It’s that time of year again! School is in full swing, the sound of crunching leaves under your feet, and the brisk cool air keeps messing with your hair. With the new season comes a number of holiday traditions to teach in your classroom.
On October 13th comes Thanksgiving, and we have a bunch of Thanksgiving stories in our Children’s Literature Collection:
In I know and Old Lady who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson and illustrated by Judith Byron Schachner, an old lady swallows the whole of Thanksgiving dinner! This silly story is sure to bring laughs to your classroom through the rhyming refrain “She swallowed the cider to moisten the pie, / The Thanksgiving pie, which was really too dry, / Perhaps she’ll die.” The book is targeted to children ages 4 to 8.
Thanksgiving Wish by Michael J. Rosen, with paintings by John Thompson has slightly older themes for children ages 6 and up. Amanda fears her Thanksgiving dinner will never be the same after her grandmother, Bubbe, dies. But for the first time since Bubb’s death, extended family and friends gather to help recreate a Thanksgiving feast worthy of Bubbe’s traditions.
Giving Thanks: a Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp and illustrated by Erwin Printup, Jr, is a gorgeous representation of the ancient Iroquois message of thanksgiving. This message is traditionally delivered at the beginning of each day and at special ceremonies, and shares a Native American message of peace and appreciation of Mother Earth and unity of all her living things. This beautifully illustrated book is supplemented by a Teacher’s Guide to help lead your classroom in a discussion about Iroquois culture.
After Thanksgiving we have one of my favourite holidays, Halloween! I’m sure no matter what the age, most of your students are looking forward to getting dressed up in a few weeks, and to go along with the festivities, OISE library has a lot of festive stories!
Black and Bittern was Night by Rober Heidbreder and illustrator John Martz is written in alliterative nonsense verse reminiscent of “Jabberwocky.” The story follows one night where spooky skul-a-mug-mugs frighten grown-ups into calling off trick-or-treating. Halloween’s fate rests on a group of children who set about to save the night!
Melanie Watt’s Scaredy Squirrel prepares for Halloween is a self-proclaimed “Safety Guide for Scardies,” detailing the step-by-step instructions on surviving the spookiest of Halloween events. Targeted toward children between 4 and 8, Scaredy Squirrel explains how to carve pumpkins, decorate a house, pick a costume and host a Halloween party!
We also have a number of fall activity books in our Curriculum Resources Collection. Hands-on Art Activities for the Elementary Classroom and International Fall Festivals both offer instructions for a variety of fall festival classroom activities, projects and crafts.
In addition to cooking turkey and planning Halloween costumes, don’t forget to harvest and save your plant seeds to donate them to the newest branch of the Toronto Seed Library located on OISE’s ground floor. And if you’re looking for a few more books about the fall season, check out this seasonal display on Autumn and the changing seasons.
All of the books in the current display, found on the Ground floor of OISE Library are available to check out. Simply speak with the Circulation staff at the Service Desk and they’ll help you out!
Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and Halloween!