scholarly journals Gustave by R. Simard

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Deakin
Keyword(s):  
Young Mouse ◽  
School Librarian ◽  
Special Relationship ◽  
Grammar School ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Primary School Student ◽  
Look Back ◽  
Living Mouse ◽  
Childhood Loss ◽  
Little Mouse

Simard, Rémy . Gustave.  Illus. Pierre Pratt. Groundwood Books, 2014. Print.A young mouse has been playing with his friend, Gustav, just a little too far from home, and tragedy has struck. Pierre Pratt signals despair and disaster in the blackened pages and the first two words, “He’s gone.”  The grim grey streets echo a little mouse’s grief and fear, for it is a cat who has seized Gustav. “Run. Escape.” The mouse cries on his way home, worried about what his mother will say.Just a moment… black as the story seems, grim as the dark colours are that echo the mouse’s grief, look back. Look at the eyes of the two little mice as they cling. Are Gustav’s eyes those of a living mouse, or are they those of a toy?All is dark, only to become lighter as the mouse reaches home and tells his mother what has happened. She comforts him, and when he is calm, she takes him to a cupboard where there is another little stuffed mouse with Gustav’s button eyes. The little mouse looks, little mouse eyes to toy mouse’s button eyes. The young mouse finds that he can like his new toy.Rémy Simard’s tale expresses that deep affection for a toy that brings it alive in a special relationship -  think of Christopher Robin and Pooh. The loss of that toy may be devastating, but it can be relieved by an understanding adult and the coming of a new companion.A strong short tale completed by sensitive illustrations express first terror and then love and relief. That first childhood loss of a beloved companion, a teddy left on the bus, a doll abandoned at a picnic, whatever the scenario, here is the dark world of that loss and the warm comfort of a new companion.The tale may be seemingly too dark for many young children to read on their own. This is a book to share where re-assurance can make this expression of a first loss a story to appreciate.Recommended:   3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Andrea DeakinAndrea has been involved with books since she was class librarian in Primary School, Student Librarian in Grammar School, student librarian for the Education Faculty when she was a student, and school librarian in schools both in England and in Canada, except for the first two years in Canada where she arrived in 1959. When she retired from teaching ( English and History) she was invited to review in February 1971, and continued to review for press, radio, and finally on the Internet (Deakin Newsletter from Okanagan College) until she retired in 2011. Forty years seemed sufficient- although she still cannot keep her nose out of good children's and YA fare.

Little Chicken Duck by T. Beiser

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Deakin
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Bald Eagle ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Internet ◽  
School Librarian ◽  
Grammar School ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Education Faculty ◽  
Primary School Student ◽  
As If

Beiser.Tim. Little Chicken Duck. Illus. Bill Slavin. Toronto, ON: Tundra Books, 2013. Print. When a duckling refuses a frog’s invitation to jump into the water and paddle, the frog introduces her to the other birds and asks them to reassure her. One by one they confess the fears they faced when they were young. The owl mistook fireflies for goblins’ eyes, the lark was afraid to sing, and the robin hated getting wet. Each bird they meet tells a tale of overcoming their fears until the duckling is playing happily in the water. But what, the duckling wonders, made the frog afraid when he was a pollywog? The frog admits it was ducks.Little Chicken Duck is an amusing introduction to facing one’s fears. The rhymes are strong and designed to allow young voices to join in while an adult reads aloud, and Bill Slavin’s illustrations are, as always, bold, brightly coloured and inviting. The animals’ fears are portrayed with character and humour. My favourite, an American bald eagle, dramatically pronounces his fear of thunderstorms as if he were holding forth on centre stage: with his beak powerfully declaiming, his wing thrust out for emphasis and with pointed claws. A child may not catch all of what Slavin is portraying, but then something must be left to trigger an adult’s sense of humour as they read.Recommended stars: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Andrea DeakinAndrea has been involved with books since she was class librarian in Primary School, Student Librarian in Grammar School, student librarian for the Education Faculty when she was a student, and school librarian in schools both in England and in Canada, except for the first two years in Canada where she arrived in 1959. When she retired from teaching ( English and History) she was invited to review in February 1971, and continued to review for press, radio, and finally on the Internet (Deakin Newsletter from Okanagan College) until she retired in 2011. Forty years seemed sufficient- although she still cannot keep her nose out of good children's and YA fare.

scholarly journals Skink on the Brink by L. Dalrymple

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Deakin
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Primary School ◽  
The Internet ◽  
School Librarian ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Grammar School ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Education Faculty ◽  
Primary School Student

