Pistes d'exploration

Discuss what makes someone a good friend. What evidence from the text indicates how each character showed his friendship toward the other?

List the top ten things you need to survive and create a poster or short video clip to explain why. This could be done with a partner or group.

Write a response to the book.

Choose some of the rich language (“immense, starry sky” or “luminous water”) and use it as a springboard for writing a poem or descriptive paragraph.

Discuss the structures and features, including foreshadowing.

Discuss what makes someone a good friend. What evidence from the text indicates how each character showed his friendship towards the others?

Create a story map of the important events.

How does the author use his five senses to explore the sea?

Make a poster showing the qualities of friendship.

Have you ever helped a friend in need? Has a friend ever helped you? Write the story.

Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, The Lion & Mouse, A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Mots-clés

Adventure , Picture book , animal rescue , differences , friendship , mice , oceans , travel , whales

Commentaire descriptif

An industrious mouse named Amos sets sail, full of wonder and love for life. Overwhelmed by the majesty of the night sky, he rolls off the deck and into the water, and is about to drown when Boris, a kind-hearted whale, offers to return him to shore. Years later, beached by a hurricane and near death, Boris meets up again with his little friend, whose ingenuity and sheer determination give him the perfect opportunity to repay the favour. This delightful read-aloud book combines humorous text with simple watercolour cartoons to convey a big message: appearances matter little in true friendships. Steig's illustrations deftly capture the emotional experience of the unlikely pair, but they also depict a number of relational themes and oppositional pairings which make this book an obvious choice for a math lesson on size, weight or distance. The image of the little mouse riding the enormous bulk of the whale is just one example of many. The book can also serve as a springboard to the study of animal habitats. The emotional final scene is an important reminder that true friendship stands the test of time.