REVIEWS
Pierre and Paul are two little friends with big imaginations. Tey travel through their neighbourhood together and regular objects become pieces of their shared fantasy. Te trash can becomes a dragon and a skate- board and umbrella combination becomes their ship. Tey interact with each other and other characters in the book in both English and French. Te book is cleverly written so that monolingual people can still understand the story in either language. Pierre speaks in French and Paul responds in English. Many items used in their adven- tures are labeled in both languages and the illustrations demonstrate how the boys see their world. Tis is an excellent choice for early im-
PIERRE AND PAUL DRAGON! By Caroline Adderson Illustrated by Alice Carter Owlkids Books, 2021 32 pages, $18.95 ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by Jessica Colafranceschi
mersion or junior Core classrooms. Tis book is a great way to begin using PWIM (Picture Word Induction Method) in a Grade 3 classroom. It can be a fun way to discover theme-based vocabulary (D1.3). Students develop their vocabulary and can use those words in familiar sentences to start building their speaking and listening skills (B1.2). Students in Grade 1 or 2 can listen to this book in a read-aloud and review fa-
Every Home Needs an Elephant is a wonder- ful story about friendship that also explores the different relationships between friends, family and pets. On a hot summer day, nine-year-old Sar-
ah is sitting in her apartment feeling lonely and bored. She feels like her mother, who is CEO at the Royal Bank and always busy with work, doesn’t really care. Aſter notic- ing an advertisement in the newspaper for half-price pets, Sarah decides that getting a pet would be the perfect solution to her problems. She goes with her dad to a huge department store called Harrolds and choses an elephant. Sarah adores her new pet and tries hard
EVERY HOME NEEDS AN ELEPHANT By Jane Heinrichs Orca Book Publishers, 2021 160 pages, $10.95 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by Jane Ranson
46 ETFO VOICE | WINTER 2023
to protect him and find room for him in her apartment. She quickly finds out that the ele- phant, who she calls Mr. Smith, loves arrang- ing flowers and keeping her company. He is gentle and sensitive and loves Sarah, though he does have problems fitting through door- ways and tends to knock things over. With the help of Mr. Smith, Sarah meets
her new neighbour, who ends up becoming her first real friend. Sarah’s mother also starts spending more time with her because of Mr.
miliar and new words (A1.3). Children will enjoy the whimsy and creativity in the story. Tis simple and beautifully illustrated book may serve as the inspiration for students to create stories of their own without fear of making mistakes in another language. Bilin- gual books also validate students from many different linguistic background. In the Core classroom, this is the ideal
book for a lesson on reading for meaning, (C1.2) students can use the images as well as the translated conversations to make sense of the story. Students can discuss strategies they used to understand the text as a part of the metacognitive piece of the Core French cur- riculum (C2.3). Tis is also a good book for shared reading activities or dramatic pieces. Bilingual books can help all students access the curriculum on many different levels so teachers can differentiate their lessons based on the needs of the individual students.
Jessica Colafranceschi is a member of the Peel Teacher Local.
Smith. Tere are misunderstandings, hu- mour and adventures throughout the book. Many amazing things happen in Sarah’s life because of Mr. Smith. Every Home Needs an Elephant is perfect
for social-emotional learning with its themes of empathy, compassion, listening, and how to express yourself so that people will hear and listen to you. It teaches the reader a lot about establishing and keeping supportive relationships in their life. It is also a great story to support discussions about narrative perspective and voice. While Sarah speaks in the first person, sections of the book are writ- ten in the third-person voice of Mr. Smith. Te soſt black-and-white illustrations that go along with the dialogue and show some of the action in a fun and digestible way are great for visual learners. If you are thinking of purchasing a light-
hearted book to use as a read-aloud or to introduce your students to chapter books, I would highly recommend Every Home Needs an Elephant.
Jane Ranson is a member of the Limestone Teacher Local.
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