Dalrymple, Lisa. Skink on the Brink. Illus. Suzanne del Rizzo. Markham: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 2013. Print.Stewie is a little skink, a member of an endangered species, and therefore very much “on the brink”. We meet young Stewie and his very blue tail as he enjoys life by a pond. Here in the forest he engages with other creatures, including a hungry weasel who pounces on him. The skink is safe, but his tail has popped off, leaving him free to escape the weasel’s clutches. Back grows the tail as beautiful as ever.However as Stewie grows he changes, and the beautiful blue tail is now a dull grey. Nothing feels right. Trying to escape the changes that are happening to him and mourning the loss of his blue tail, Stewie makes for a new pond. Here he meets a wise woodpecker who helps him to accept the changes in his colour as part of “growing up “. He sends Stewie back to his home pond, now more sure of himself and happy to be home.This gentle story of accepting the changes that growing up brings, and therefore accepting and loving yourself, is illustrated in lively pictures sculpted in modelling clay. The fine sense of texture and lively presentation complement the story well.Skink on the Brink won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award (Canada) for 2014.Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Andrea DeakinAndrea has been involved with books since she was class librarian in Primary School, Student Librarian in Grammar School, student librarian for the Education Faculty when she was a student, and school librarian in schools both in England and in Canada, except for the first two years in Canada where she arrived in 1959. When she retired from teaching ( English and History) she was invited to review in February 1971, and continued to review for press, radio, and finally on the Internet (Deakin Newsletter from Okanagan College) until she retired in 2011. Forty years seemed sufficient- although she still cannot keep her nose out of good children's and YA fare.

scholarly journals The Magnificent Tree by N. Bland

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Deakin
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
The Internet ◽  
School Librarian ◽  
Grammar School ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Education Faculty ◽  
Primary School Student ◽  
Set Up ◽  
First Time

Bland, Nick. The Magnificent Tree. Illus. Stephen Michael King. Toronto: Scholastic Canada, 2013. Print.“Bonny and Pop were always bursting with ideas. Bonny’s ideas are clever yet simple, Pop’s are “big, brave and brilliant.” Nick Bland’s direct, down-to-earth text is constantly “set up” by Stephen King’s wildly inventive illustrations. Thus, when Bonny and Pop decide they wish to encourage the birds to stay nearby, they set about making a tree, each in their own way. Pop’s method is, as you may guess, big and brave, indeed his idea is so complex “it could not fit in his head all at once”. Bonny’s is simple- it basically fits into the palm of her hand. The results are fantastic, and simple, and “Just perfect.”This seems a simple story, but it has so much wit, gentleness and creativity in it, and so much to discover- both obvious and implied, that there are hours of pleasure in it.Each way of looking at life, Bonny’s or Pop’s, and each unique creation gives a text that is simple and clever and illustrations that are both bold and brave.This is the first time that the Australian author and illustrator have worked together.  May the partnership continue.Highly Recommended: 4 out of  4 starsReviewer: Andrea DeakinAndrea has been involved with books since she was class librarian in Primary School, Student Librarian in Grammar School, student librarian for the Education Faculty when she was a student, and school librarian in schools both in England and in Canada, except for the first two years in Canada where she arrived in 1959. When she retired from teaching ( English and History) she was invited to review in February 1971, and continued to review for press, radio, and finally on the Internet (Deakin Newsletter from Okanagan College) until she retired in 2011. Forty years seemed sufficient- although she still cannot keep her nose out of good children's and YA fare.

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated by K. DiCamillo

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Deakin
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Just In Time ◽  
The Internet ◽  
School Librarian ◽  
Grammar School ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Vacuum Cleaner ◽  
Fatal Accident ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Primary School Student

