For reasons that do not require any further explanation, there has probably not been a better time than now for Canadian children to begin learning about the who, what, where and when of their own country and why it remains so different from some other countries — especially the one just across the line.
As Canadian senator Frederick W. Gershaw described sa国际传媒: “There is a thousand miles of forest, a thousand miles of plain, a thousand miles of mountains, And then the sea again.”
Teaching children about Canadian geography and history, even at a young age, should spark curiosity about sa国际传媒 well beyond Gershaw’s sparse description, while at the same time encouraging exploration about who we are as Canadians.
Even so, it has never been easy to find children’s books that are high interest/low vocabulary and that at the same time cover sa国际传媒’s amazing complexity of inter-relating geography and history alongside our hodgepodge of cultures.
So where to begin looking for age- and reading-ability-appropriate books that will also engage kids with such a complex topic as sa国际传媒?
An excellent start would be Cowichan Valley author Teresa Schapansky’s “Along The Way” series, an informative and colourfully illustrated set of little books geared toward children between the ages of five and 12.
Through the character of Albert the Dinosaur (Albertosaurus), the author introduces readers to intriguing facts about sa国际传媒’s history as far back as the Mesozoic and Cretaceous eras, along with uncomplicated explanations about sa国际传媒’s still emerging geography and cultures.
Young readers are introduced to Grade 1 student Jade, older sister to brother Dorian, and their magical friend Albert the dinosaur who becomes the author’s voice and takes Jade and Dorian, along with his young readers, on a tour across sa国际传媒’s 10 provinces and three territories.
Every one of the 12 “Along the Way Books,” each about 30 to 40 pages and maybe 3,500 to 4,000 words, has been meticulously researched by the author and entertainingly illustrated by Schapansky’s Cowichan Valley neighbour Elly Mossman.
On their journey across the nation, readers, alongside Jade and Dorian and guided by Albert the dinosaur, learn about Alberta’s Writing-on Stone Provincial Park, Vegreville’s giant Pysanka, and the 50 species of dinosaur fossils at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller.
Readers also learn that Saskatchewan has Manitou Lake, one of five lakes in the world with enough salt and minerals to enable people to float without any flotation device, and discover the part Saskatchewan played in the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
These are not highly academic analyses of the history and geography of Canadian provinces and territories, but they are the kind of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! facts that fascinate kids and keep them reading.
In Manitoba, the author, through her alter-ego Albertosaurus, examines what wind is and why there are different kinds of clouds. Ontario, kids learn, has the Great Lakes Basin, home to many species of wildlife, plants birds, fish and insects. Quebec, on the other hand, has a unique history and also produces 75% of the maple syrup in the world. There are even hand-drawn illustrations describing how the syrup is produced.
As a soon-to-be first-time grandfather myself, Schapansky’s 12 little books already have me looking six or so years ahead and Googling some of the places, peoples, histories and national quirks Albert the Dino introduces to Jade and Dorian.
Beyond a simple read-through, each “Along The Way” book can definitely inspire curiosity about sa国际传媒, its geography, history and range of cultures — and these days, kids have ample access to technology that can support and satisfy that curiosity.
The books also include an addendum of “Albert’s Facts” where the young reader can find out more about terms in boldface in the text (“fossils, boy did I find a cool website about fossils”) and places like the Rocky Mountains (“wowee! the Rocky Mountains stretch all the way from sa国际传媒 to New Mexico”).
High/low books like the “Along The Way” series can help build reading fluency, vocabulary, background knowledge and interest in reading. The very best high/low books provide these supports invisibly, so young readers don’t feel that they are reading “books for babies.”
Research tells us that early readers are often given books to read that are on their frustration level, only feeding the “I can’t” mantra. We also sometimes make the mistake of handing them books that seem baby-ish and that turn kids off reading at all.
But as poet Maya Angelou wrote: “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of a child’s deep and continuing needs, is good for that child.”
Geoff Johnson is a former superintendent of schools.
