CM Volume 1 Number 11

Volume 1 Number 11

August 25, 1995

Table of Contents

Book Reviews

Franklin Goes to School.
Paulette Bourgeois. Illustrated by Brenda Clark.
Review by A. Edwardsson.
Preschool - Grade 1 / Ages 3 - 7.

The Kids Canadian Bird Book
Pamela Hackman. Illustrated by Heather Collins.
Review by Sylvia Smith and Evan Thornton.
Grades 1 - 6 / Ages 7 - 11.

Snow Watch.
Cheryl Archer. Illustrated by Pat Cupples.
Review by A. Edwardsson.
Grades 3 - 6 / Ages 8 - 11.

Journals in the Classroom.
Judith Ann Isaacs and Janine S. Brodine.
Review by Harriet Zaidman.
Grades K - 6 / Ages 4 - 12.

Video Review

The Last Harvest
Review by Duncan Thornton.
Grades 9 - 13 / Ages 13 - Adult.

Book Review

Franklin Goes to School.
Paulette Bourgeois. Illustrated by Brenda Clark.
Toronto: Kids Can Press, 1995. 32pp, paper, $4.95.
ISBN 1-55074-276-0 (cloth: $12.95, ISBN 1-55074-268-X).

Preschool - Grade 1 / Ages 3 - 7.

Review by A. Edwardsson.

excerpt:

Franklin could count by twos and tie his shoes. He could zip zippers and button buttons. But Franklin was worried about starting school. And that was a problem because Franklin was going to school for the very first time.

Paulette Bourgeois (author of Big Sarah's Little Boots and Too Many Chickens) tackles another issue of concern to preschoolers in this latest addition to the popular series featuring Franklin, a young turtle.

Franklin is excited about the idea of school. He gets up early, packs his pencil case with freshly sharpened coloured pencils, then wakes his parents. But as departure time draws near, he's not able to eat much because his tummy is ``full of jumping frogs." Halfway to the bus stop he clutches his stomach and decides he doesn't want to go to school. But as always, his parents are there to offer encouragement and reassurance.

Franklin's tummy also bothers him when his friends at the bus stop boast that they can already read and write. When the bus arrives the others climb aboard, but Franklin grabs his parents and ``kept hugging even after his friends had found seats." Attentive readers will pick up on the signs that Franklin's friends are also nervous: `` `Do you think there's a bathroom at school?' asked Beaver, fidgeting in her seat."

Their new teacher, Mr. Owl, is waiting for their arrival, and soon everyone but Franklin is involved in an activity. The kindly teacher approaches Franklin and through a supportive conversation, boosts Franklin's self-esteem and re-kindles his excitement about school and learning. From then on, there's no stopping him. On the ride home, ``he was so busy having fun that he almost forgot to get off at his stop."

The First-Day-of-School theme will appeal to youngsters fascinated with that early milestone, and Franklin's parents model behaviour that other parents might envy (though it's not really the norm these days to have both parents on hand to walk children to and from school or the bus stop).

Brenda Clark's cheerful illustrations capture Franklin's anxieties and the loving concern of his parents for their only child. Pictures on each page still allow room for a clear typeface. Young readers will enjoy touches like the ladybug on the stack of pancakes and the authentic fly pie.

There are two minor visual distractions. The rubber boots in the classroom scene obviously couldn't fit the paws/feet of any of the student animals shown. More confusingly, as the story begins, Franklin is pictured climbing onto the bus -- but the text of the next few pages has him waking and preparing for his first day and then heading for the bus stop.

But these are quibbles, and the story moves along nicely to a satisfying and reassuring conclusion. This book would be a valuable addition for preschools, daycares, kindergartens, and probably grade one classrooms.

Highly recommended.

A. Edwardsson is in charge of the Children's Department at a branch of the Winnipeg Public Library. She has a Bachelor of Education degree and a Child Care Worker III certification, and is a member of the Manitoba branch of the Canadian Authors' Association.

Book Review

The Kids Canadian Bird Book.
Pamela Hackman. Illustrated by Heather Collins.
Toronto: Kids Can Press, Year. 32pp, cloth, $14.95.
ISBN 1-55074-196-9.

Grades 1 - 6 / Ages 7 - 11.

Review by Sylvia Smith and Evan Thornton.

This is the latest instalment in the ``Kids Canadian" series from Kids Can Press. From the same writing/illustrating team as the Kids Canadian Tree Book, it sets out to provide children aged seven to eleven with an introduction to birds.

The goal is laudable. Encouraging kids' natural curiosity about any sort of wildlife is a sensible starting place to begin educating about the environment, and birds are accessible even for city kids who can't get away to the cottage or a campsite.

The pleasing layout smoothly takes the reader through topics including bird feeding, bird families, birds in winter, and migration -- and pops in quick facts on ``amazing birds," like the Calliope Hummingbird, the little bird that's the same length as a stick of gum.

Taken as a whole, however, this book doesn't quite hit the mark.

