REVIEWS
POLLY MACCAULEY’S FINEST DIVINEST WOOLIEST GIFT OF ALL By Sheree Fitch, illustrated by Darka Erdelji Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides, 2017 68 pages, $19.95 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by Sabeen Abbas
Polly MacCauley’s Finest Divinest Wooliest Gift of All is a tall tale set in the real-world com- munity of River John, Nova Scotia where the author, Sheree Fitch, lives. This is a story meant to be read aloud with its onomatopoeic verbs and snippets of dialogue. The birth of a baby lamb, named Star, causes quite a commotion. Star’s first sounds travel over the ocean to the far-off land of Woolland where “woolionaires,” the Count and Countess of Fleece and Fluff, live. Not satisfied with all they already have, they decide they need Star to make more wool. In River John, mystical Polly MacCauley also heard the baby lamb and heads to Lismore Sheep Farm so that she may care for Star and use her wool for the “finest, divinest, wooliest gift of all.” The villagers must band together to protect Star from being taken away by the Count and Countess of Woolland. Darka Erdelji’s illustrations use a soothing palette of creams, blues, greens and pops of colour to draw you into the story. There is movement on every page as sheep jump through ribbons of sky, children fly kites and Polly MacCauley travels on her mission to reach Star. K-8 learners will enjoy listening to this
tall tale as a read aloud. Connections to the Language Curriculum include exploring folk-
Me and My Hair is a thoughtful picture book that lends itself to making personal connec- tions with anti-racism. It is most suitable for grades 4 to 6 students. In the story of Rayne, we learn about a young Black girl who initially loves her hair until she moves to a new school where students tease and harass her about it. By talking about her feelings with her fam-
ME AND MY HAIR By Stephanie Duff Westbow Press, 2020 36 pages, $15.95 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by Katie Brubacher
ily and visiting a hair salon that specializes in Black hair, Rayne learns to love her hair again. It is in this connection to family and commu- nity where the emotional heart of this book can be found. It is a powerful example of how a loving community can support a young girl as she learns to traverse the challenges of this world, which includes racism for Rayne. Not only does this book lend itself to the
Language Arts curriculum expectation of ex- tending understanding by making personal connections about times we have felt left out or different, but the story is also a great jumping off point to talk to students about how they can choose to be anti-racist. In this way, the oral ex- pectation of using inclusive and non-discrimi- natory language can be addressed.
46 ETFO VOICE | FALL 2021 Near the beginning of the book, when she
realizes the students have been laughing at her hair on the school bus, Rayne finds it dif- ficult to speak and loses her smile. It is at this point that as teachers reading the book with our students we could ask, “What would you have done if you saw this happening to a new student on the bus? What would you do if you witnessed racism?” I would like to think that we would all
have the courage to speak out against the stu- dents’ bullying on the bus, but that takes a lot of strength and bravery. Discussing inclusive non-discriminatory language might help stu- dents think of ways to be anti-racist if there are moments when they witness bullying or racism in the future but are afraid to speak out or do not know what to say. Katie Brubacher is a member of the Peel Teacher Local.
tales around the world. Connections to the grade 1-4 Science Curriculum, Understand- ing Structures and Mechanisms, might focus on how sheep’s fleece is turned into wool. The Social Studies curriculum can be incor- porated by linking to the Heritage and Iden- tity: Our Changing Roles and Responsibilities strand. Students can compare and contrast the roles and responsibilities in their community with those in River John. This story lends it- self to the Drama curriculum with students exploring different perspectives by taking on the roles of Polly MacCauley, the Count and Countess of Woolland and other community members. A community connection might be to invite family members who know how to knit to lead a workshop for students. The story carries a hopeful message for read-
ers that everyday people can create the change they want by coming together to fight injustices and that small, everyday acts of courage might be as simple as making something beautiful with your hands.
Sabeen Abbas is a member of the Peel Occasional Teacher Local.
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