Pistes d'exploration

Identify the fairy tales on the page with the goose who lays a golden egg. Read any unfamiliar tales; get reacquainted with old favorites. List the characteristics most often associated with fairy tales.

Brainstorm a list of genres. Name the literary conventions the author uses to help the reader recognize the genres in the book. Discuss how the illustrations support the genre and ultimately lead to a better understanding of the story.

This story introduces us to a family and the roles they play. Discuss whether you think the girl will grow up to be an author or choose a different job. Write the story of your family. What job would you like to have one day?

Before turning the page where the girl wants to go look for her story, imagine what her story could be.

On the page where the goose laid an egg (and the following page), identify the English names for the stories. Research any unfamiliar ones. Choose one to read for pleasure. 

Discuss the genres and book elements found in the story. Collect them on an anchor chart. As a reminder, list the expressions related to specific genres. 

Given the information in the book, write the little girl’s story. 

The Children Who Loved Books

Mots-clés

Adventure , Picture book , books , characters in fairy tales , family life , genres , speech bubbles

Commentaire descriptif

“Once, in a book by Mordicai Gerstein. . .there lived a family of characters.” Everyone—parents, brother, dog, cat, fish—has their own story; everyone, that is, except the youngest girl, who takes off in search of hers. Thus begins this clever, imaginative book about the desire for meaning and sense in our lives. The girl’s quest takes her into the world of fairy tales, mystery stories, historical fiction and science fiction, until she finally decides to become the author of her own story. Entertaining and informative, the story dissolves the boundaries between reader and writerillustrator and introduces children to the conventions of literary genre, reading and writing. Told in circular fashion, the protagonist’s story becomes the very one that readers are reading. Each busy double-spread is from the vantage point of the reader, who seems to be looking down onto the open pages from the balcony of the theatre. The adventure-filled, often chaotic scenes include humorous speech bubbles referencing plots and dialogue from classic children’s literature. This book may well encourage both aspiring and reluctant writers to pen a story of their own.