The most captivating thing about bird watching is that it is actually like a treasure hunt, and one you get better at the more you find out about what you are looking for. The three hundred-or-so bird species most provinces have to offer the bird watcher provide years of surprises and exiting firsts, the thrill of the chase and the satisfaction of the defendable sighting. It's ideal for the type of young person that likes keeping lists, or finding answers to tricky questions. This book doesn't really ever speak to this kind of kid.

Though well meant, The Kids Canadian Bird Book seems to treat birds as just another topic to chug through with a combination of workmanlike text and drawings that falls short of the current standard in bird illustration. The same style of illustration that worked well in the Tree instalment of the series renders the species of some of the smaller songbirds difficult to identify, although to be fair, larger birds such as herons and gannets are done well.

Some advice the book gives needs a word of caution. At one point the author suggests that loons can be attracted by playing tapes of other loons calling. This technique has been much abused in certain areas and is nowadays usually discouraged, as it can disturb breeding birds and cause them to abandon their nests (it's akin to someone standing outside your window at night with a megaphone, calling your name until you go crazy). Loons in particular are very susceptible to such disturbance.

Although it's not specifically Canadian, for an extra five dollars you could buy Peterson's Introduction to Birds. It's a better investment for curious young people, and unlike this book, the Peterson will fit in a child's coat pocket when they are out bird-watching.

Recommended with reservations.

Sylvia Smith is a parent and teacher; Evan Thornton is a parent and bird-watcher. They live in Ottawa.

Book Review

Snow Watch.
Cheryl Archer. Illustrated by Pat Cupples.
Toronto: Kids Can Press. 56pp, paper, $9.95.
ISBN 1-55074-190-X.

Grades 3 - 6 / Ages 8 - 11.

Review by A. Edwardsson.

excerpt:

A snowflake that lands on your glove has just finished a journey that started with a speck of water in the clouds above you. Imagine if you could look inside a cloud and follow that journey from the very beginning.

Adults and children have different views on snow. The former dread the shovelling and dream of heading south to escape it. Children, on the other hand, are fascinated with it. Snow Watch encourages their interest, providing a multitude of facts and activities involving snow.

During the ten years she worked as a park naturalist, author Cheryl Archer conducted winter workshops and school programs for children. This book contains a variety of child-tested experiments that kids can conduct by themselves -- children could dip into this collection at any point and be hooked.

Each section of Snow Watch begins with a lively factual introduction (``Can you imagine having snow on the ground for nine months of the year? That's what it would be like if you lived in the Arctic.") The conversational style draws the reader through the text and encourages further questions.

Archer prefaces each experiment with a short list of common household equipment needed, poses several questions to direct the activity, and then follows each experiment with an explanation of the process. The index breaks the study of snow into topics (for example, ``Glaciers," or ``Plants in snow") that cover two to four pages each.

Illustrations by Pat Cupples, whose other works include Weatherwatch and Discover: Mysteries of the Past, adorn each page. Although the pictures often form a backdrop for the text, this is not a distraction. The delightful watercolour illustrations are lighthearted, yet accurate; the children and adults portrayed are from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and are neither stereotyped nor too cartoon-like.

Other snow books available often concentrate strictly on the technical information. This book, with its interactive approach, will appeal to a variety of grades and would be a useful addition for elementary schools. It could be used to enhance the curriculum and would also interest leisure readers.

Highly recommended.

A. Edwardsson is in charge of the Children's Department at a branch of the Winnipeg Public Library. She has a Bachelor of Education degree and a Child Care Worker III certification, and is a member of the Manitoba branch of the Canadian Authors' Association.

Book Review

Journals in the Classroom.
Judith Ann Isaacs and Janine S. Brodine.
Winnipeg: Peguis Publishers, 1994. 124pp, paper, $17.00.
ISBN 1-895411-69-6.

Grades K - 6 / Ages 4 - 12.

Review by Harriet Zaidman.

excerpt:

. . . go slowly, introduce one idea at a time, and allow both the children and yourself to become comfortable with journaling. Keep thinking of how those basketballs bounce off the backboard and expect to see as misses as scores.

The sub-title of this book is ``A Complete Guide for the Elementary Teacher," which sums up the contents of this clearly written and practical guide to teaching journal-writing in the elementary school. The authors are both highly experienced in teaching writing, literacy skills, and everything related, and this book is the product of work done for a course they developed on teaching journal-writing to teachers.

Writing in a journal (or log) is a common practice in schools nowadays, but many teachers find the pressures of the daily school work leads them to neglect the journal-writing activity.

So the sports analogy in the excerpt above is appropriate. Without trying over and over, without coaching, one might have all the natural talent in the world, but it would never be refined and developed to its peak. The same holds for reading and writing; they are skills that improve with practice.

Journals in the Classroom provides step-by-step analysis of the theory behind journal-writing, types of journals, different techniques that can be used (free-writing, listing, altered point of view, and unsent letters, to mention only a few), how to introduce journals (including a section on parental involvement), journals across the curriculum, lessons, activities and unit plans, and more. It includes a question-and-answer section, pointers on using journals in different learning situations, and advice on the evaluation process.