DiCamillo, Kate. Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated. Illus. K. G. Campbell. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2013. Print.The Tickhams have acquired a new, vigorous vacuum cleaner. It is far beyond Mrs. Tickham’s Control. Next door, Flora is reading about The Amazing Incandesto while skilfully ignoring her mother who, in any case, is up to her eyes writing romance novels. A powerful noise outside attracts Flora’s attention: Mrs. Tickham’s new cleaner is making directly for an innocent little squirrel. Flora is just in time to see the squirrel vacuumed up before it can react.Running gallantly to the squirrel’s relief Flora succeeds in saving the poor thin creature (well, half of its fur has been vacuumed away). Without hesitation she administers CPR and revives a remarkable creature: part squirrel (he is always hungry) and part Super Squirrel. The potentially fatal accident has left a squirrel gifted with: strength, the ability to fly, and a gift for poetry (if not spelling). Flora now has a friend, a companion, and a little trouble ahead.Relying on her favourite books “Terrible Things Can Happen to You” and “The Criminal Element”, Flora becomes involved with Ulysses the squirrel in a series of adventures that heal hearts, mend wounds, and expose truths. There are possibilities for trust, for friendship and for love - prompted by the affection of a unique squirrel plus Flora’s intelligence, perception and good heart. Many things are healed by them both, reconciliations are achieved and misunderstandings cleared.The squirrel sums up some of it in his poem to Flora:Nothingwould beeasier withoutyou, because you areeverything,all of it-sprinkles, quarks, giantdonuts, eggs sunny-side up-youare the ever-expandinguniverseto meFlora and Ulysses is a funny, sensitive, perceptive and thoroughly enjoyable book housing two unique heroes. It is one of Kate DiCamillo’s finest.Flora and Ulyssesis this year’s winner of the Newbery Medal.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Andrea DeakinAndrea has been involved with books since she was class librarian in Primary School, Student Librarian in Grammar School, student librarian for the Education Faculty when she was a student, and school librarian in schools both in England and in Canada, except for the first two years in Canada where she arrived in 1959. When she retired from teaching ( English and History) she was invited to review in February 1971, and continued to review for press, radio, and finally on the Internet (Deakin Newsletter from Okanagan College) until she retired in 2011. Forty years seemed sufficient- although she still cannot keep her nose out of good children's and YA fare.

scholarly journals Oddrey by D. Whamond

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Deakin
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Internet ◽  
School Librarian ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Wizard Of Oz

Whamond, Dave. Oddrey. Toronto: Owlkids Books, 2012. Print Oddrey is different. "Her father said she danced to the beat of her own drum" - and a creative and colourful dance it is. Even her dog says, "Meow". When the children build snowmen Oddrey creates a colourful igloo. When the children have light bulbs of understanding, Oddrey has an elaborate chandelier. With Oddrey, all things are colourful, different and new. It is difficult, but inspiring, to sing in the rain when everyone else is miserably wet. It is hard to be cheery when others do not understand or appreciate you. "Sometimes Oddrey felt lonely." Everything changes when the good-natured Oddrey, cast against type as a very plain tree in "The Wizard of Oz", realizes that all is not going well and sets about helping the other students to remember their lines and dealing with a damaged stage set. Not only are her classmates grateful and accepting, they take a creative leaf from Oddrey's book and shine in their own way. This is a book to share, for there is so much to find in pictures that express, comment on, and enlarge the story. Lonely Oddrey works a complicated cat's cradle while lines of children strictly follow each other through the play station. After Oddrey's rescue, the same area is surrounded by children, hanging from the station, skidding down the slides in all kinds of inventive dress, walking on their hands, riding unicycles, all freed to be creative and adventurous, by a happy Oddrey. Dave Whamond's book is an engaging and witty celebration of creativity and an endorsement of being truly, and without fear, yourself. Oddrey's positive and sunny attitude enriches those around her and allows them to reach out and experiment too. Recommendation: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Andrea DeakinAndrea has been involved with books since she was class librarian in Primary School; she later served as school librarian in schools both in England and in Canada, except for the first two years in Canada where she arrived in 1959. When she retired from teaching ( English and History) she was invited to review in February 1971, and continued to review for press, radio, and finally on the Internet (Deakin Newsletter from Okanagan College) until she retired in 2011. Forty years seemed sufficient, although she still cannot keep her nose out of good children's and YA fare.

scholarly journals Keeping it practical and keeping it simple

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Nation
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Rule Based ◽  
Look Back ◽  
Teacher Trainer ◽  
The Way

When I look back over my career as a teacher-trainer and researcher, I can see two themes that run through my work. The first theme is my concern for the practical issues of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL), with the strong proviso that practice must be based as far as possible in research. For me this represents the applied in applied linguistics. The second theme is a concern for seeing what the parts are that make up the whole. I think underlying this concern is the desire to see the principles governing the way the parts go together, and underlying this is a tendency to want to see what is simple and rule-based. Knowledge needs to be communicated to others and this is best done if we are aware of the important basic principles and components, and can present them as simply as possible.

scholarly journals All Fall Down: The Landslide Diary of Abby Roberts by J. Little

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Deakin
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
First Nations ◽  
School Librarian ◽  
Canadian History ◽  
Her Family ◽  
Nations People ◽  
Primary School Student ◽  
The Family ◽  
First Nations People

