that is both entertaining, informative and culturally authentic. A School Library Journal review says, "The book's strength lies with the balance of maps, text, and colorful photographs that emphasize the joy of music through performance and family tradition."

Ancona first explains the history of the art form and the people with whom it originated. These people, the Roma, eventually came to be known as Gypsies. "Some say the Roma were from Egypt. The name Gypsy comes from Egipto, the Spainish word for Egypt." Thus Ancona's history and geography lesson begins. He goes on to fully describe the music and dance, complete with colorful photographs of Spanish families and dancers, often with Spanish style courtyards and architecture in the background. Photographs depict full costumes with fringed shawls and long ruffled dresses.

Other cultural markers include Spanish names, instruments and phrases. "¡Olé! is a shout of approval and encouragement...And they all shout, '¡Olé!' when the boy gets up to dance...Calls of '¡Olé!' ring out and compliments fill the air. ¡Asi se canta!That's singing! ¡Asi se baila! That's dancing! ¡Asi se toca! That's playing!" From start to finish, readers will get a real feel for the culture surrounding flamenco.

Connections:

Listen to some flamenco music.

Create rhythms by clapping and drumming using different instruments.

Invite a guest flamenco dancer to perform and teach some of the moves. Shout '¡Olé!' as everyone tries.

Use a globe to locate Egypt and trace the migration of the art form and the people who have kept it alive.

African American Lit

Marzollo, Jean. 1993. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARTIN LUTHER KING. Illustrated by J. Brian Pinkney. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 0590440659.

The life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr. are presented in simple words and beautiful pictures that even a preschooler can understand in this book. Children will learn about how there used to be laws to keep black and white people separate, and how Martin Luther King worked to change these things. The book includes a forward by author Jean Marzollo for parents and teachers, explaining, "the tragic fact of Martin Luther King's murder may be too difficult for preschoolers to deal with." She suggests the words "shot and killed" may be changed to say Martin Luther King "died".

Pinkney uses scratchboard illustrations with fine white lines and shading to depict black people and their struggles during the Civil Rights Movement. Pictures of Freedom Riders on buses, drinking fountains labeled "white" and "colored", and King delivering his famous "I Have A Dream" speech will help children understand the events of his life, and why we now honor him with a holiday on his birthday.

Connections:

Talk about the segregation laws mentioned in the book, that required separate restaurants, drinking fountains, and schools for whites and blacks.

Talk and read about Rosa Parks, Freedom Riders, and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.

Listen to the "I have a Dream Speech".

Discuss problem solving through peaceful methods.

Read MARTIN'S BIG WORDS and other books about Martin Luther King.



Woodson, Jacqueline. 2009. PEACE, LOCOMOTION. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN: 9780399246555

Sixth grader Lonnie, aka Locomotion, shares his heart wrenching story through the letters he writes to his younger sister, Lili, after the tragic death of their parents. The children are separated when different foster families take them in. Writing letters is the way Lonnie stays connected to Lili, and keeps the memory of his parents alive.

We learn that Lonnie and his sister are African American when he gets a new teacher who is "brown like Mama"; and again during a visit, Lili touched Lonnie's braids. Lonnie watches CNN for news about Lonnie's foster brother, Jenkins, who is away at war. "The newscaster lady kept talking about insurgents and a car bomb and missing soldiers." This establishes the story as taking place during the Iraq War.

Lonnie and his sister both have good and stable foster homes. Still, the pain Lonnie feels over the loss of his parents is palpable. He writes, "I don't want to hear anything about the month of December. I don't want to hear about Christmas or New Year's or Kwanzaa. Nothing. I hate December. If it wasn't for December, Mama and Daddy would be alive and you and me would still be living together."

School Library Journal gives PEACE, LOCOMOTION a starred review. "When war directly affects the family, the 12-year-old begins to hope and pray for peace and to grapple with its meaning."

Connections:

Read LOCOMOTION, the first book about Lonnie and his sister. It is written in poetry.

Try writing/telling a story in poetry or letter format.

Write poems/letters about happy/sad things.

Read other verse novels, such as OUT OF THE DUST.



Grimes, Nikki. 2006. WELCOME, PRECIOUS. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. New York: Orchard Books. ISBN: 0309102480

Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2006, WELCOME, PRECIOUS is the story of an African American couple who are elated with their newborn baby. Grimes' lyrical text takes the baby from one loving family member to another. "Welcome to the warm circle of your daddy's arms/ the slippery kisses of your giddy grandmothers/ and the cool tickle of Mommy's nose rubbing against your belly button."

The cultural markers are only in the illustrations. Bryan's mixed media watercoler and collage pictures of the family are bold and bright, with deep, dark glowing skintones. Readers will be delighted with the joyful text and illustrations.

Connections:

Read and talk about all kinds of families and family members.

Make a display or bulletin board of baby pictures of children and/or family members.

Read and discuss all kinds of babies - humans and animals.

