Pistes d'exploration

Discuss what happened to the children in the story. Clarify the meaning and purpose of land mines. 

Write a response to the book.

Research the different organizations that help get rid of land mines (UNICEF, Halo Project, Marshall Legacy Institute, etc.). Find out and share with the class what is being done to stop the use of land mines.

Discuss what happened to the children in the story. 

Compare the children’s lifestyle in the book to your own. Compare health issues found in the book vs. those in Canada.

Research aid organizations that help get rid of land mines (UNICEF, Halo Project, Marshall Legacy Institute, etc.). Find out and share with the class what is being done to stop the use of landmines.

Research aid organizations that help children in Canada/Québec deal with health issues (Montréal Children’s Hospital, Starlight Wish Foundation, etc.). Make a poster to explain the work of these organizations.

Discuss the idea of adopting a reading stance to construct meaning. Through a series of think-alouds, consider ways to construct an aesthetic (relate to the text on a personal level) or efferent (focus on the topic or issue and the way the text is constructed) reading of the text.

In response groups, discuss initial interpretations of the text. Share and analyze connections and examples from the written and visual elements.

Following these discussions, develop a considered response to the text by adopting one or more reading stance(s). Share the response with peers.

Analyze the book cover and note any predictions in a notebook. Do a think-pair-share.

Using only the illustrations (do not read the text), tell the story with a partner, alternating pages.

Research Canada’s involvement in removing landmines around the world. Find a creative way to share the information with your peers.

Goal!, A Good Trade, TheRoad to Afghanistan, TheRoses in My Carpets

Mots-clés

Picture book , bombs , children and war , overcoming adversity , perseverance , physical disabilities , violence , war

Commentaire descriptif

This book takes on its violent and challenging subject matter with grace and simplicity. War seems distant for Marwa and her friends. The smoke and explosions do not reach their village. They have work in the fields, they have animals to care for and they love to play soccer. Both the language and the illustrations manage to depict the horrors of war in a straightforward, factual manner, free from sensationalism. “They were bombs, someone said. We heard a few explosions, then an eerie silence fell. No birds sang.” In one image, a toy-like bomb lies nestled among wildflowers, while two friends play ball in the distant background. The illustrator’s abstract, painterly approach is ideal for expressing the bomb’s damage, with red liverish colours dominating symbolic broken figures. Children will appreciate the power of the human spirit as Marwa recounts Ahmad’s slow return to a full life. Ahmad’s experience may be an extreme one, but all children will relate to his struggles to overcome andor accommodate physical challenges. “Ahmad no longer plays goalkeeper on the soccer field in our village, but he has become the best coach we’ve ever had.” Readers of all ages will agree with Marwa when she says, “I’m really proud of him.”