REVIEWS


“There’s no place like home!” This sentiment is beautifully portrayed in the book Africville by Shauntay Grant. The author describes the sights, sounds and smells of a beautiful seaside community. The illustrations show children enjoying a variety of activities, from sunrise to sundown. This is the story of peo- ple who love where they live. The green hills, the sparkly ocean and a sense of community all come through as life in Africville is depict- ed in words and pictures. The book begins with a lovely stand-alone


picture book. The book ends with an explana- tion of the history of Africville. Africville was a small settlement in Nova Scotia that no lon- ger exists.


AFRICVILLE Shauntay Grant, illustrated by Eva Campbell Groundwood Books, 2018 32 pages, $18.95 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by Lisa Corbett


the village was demolished and residents were relocated to public housing in Halifax.


In


1983, former residents began holding an an- nual reunion. The group met for the 35th year in July of 2018 to celebrate and remember the residents of this long-gone village. There isn’t a lot of text in this book, mak-


It was built mostly by people who


“could trace their roots back to the arrival of Black Loyalists who migrated to Nova Scotia in the late 1700s” and others who escaped slavery in the USA in the 1800s. Though they paid taxes to the city, residents of Africville did not receive city services such as paved roads and running water. Industries that other com- munities didn’t want nearby, such as slaugh- terhouses, were often built there. In the 1960s,


Tree Song, by Tiffany Stone, follows the journey of an acorn becoming an oak tree. During the autumn, an acorn falls to the ground, lays dor- mant for the winter, sprouts in the spring and continues to grow larger throughout the sum- mer. Year after year, the tree keeps growing. Tiffany Stone uses rhyming poetry to describe the soundscape in the forest that changes its “song” each season as the tree matures. As we learn about the tree’s life cycle, the


TREE SONG Tiffany Stone, illustrated by Holly Hatam Annick Press, 2018 32 pages, $21.95 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by Amanda Anderson


illustrations by Holly Hatam add a parallel sto- ryline. We see children connecting with nature through activities such as bird watching, snow- shoeing and having a picnic under the shade of the tree. Animals in their various habitats are pictured. At times, a cross-section of the earth is revealed to show those creatures that bur- row under the soil for protection and hiberna- tion. Many of these images, alongside the leaf changes of the deciduous trees, can be used as a springboard for seasonally inspired art. At one point, a logger is about to chop


down the tree, but he notices the animals that have taken shelter in the branches and drops his axe. There is a wide variety of emotions captured in this image.


ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO 45


ing it a good read-aloud or independent book for children in early grades. However, the content is significant, also making it a good read-aloud or independent book for children in older grades. The final page of the book is a non-fiction description of the village of Africville and what became of it. If you are teaching your students about social justice or about the complicated history of our country, this book will add to your discussions. There are direct links to the Ontario grades 5 and 6 Social Studies curriculum, as well as the On- tario Grade 8 History curriculum.


Lisa Corbett is a member of the Near North Teacher Local.


Eventually, the ancient tree succumbs to


the wind and falls to the forest floor ending its “song” – but not before a new acorn starts to sprout! Tree Song lends itself perfectly as a read- aloud in the primary grades. Specifically, this picture book aligns well to the big ideas of the primary science curriculum. For instance, Grade 1 students can explore seasonal chang- es and how they affect living things. Grade 2 students can ponder how we need to protect animals and the places they live. Grade 3 stu- dents can expand their understanding of how plants grow and need our protection. Tree Song displays a message of caring for –


and connecting with – nature. This is a picture book worth revisiting more than once to spot all the details to which you can draw your stu- dents’ attention.


Amanda Anderson is a member of the Bluewater and Upper Grand Occasional Teacher Locals.


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