Rainy Days with Children in Tow can be Daunting
…. Why Not Read!
In a previous blog, I shared how I would explain to my classes that existing in a classroom for an entire year was like taking a trip across Canada with your family in one train car. It can be intense, and it requires patience, compassion, and great communication skills. I would periodically refer to this metaphor throughout the year as a reminder of our journey. Rainy days are similar to being stuck in a train car with the same people for an entire trip. Books are a great way to offer an entertaining distraction.
Last week I dropped off a copy of Abbey’s Dental Jewel to Comox’s Books4Brains. While there I found this delightful picture book “Carson Crosses Canada” by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Kass Reich. Immediately I picked it up, enjoying the story about elderly Annie Magruder and her pet dog Carson’s trip driving across Canada. They begin their trip in Tofino and end in Newfoundland visiting Annie’s sister who is in need of cheering up. This great rainy-day book for families, highlights locations in almost all of the provinces across Canada. Kass Reich’s watercolour illustrations are endearing and capture the beauty and spirit of each of these provincial landmarks. The ending brought a smile and tear to my eye.
If I was teaching, I would certainly use this book with my metaphor of traveling across Canada or during Canadian studies. As a parent or grandparent, it would be a great book to springboard from to study Canada. I would follow Annie’s travels, doing further research on each province. I would suggest to the children to research other places Annie could visit on her way home. This would be a great book to have if a family did make a trip across Canada, adding their own posit note reflections which could be placed on the book’s corresponding pages.
“Carson Crosses Canada” by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Kass Reich is a whimsical and informative picture book that offers great value as a springboard for additional activity. A great rainy-day book for the family!
