Pistes d'exploration

Tom travels the world, yet his mother and father see “just work and more work.” Discuss why they have this outlook. Would Tom agree or disagree with their statement?

Do you think Tom will settle down on the farm when he returns home or will he want to continue traveling? What if you were in Tom’s shoes? In pairs, discuss your answers.

Imagine you are a travel agent and can go anywhere in the world. Create and present a pamphlet or video promoting your destination. 

Learn more about life in the 1800-1900s. What other types of manual labour jobs were there? If you could travel back in time, what job would you like to have? Create a journal entry about your life back then.

Sequence Tom’s story using a graphic organizer. Identify the places he goes and the work he does while he is there. Include other crafts and trades mentioned in the book. 

Discuss where we get the luxury products depicted in the book (spices, teas, etc.) and how we use them today. What are some luxury products of today? 

Find the section on the trades of Tom’s time (1840). Research the Canadian trades, economy and transportation of that era.

Discuss and research how things changed before and after mechanization and the discovery of electricity. Use a KWL chart to note your findings. Share your findings through a media presentation.

Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World, All Aboard!: Elijah McCoy's Steam Engine

Mots-clés

Picture book , around the world , city and country life , differences , journeys , pioneer life , travel , work

Commentaire descriptif

Young Tom goes to town, even though his parents assure him that life is the same everywhere. Elegant description and spare dialogue capture Tom’s travel experiences. “‘Buy my pots,’ sang out a boy with a scraggly puppy at his heels. ‘Buy my tarts.’” Performing different jobs, Tom makes his way to the port and lands beyond: “Haul the sheets and tend the rigging, boy. It’s all work and more work.” Exquisite, mannered illustrations use fine textures and sharply defined forms to depict detailed landscapes of an earlier time. Richly coloured dyes of India are heaped in the foreground, as Tom receives a packet of indigo. Muted blue-grays depict Tom lying high in the ship’s rigging as he nibbles cinnamon bark from Ceylon. In the end, children may wish to consider the differing viewpoints of Tom and his parents, when he finally returns home with a sack of souvenirs. “‘Everywhere in the world people are busy making beautiful things,’ Tom said. ‘Just as I thought,’ his father said. ‘I told you so,’ his mother said. ‘Wherever you go—just work and more work.’” Back material offers historic details about the work Tom encounters.