Pistes d'exploration

Using a Venn diagram, compare and contrast life in the 1880s and now.

Discuss how James felt when he fell out of the wagon, and the reasons why he didn’t tell his parents about Louis.

Create a timeline and/or create a poster about the life of Louis Riel.

Using the recipe on the last page, make a gallette or bannock. Bring in similar flatbreads from different cultures to share with your classmates.

Write a different ending.

Discuss: Where and when does the story take place? How does Louis help James? How would you describe Louis and James?

Research Louis Riel and create a fact card with facts about him such as date of birth, home, work, childhood, family, friends, personality, accomplishments, etc.

In the book, a gallette (bannock) was a special treat that the writer’s French Canadian grandmother made. What is a special treat your family makes? Share the recipe with the class and create a class cookbook.

Write about a traditional dish your family enjoys. Describe the dish and explain who prepares it, when it is eaten, whether you enjoy it or not, etc.

As a class, collate your collective knowledge of Louis Riel and the Métis, and their significance in Canadian history. Find more information in the author’s note.

After three stormy days, James is reunited with his family. Change this scene. Rewrite it so that James shares with his parents everything that happened to him during the storm.

Write a prequel. Imagine Louis Riel’s life as a young man of your age. Your story should make links to why he eventually became the man chosen to represent the Métis.

The Old Ways

Mots-clés

Picture book , country life , family life , Louis Riel , Métis , pioneer life , Saskatchewan , storms

Commentaire descriptif

When James tumbles off his family's wagon during a raging snowstorm, a bearded, dark-haired man in a buffalo robe who calls himself “just Louis” rescues him. While James is safely holed up in Louis' cabin, he discovers the deep humanity of the mysterious man who gives him a warm place to sleep and shows him how to bake gallette, a staple of his people’s diet. The tale relies on poetic language—instead of “Nobody heard him cry out,” when James falls out of the wagon, readers discover a wind that “danced and howled as it pushed his voice back at him”—and rich, colourful paintings that depict Louis (Riel) as a warm-hearted and compassionate man with twinkling eyes. Inspired by the life of the Métis leader who spearheaded the Northwest uprising, this fictional read-aloud is an excellent resource for parents and teachers wishing to awaken their children's appetite for history. The narrative emphasizes the theme of bridging cultural differences over the dark, real-life details of Riel's treason and imprisonment. The historical note is followed up with a simple recipe for making flatbread, a variation on gallette, a food that many cultures share in Canada.