Draw pictures of ourselves and families doing favorite things.

Identify senses used in the story. Hear the robin sing and leaves swish. Feel the squish of sand between your toes. Smell the spiced cider on the wind, etc.

International Lit

Stolz, Joëlle. 2004. THE SHADOWS OF GHADAMES. New York : Delacorte Press. ISBN: 0385731043

Malika is an eleven year old Muslim girl who lives in the Libyan city of Ghadames. Her father is a merchant who travels. She longs to go with him and see distant places, but since she is a girl, there is no chance of that. Men and women lead separate lives in Ghadames. Men conduct business in the streets and palm groves. Women are confined to their homes and the rooftops. Malika is jealous of her brother Jasim’s freedom, and the fact that he goes to school and reads.

One night, while Malik’s father is away on business, there is a commotion in the street. The women of Malika’s family discover an injured man who was being chased out of town because of his religious views. They rescue the man, hide him in the pantry, nurse him back to health, and help him escape, even though doing this would have serious and dangerous consequences for them if they were caught. In return, before he leaves, the man teaches Malika to read, making her long even more to escape to a less restrictive and more exciting life.

The book is filled with references to Muslim customs and life in the desert. The setting and circumstances are so foreign to a Westerner, that the time period is difficult to determine, but the book’s end note places the story at the turn of the nineteenth century. Arabic names of persons, places and things – Abdelkarim, the rescued stranger; Tripoli, the destination of the father’s caravan; “malafa, the rectangle of embroidered wool tied under the chin with laces that girls wear on their heads until marriage” – all serve as cultural markers in the book. In addition, descriptions of clothing, houses, festivals and even skin color help to establish the exotic setting of the story. In the final analysis, children will enjoy and recognize the challenges of growing up that exist in every society. A starred review of Shadows of Ghadames in Booklist includes this statement: “The vivid backdrop is intoxicating, but the story's universal concerns will touch readers most: sibling jealously, confusion about adult customs, and a growing interest in a world beyond family.” I could not agree more.

Connections:
• Locate Libya on a globe or map.
• Create a glossary of cultural terms.
• Discuss the differences and similarities between the customs of Malika’s family and our own families.
• Discuss the current events that are taking place in Libya.


Fox, Mem. 2009. HELLO BABY. Illustrated by Steve Jenkins. New York : Beach Lane Books. ISBN: 1416985131
Hello Baby is a charming book for little ones filled with exotic animals. It begins with, "Hello, baby! Who are you? and continues with a guessing game including monkeys, hippos and geckos. "Jenkins works his usual magic with cut paper," lauds Publishers Weekly. The illustrations are brilliant in color and detail. Mem's rhyming text is simple, funny and sometimes eccentric -"Are you a warthog, hilarious and hairy?" Young children will enjoy this book, as will their grown-up readers.

Connections:
• Play a guessing game with the shapes at the end of the book. Name the animals. See if the child/children can remember what the book said about them.
• Learn about where the animals live, what they eat, how big they get, and other facts about each animal.
• Take a vote of which animal is the favorite.
• Draw pictures or make paper collages of animals.
• Read other animal books, like Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin.
• Visit the zoo.


Croza, Larel. 2010. Illustrated by Matt James. I KNOW HERE. Toronto ; Berkeley : Groundwood Books. ISBN 0888999232

In I Know Here, a little girl learns that she is moving from Saskatchewan to Toronto. She wonders what Toronto will be like. Her teacher suggests the class draw "a picture of something we have seen, something we want to remember, to take with us when we leave. The little girl thinks of all the things about the place where she lives - the forest, the trailers where she and her neighbors live, the dam her father works to build, the truck that delivers groceries, her one-room schoolhouse, the plane ride she once took, the forest fire she saw - and decides to draw them all. She will draw a picture of everything she knows and take it with her when she moves. "This is what I know. Here"

All of the images and illustrations tell the story of a rural life in the forest of northern Saskatchewan, where the families lived in small trailers, had groceries delivered, rarely watched television, and caught frogs in the "squishy spot by the beaver dam." Other cultural markers are descriptions of animals she has seen "an old moose standing still in the water, looking straight at me. Rabbits and deer running beside my dad's truck on the Pas Trail." The book received the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award in 2010. A Horn Book review surmises, "Clothing and trailer design suggest that the dam is the E. B. Campbell Dam, completed in 1963."

The colorful and swirly illustrations are dreamlike. My favorite is the moose standing in the water. He really appears to be "looking at me", as the little girl remembers. In the beginning of the book, the little girl's life seemed primitive, hard and bleak. But the more she described her memories and how close she was to nature, I felt sad that she had to leave and move to the big city. Many children, and adults will be able to relate to this story.

Connections:
• Find Saskatchewan and Toronto on a map. Calculate the distance between the two places.
• Discuss the differences between living in Saskatchewan and living in Toronto.
• Discuss how it would feel to have to move away. Have children draw pictures of what they want to remember about the places where they live.