Little, Jean. All Fall Down: The Landslide Diary of Abby Roberts. Toronto: Scholastic Canada, 2014. Print.The Dear Canada Series is a strong, well-written series of novels bringing different periods of Canadian history to life through the voices of girls living at the time. There is a constant high quality of writing throughout the series and the books cover both moments of high drama, like the Halifax explosion, and also descriptions of the continuing stress of displacement and immigration.Jean Little is a fine writer whose descriptions vividly bring a scene to life and whose compassion exposes character and allows the reader to become one with her heroine.All Fall Down is the story of the Frank Slide in Alberta in 1902, but it does not begin there. We meet Abby and her family in Montreal and are thrown headlong into her story with the first sentence: “This morning my father was killed.” There has been an industrial accident and the family is left in turmoil. Here we begin to see the stresses Abby’s mother faces- no money, a child with Down Syndrome, and three other children to care for. Help comes from her mother’s brother who has opened a hotel in Frank, Alberta. He offers to take them all in. A three day train journey from Montreal takes them to Frank where their uncle and aunt greet them with kindness and concern. Little builds the situation in Frank; the prejudice against the Down Syndrome little brother, the prejudice, also against a friend Abby makes - Bird, a First Nations girl, and the changes in Abby’s older brother and sister as they, too, have to find a new place in the tiny community.The plot lines are skilfully woven- Abby’s growing skills and abilities, the family finding a place in the community, disease ,and strained relations with the First Nations people to the extent of ignoring a continual warning from Bird’s grandfather that the mountain would walk.Then the mountain walks.The first part of the book enables the reader to become so familiar with the family and the Frank community that the tragedy is all the more telling.All Fall Down is a strong engaging story, all the more effective because of the compassion with which a skilful writer, like Jean Little, has brought her people to life.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Andrea DeakinAndrea has been involved with books since she was class librarian in Primary School, Student Librarian in Grammar School, student librarian for the Education Faculty when she was a student, and school librarian in schools both in England and in Canada, except for the first two years in Canada where she arrived in 1959. When she retired from teaching ( English and History) she was invited to review in February 1971, and continued to review for press, radio, and finally on the Internet (Deakin Newsletter from Okanagan College) until she retired in 2011. Forty years seemed sufficient- although she still cannot keep her nose out of good children's and YA fare.

scholarly journals The Crowfield Demon by P. Walsh

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Deakin
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Visual Experience ◽  
School Librarian ◽  
Story Line ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Principal Character ◽  
Primary School Student ◽  
Chicken House ◽  
Good And Evil ◽  
The Church

Walsh, Pat. The Crowfield Demon. New York: Chicken House/Scholastic, 2012. Print. Pat Walsh's first novel, The Crowfield Curse, introduced us to William Paynel, his hairy friend and companion- the hob, Brother Walter, the compassionate crippled Brother Snail, and the fay, Shadlok. William had lost his family in a fire and has been taken in as a servant by Crowfield Abbey where he aids not only Brother Snail but also the vicious one-eyed cook, Brother Martin. It becomes apparent that Will has been gifted with the ability to see beyond the material world around him into the realms of the Old Magic. He is aware of the ancient ways and the spirits which held power before the coming of Christianity. By the end of the first book he has become bound together with Shadlok, the warrior fay, now his protector. As the story opens the old abbey is showing need of serious repair, repair the monks can ill afford. Suddenly one night there is a violent shaking and parts of the church are lying in rubble. Something ancient and evil has awakened, something long worshipped in the oak grove cut down by the monks when they first built the abbey. Its anger bodes ill for all that belong to the abbey. The battle has been engaged. Pat Walsh is an archaeologist, and her experience gives reality to the setting and an understanding of the function of the abbey and the vital importance and meaning of the gradual destruction that is taking place. We therefore follow the work of the masons, understand the shock of the unexpected as the abbey crumbles, and feel the importance not only of what is destroyed but also what that destruction may unleash. Pat Walsh's combination of fantasy and history gives the reader another way of comprehending this medieval past. Will is a strong and engaging character who links together reality and fantasy. He sees the magic, but is not a part of it. He lives and works in the abbey, and yet is detached enough to observe it because he is not part of its religious life. He is the principal character, yet he is an outsider, like the reader. So we accept his “companionship". Pat Walsh not only brings the period vividly before us but also balances her characters in a realistic way- benevolent and malevolent. Into this balance she inserts the shades between- the sour Prior, the bitter unkind cook and the underlying kindness and honour of a stern character, the warrior fay Shadlok. It is a balance of life. The battle of Good and Evil with its growing tension and bitterness- bitterness echoed in the frigid world outside town and abbey- is balanced by something tender in Will's relationship with the hob (a brilliant comic character), with good thoughtful Brother Snail, and the controlled frosty, but totally supporting and caring warrior fay, Shadlok. The Crowfield Demon is a gripping tale that combines history and fantasy in a way to help young readers  understand something of the way people lived and thought in the far past. Detail and vivid description, and a strong story line, conjure up a visual experience as well as an understanding. Highly recommended:  4 out of 4 starsReviewer:  Andrea DeakinAndrea has been involved with books since she was class librarian in Primary School, Student Librarian in Grammar School, student librarian for the Education Faculty when she was a student, and school librarian in schools both in England and , except for the first two years in Canada where she arrived in 1959, in Canada. When she retired from teaching ( English and History) she was invited to review in February 1971, and continued to review for press, radio, and finally on the Internet ( Deakin Newsletter from Okanagan College) until she retired in 2011. Forty years seemed sufficient- although she still cannot keep her nose out of good children's and YA fare.

