REVIEWS
Tis imaginative tale tells of a pirate named Sydney and his pet parrot Polly as they ex- plore the waters of Halifax Harbour in search of treasure. Teir search leads them to Big Trumcap, the southernmost tip of McNabs Island, which children might be interested to know is a real place. Tere, the duo meet a mermaid who offers to tell them where to find a chest of treasure if they are able to an- swer the riddle she poses. Te illustrations are vivid and full of de-
THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, SMELLY PIRATE by Jacqueline Halsey and Carrie Muller Illustrated by Eric Orchard Nimbus Publishing, 2008 32 pages, $12.95 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by Sabeen Abbas
tails that will make children laugh out loud. Te little black spider and flies hopping out of Sydney’s unruly mop of red hair, the smudges of dirt on his face and clothes, and dreamy backdrop of blue skies full of billowy clouds make for engaging visuals. Young children will enjoy the repetition
of the description of Sydney as the “terrible, horrible, smelly pirate.” Te “arrghs” and squawks and pirate talk that Sydney and Pol- ly use to banter with each other are also de- lightful and make the book a fun read-aloud for a K-3 audience. Te language is playful,
Some days, Lauren feels slow and slimy. Everybody yells at her. She has no friends. Tose are slug days. But on butterfly days, the world is full of good things. Lauren has autism spectrum disorder
(ASD) and sees the world differently than other people. She has a collection of strate- gies to help her stay calm in stressful mo- ments and adults have created systems to keep everyone around her safe and calm as well. Sometimes, these systems feel limiting for Lauren, especially when the adults don’t understand what she is really thinking. Oth- er kids don’t seem to understand Lauren ei- ther, no matter how much effort she puts into interacting with them. Slug days are exhaust- ing, and Lauren would love to have a friend who understands her. With a friend, even a slug day can turn into a butterfly day. Slug Days acts as a window into the lived
SLUG DAYS By Sara Leach Illustrated by Rebecca Bender Pajama Press, 2017 120 pages, $14.95 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by Jessica Ho
experience of someone with autism. Students who do not have ASD can develop their un- derstanding of how the world looks and feels for Lauren. Students who are neurodivergent may feel seen and understood as they read about Lauren’s experiences at school and at home. For these students, this book can serve as a mirror. Lauren is a protagonist that young read- ers will find reasonable, relatable and funny.
and students could be encouraged to look up other riddles or write their own as an exten- sion activity. Tis book links well with the People and
the Environment strand in the Social Studies curriculum. Te story can be used to start a discussion about how landscapes shape cul- ture. Living near a harbour leads to different daily experiences than living near the moun- tains or another geographic feature. It is a wonderful opportunity to have children start thinking about their own relationship with the land they live on. Ontario school children may not be as familiar with lighthouses and this story can be an entry point into learning more about these structures that historically played an important role in sea navigation and that today are mostly tourist attractions. Tis entertaining picture book can be
used as a jumping-off point for other explo- rations connected to the curriculum or as a stand-alone story read aloud for fun.
Sabeen Abbas is a member of the Peel Occasional Teacher Local.
Students will see truth in her honest inter- pretations of teachers’ and adults’ actions and teachers will be humbled by and find hu- mour in Lauren’s candid evaluations. While Slug Days looks and reads like a
chapter book, the charming black-and-white illustrations allow for less text on the page and may help some readers follow the story more easily. Te book is most suitable for upper
Primary and lower Junior grade learners, though other students can enjoy it as well, depending on reading ability and mode of delivery. Using the book, students can prac- tise the perspective-taking component of the Language Arts curriculum. Trough writing or speech, students can examine the scenar- ios in the story from the perspectives of dif- ferent characters.
Jessica Ho is a member Ottawa Carleton Occasional Teacher Local.
ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO 45
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