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Belle’s Journey, written by Marilyn Reynolds and illustrated by Stephen McCallum. Victoria, BC: Orca, 1993. Molly lives on the prairies. To get to her piano lesson on Saturday, she rides her horse, Belle. Belle is old, and Molly’s father talks about selling the mare. One winter day while returning home from a piano lesson, Belle and Molly get caught in a blizzard. Molly is unable to see where they are going, but Belle forges through the winter storm and saves Molly’s life. Molly’s father never again talks about selling Belle.

Of the 28 students in the Grade 5 class, 14 read Belle’s Journey. They identified the following Canadian clues in the book.

• Prairies (10 students)
• Snow and winter (8)
• Farming, horses (3 each)
• Warmth in spring, distance between places, lack of trees, four seasons, wheat (1 each)

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The Dust Bowl, written by David Booth and illustrated by Karen Reczuch. Toronto, ON: Kids Can, 1996.

Fifty years have passed since the drought of the 1930s and the prairies are once again bone dry. Matthew’s grandfather tells him the story of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, recounting the many hardships of those years. Although many farmers left their land, he and Matthew’s grandmother had stayed. Matthew’s father, although frustrated by the current drought, agrees not to sell the land.

Of the 28 students in the Grade 5 class, 16 read The Dust Bowl. They identified the following Canadian clues in the book.

• Prairies (11 students)
• Wheat (7)
• Farming (6)
• Dust storms, Dirty Thirties (2 each)
• Winter, British flag, grasshoppers, horses (1 each)

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The Fishing Summer, written by Teddy Jam and illustrated by Ange Zhang. Toronto, ON: Groundwood/Douglas & McIntyre, 1997. Each summer, three brothers who live in a village on the Atlantic coast, host their sister and their nephew. The picture book tells the story of how the characters spend their days on the fishing boat. At the end of the story, the boy sadly explains the many changes that have occurred in the village because of the depleted fish stocks.

Of the 28 students in the Grade 5 class, 9 read The Fishing Summer. They identified the following Canadian clues in the book.

• Fishing (9 students)
• Nova Scotia, scenery, clothing (2 each)

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Hold on, McGinty! written by Nancy Hartry and illustrated by Don Kilby. Toronto, ON: Doubleday, 1997. McGinty has lived in Newfoundland for over 60 years. When the fish stocks diminish, his granddaughter encourages him to move to Vancouver Island to be near her, and to be able to fish again. The story tells of McGinty’s travels across Canada.

Of the 28 students in the Grade 5 class, 14 read Hold on, McGinty! They identified the following Canadian clues in the book.

• Mentions Newfoundland (7 students)
• Fishing (6)
• CN Tower (a Toronto landmark), different provinces (4 each)
• Prairies, Rocky Mountains, British Columbia (3 each)
• Toronto, Canadian national anthem, singing “O Newfoundland,” clothing, water, map of Canada on endpapers (2 each)
• Mentions Canada, lack of fish on the east coast, dory, open space, forests, singing “O British Columbia,” Lake Superior, Alberta (1 each)

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The Moccasin Goalie, written and illustrated by William Roy Brownridge. Victoria, BC: Orca, 1995. Danny and his three friends play hockey throughout the year. Danny, the goalie, wears moccasins rather than skates due to a physical impairment. Danny and his friends are thrilled by the announcement that a hockey team will be formed. However, only Marcel makes the team, and Danny and his other friends are very disappointed. When the regular goalie is injured, Danny has an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities.

Of the 28 students in the Grade 5 class, 17 read The Moccasin Goalie. They identified the following Canadian clues in the book.

• Hockey (16 students)
• Winter (8)
• Prairies, winter clothing, hockey uniforms, good friendships (1 each)

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Northern Lights: The Soccer Trails, written by Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak and illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka. Toronto, ON: Annick, 1993.

Kataujaq is very sad and lonely when her mother dies, but one night while they watch people play soccer, her grandmother explains that the Inuit people believe the Northern Lights comprise people’s souls. As Kataujaq watches the Northern Lights, she sees her mother and feels much better knowing that she is near.

Of the 28 students in the Grade 5 class, 17 read Northern Lights: The Soccer Trails. They identified the following Canadian clues in the book.

• Soccer (11 students)
• Northern Lights (9)
• Inuit people (6)
• Weather (5)
• Parkas, story’s setting (2 each)
• Sea, ice, four seasons, fishing (1 each)

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Tess, written by Hazel Hutchins and illustrated by Ruth Ohi. Willowdale, ON: Firefly, 1995.

Many, many years ago, Tess lived on the prairies with her family. Due to limited finances, Tess and her brother gather malongo (cow manure) to burn as their summer fuel. A rather unfriendly neighbor laughs scornfully at Tess when he discovers her with a sack of malongo. That winter, Tess rescues the unfriendly man’s dog from a pack of coyotes, and the neighbor shows his gratitude by gathering malongo for Tess and her family.

Of the 28 students in the Grade 5 class, 13 read Tess. They identified the following Canadian clues in the book.

• Prairies (11 students)
• Coyotes (6)
• Winter (5)
• Farming (3)
• Horses (2)
• Living in a cabin in the past, running low on money, burrowing owls, charaters’ jobs, open space (1 each)

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Tiger’s New Cowboy Boots, written by Irene Morck and illustrated by Georgia Graham. Red Deer, AB: Red Deer College Press, 1996. Tiger is excited about participating in his Uncle Roy’s annual cattle drive because, this year, he has cowboy boots instead of running shoes to wear. Readers follow Tiger throughout his day on the trail and see how his cowboy boots are broken in.

Of the 28 students in the Grade 5 class, 17 read Tiger’s New Cowboy Boots. They identified the following Canadian clues in the book.

• Rocky Mountains (9 students)
• Cowboys (4)
• Rounding up cattle, prairies, cattle (3 each)
• Creeks and rivers, forests, open space, Alberta, farmers, horses (2 each)
• Weather, horseback riding, language used in the book (1 each)

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Very Last First Time, written by Jan Andrews and illustrated by Ian Wallace. Vancouver, BC: Douglas & McIntyre, 1985.

Eva, a young girl living in Ungava Bay, is finally old enough to venture alone under the ice at the edge of the ocean to collect mussels for her family. Once finished collecting mussels, Eva begins to explore under the sea; however, she loses her way and is frightened when she hears the incoming tide. She ultimately finds her way back to the hole in the ice.

Of the 28 students in the Grade 5 class, 13 read Very Last First Time. They identified the following Canadian clues in the book.

• Northern Quebec, Inuit people (6 students each)
• Weather (4)
• Scenery (3)
• Clothing (2)
• Ocean, sea covered by ice, snowshoes, playing soccer (1 each)

From “Exploring Canadian Identity Through Canadian Children’s Literature,” by Sylvia Pantaleo.
All book covers reproduced with permission of the publishers.
Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
Posted September 2001
© 2001 International Reading Association, Inc.   ISSN 1096-1232