Jason's Why by B. Goobie

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Deakin
Keyword(s):  
Red Deer ◽  
Group Home ◽  
The Internet ◽  
School Librarian ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Advanced Level ◽  
Important Message ◽  
The Social ◽  
Hands And Feet ◽  
The Voice

Goobie, Beth. Jason's Why.  Markham: Red Deer Press, 2012, PrintAs "Jason's Why" opens nine-year-old Jason is waiting as his mother carries his things down the stairs, waiting to be taken to a group home. His mother, in her "nice voice" has labelled him "a problem", claiming he is unmanageable when he screams and hits out, so now the social worker is coming to take him away. At the group home, mistrusting the adults, he hides food in case they do not feed him, watches the hands and feet of the adults in case they hit him, and picks fights with the boys at school so that they will respect him. Jason is living out what he has experienced, his frustration taken out in anger. All he truly wants is to be home with his mother and his little sister. He loves Linda and wants to protect her. The story is told in his own words, a simple direct vocabulary and short sentences which give a sense of his pent-up frustration. It is as he meets the calm disciplined approach of the adults now around him that he begins to calm down. He finds that he can relate more easily with them, and that his humour will encourage acceptance, at last, from the boys at school where his violence was self-defeating. Beth Goobie has an important message here. We feel that Jason's violence and frustration has been learned first hand from his family's violence, but the picture can be ameliorated by care, patience and genuine concern. Now for the difficulty, the book is written in the first person in a simple direct vocabulary and style. This is the voice of a poorly-educated nine-year-old. It brings us a believable hurting child, however I think it is a book that few children will pick up and read on their own, rather it is one to be shared and discussed in a class situation. Many nine-year-olds will be reading at a more advanced level and will be bored by the simple vocabulary and many will not relate easily to the circumstances of the story. There are also moments, too, when expressions or descriptions give away the adult voice behind Jason's story. When Joe explains how and why the staff restrain the boys when they become violent, or when Jason uses an expression like "a big bubble of mad" inside him you sense a narrator other than Jason. These are surely adult explanations of emotions hard for children to express. However the story will go a long way, with adult commentary, to explain to children, who may have an anguished child in their midst, exactly what is happening and what that child may have endured. Recommendation: 2 stars out of 4Reviewer: Andrea DeakinAndrea has been involved with books since she was class librarian in Primary School; she later served as school librarian in schools both in England and in Canada, except for the first two years in Canada where she arrived in 1959. When she retired from teaching ( English and History) she was invited to review in February 1971, and continued to review for press, radio, and finally on the Internet (Deakin Newsletter from Okanagan College) until she retired in 2011. Forty years seemed sufficient, although she still cannot keep her nose out of good children's and YA fare.

The Aeneid and the Translator

1990 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-64
Author(s):  
David West
Keyword(s):  
The Political ◽  
Special Relationship ◽  
Minor Characters ◽  
Political Purpose ◽  
Look Back

To every man his own Aeneid. Having spent the last six summers translating it as a Penguin Classic, I was delighted when the editors of Greece & Rome and Vergilius asked me to write a piece for them about this experience. The translator takes millions of decisions on points of detail. It must be useful, for him at least, to look back and ask what he has learned about the poem during this special relationship. I think of four points, the first of which I shall not discuss in this article:(i) the political purpose of the Aeneid;(ii) Virgil's gift for characterization, particularly of minor characters and particularly by means of their utterances;(iii) the intensely rhetorical tone of the poem;(iv) its passion.

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