The authors stress that successful journal-writing must take place on a daily basis, and that it takes two to three years for teachers to fully develop their skills in teaching journal-writing. Using the myriad hands-on suggestions provided here as a guide, teachers have ample opportunity to find the teaching style and type of journal that suit them and the needs of their curriculum.

Journals in the Classroom is an excellent resource to have on hand through an entire school year, from kindergarten to grade six. It also has many ideas applicable to secondary grades.

Highly Recommended.

Harriet Zaidman is a Winnipeg teacher/librarian.

Video Review

The Last Harvest.
Harvest Productions, 1994. VHS, 48 minutes.
Distributed by Moving Images Distribution
606-402 West Pender St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 1T6.
Voice/fax: (800) 684-3014.

Grades 9 - 13 / Ages 13 - Adult

Review by Duncan Thornton

excerpt:

In the first function that I ever saw them was the first of July celebration, and the Ohamas were all there, and they were shy, and I guess we were shy, but they were also different, and the surprising thing to me was, the reason they were different was because they were city people and they were very well dressed, and we were not. And we just weren't used to looking at people that were dressed as well as what the Ohamas were at that time.

-- A farmer describes getting to know the Ohamas, a Japanese-Canadian family.

The Last Harvest is a documentary that tells an unfortunately familiar story: a prairie family forced off their farm. But the Ohamas' story is also a peculiarly Canadian one; for the Ohamas are Japanese Canadians who have been farming in southern Alberta since they lost their fishing business and were expelled from British Columbia as enemy aliens during the Second World War.

So the film is also about the multi-cultural identity that has grown in this country. The Ohamas are certainly Japanese -- the film begins with footage of them laying paper cranes in their fields as part of an annual harvest ritual -- yet also typical Western-Canadian farmers, down to accent and tractor caps. The soundtrack reflects the Ohamas' own cultural mix: the evocative background music is played on Japanese instruments; the theme song, ``Great Plains" is by Ian Tyson.

Visual artist Linda Ohama, part of the third generation of her family on the land is also the film-maker and narrator. She begins by setting the scene for the occasion of the film -- their last harvest -- and introducing her family. Then we dip back into time, as she tells how the Ohamas came to farm the land, a story fleshed out with archival photographs.

Throughout, The Last Harvest is a little too expository. For example, we have enough shots of Ohama's father, George, sitting in a lawn chair staring over the fields that we don't need to be told that he's ``the quiet reflective one." Many of the visuals are similarly unimaginative; although there are haunting shots of family figures in Japanese costume striding through the dusty plains, in country whose land and weather exist on an immense scale, there are disappointingly few shots that realize the epic potential of the setting or story.

But the story is remarkable. That the family struggled through the persecutions of the War and pioneered potato farming in a land considered too arid to support it -- becoming champion growers in the process -- suggests their strength of will and determination. In this case, it's a quality that was passed down from the grandmother, who immigrated to Canada as a ``picture bride," to marry a man she had never met. It was she (already widowed) who preserved the family by establishing them in Vancouver after a first, unsuccessful attempt at farming during the depression, and she who led the family for the first decades after the war forced them out of Vancouver and back onto the land.

As farmers, the Ohamas faced not only the challenges of farming in a harsh land, but also substantial prejudice. When they began, no one in the cities would buy produce from them, and Alberta law did not allow anyone of Japanese descent to lease land. Not surprisingly, perhaps, it was their neighbouring farmers who were first ready to defy regulations and buy the Ohamas' produce, and who first learned to treat the Ohamas with the respect they deserved. One of the nicest sequences in the film is a harvest gathering where the Japanese Ohamas and their Scotch-, Irish-, and English-descended neighbours dance together to a country band.

But the film is about the last harvest, and the story finishes with a brief account of how for all their skill and perseverance, high debt and low income have driven the Ohamas off the land, like tens of thousands of other Canadian farm families in the last few years. The family's mixture of grief and acceptance (``For fifty years my family have been stewards of the land; now it's time to pass it on," Ohama says in voice-over) is moving.

So it seems rude in light of a tragedy borne with so much dignity to carp, but the film-maker leaves the larger issues unexplored. For example, it seems to be a given for Ohama, who ends theLast Harvest with a plea for support for the family farm, that farmers should get higher prices for their produce and more support from the government, but is the issue really so clear?

There is plenty of profitable potato-growing country in Canada, but also a great deal of marginal farmland that shouldn't have been under cultivation in the first place -- and we aren't given information to know where the Ohamas' pioneering operation fits into that picture. And perhaps the traditional family farm, like the old corner grocery store, is simply an economic unit that is no longer efficient compared with larger operations modern methods make possible. Or perhaps not; but the film-maker begs the question.

On the whole, however, the Ohamas' story leaves you feeling both admiration and a sort of vicarious pride in their having overcome the adversity of both the land and the culture of this country.

The Last Harvest has won many awards, including:

Recommended.

Duncan Thornton is the editor of Canadian Materials.

Copyright © 1995 the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

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