Pistes d'exploration

Discuss moving to another home. How would it feel? What would you miss?

The main character lives in a trailer. How is this type of home different from other homes? What are its advantages and disadvantages?

Draw and write about the places you would remember most if you had to leave your hometown like the girl in the story.

On a map of Canada, find and locate the story's setting. Flag places mentioned in the story and mark where you live. Discuss what you notice about the provinces and capital cities.

Identify the Canadian animals in the story. Create a poster about the animals and find out some facts about them (fox, moose, wolf, frog).

Discuss moving to another home. How would it feel? What would you miss?

The main character lives in a trailer. How is this type of home different from other homes? What are its advantages and disadvantages?

Draw and write about the places you would remember most if you had to leave your hometown like the girl in the story.

On a map of Canada, find and locate the story’s setting. Flag places mentioned in the story and mark where you live. Discuss what you notice about the provinces and capital cities.

Identify the Canadian animals in the story. Create a poster about the animals and find out some facts about them (fox, moose, wolf, frog).

Clancy & Millie and the Very Fine House, Pushes & Pulls: Why Do People Migrate?, TheMatchbox Diary, Where's Jamela?, Let's Go!: The Story of Getting From There to Here, Me and Mr. Mah, One Hockey Night, Josepha: A Prairie Boy's Story

Mots-clés

Picture book , changes , city and country life , first-person narration , moving (household) , place , self-confidence , unknown

Commentaire descriptif

“Soon everyone will all be leaving.” A little girl recounts the details of her life on a dam-construction project in the wilderness. Told from the point of view of the Grade 3 narrator, and based on the author’s own childhood experience, this story gives young readers a fascinating peek at a unique lifestyle in Canada: the two short rows of trailers that make up the entire community; the howling wolves in her forest backyard; the school with nine desks for its nine students. The exquisite, considered paintings contain echoes of the fine art traditions of early Inuit art and Canadian landscape paintings, with a child-friendly sensibility. The language is simple with a lyrical lilt: “I know this road, the one I am walking on.” Tactile details plant young readers in the experience: “the pine needles soft like a quilt under my feet” and “the fox’s damp fur smell.” As if in a song, readers are always brought back to the child’s twin refrains, “I know” and “I have seen.” This book is a pleasure to read aloud. The beautifully rendered end pages, which depict a map showing the site of the little girl’s present home near Nipawin, Saskatchewan, and its relation to Toronto, her destination, are useful for discussion. In a delightful touch, the markings on the map mimic the markings made by the little girl’s teacher during class.