Playing around with words is a great way to interact with a language and shows students how pliable a language can be. Michael Escoffer and Kris Di Giacomo show us how removing one letter from a word can change that word into another one in “Take away the A”. We see how Beast becomes Best when you remove the letter “a”, or how without the “d”, Dice turns into Ice. This book goes through the alphabet and shows how letters form words and communicate ideas.  Full of wordplay and humour, this book is a unique take on the alphabet book that will leave your students wanting to invent imaginative examples of their own.

We all remember that feeling of excitement when our teacher brought out a parachute for fun activities. Now you can see the hidden lessons that are taught when you bring out the parachute in Clare Beswick’s  “3-2-1: Time for Parachute Fun”. This guide has over 30 fun activities that you can do with a parachute, both with and without additional props. Each activity highlights words that will be taught and lessons that children will take away from the activity like following instructions, team work, or solving math problems. The parachute is a great way to get your students ages 3-10 moving and learning all while having fun!

OISE has a number of new historical fictions that bring to life various periods and events throughout Canadian and international history.

Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley transport you to a different world, one before borders and concepts of citizenship, in their novel “Skraelings”. Written from the perspective of a young Inuit hunter, Kannujaq, we are taken back in time to the ancient arctic where new cultures are meeting for the first time. Kannujaq finds himself helping the Tuniit people that live in Inuit lands in their fight against the invading Vikings. While Kannujaq and the Tuniit prepare for battle, we are introduced to the pre-contact Inuit way of life, which values hunting and exploring, and demonstrates great respect for the land. This adventure packed novel will have your pre-teen students hanging on to each page.

Caroline Pignat’s YA novel “Unspeakable” brings to life the story of Ellie, a stewardess who survived the tragedy that struck the Empress of Ireland. One of the worst Canadian maritime accidents, over 1000 people died after the collision between the ocean liner Empress of Ireland and a coal freighter on the St. Lawrence River in 1914. Ellie is clinging to the hope that her love, Jim, somehow managed to survive the ship wreck, but it is becoming harder to believe that he survived when so many others did not. When a journalist hoping to get a first hand account of the night presents Ellie with Jim’s personal journal, Ellie decides to relive the night of terror in exchange for the journal. Pignat pieced together the events of this tragedy and framed it within a love story between Ellie and another crew member, a love story that mirrors that of “Titanic.”

Award winning author Candace Fleming presents the history of the Russian Revolution and Russia’s last royal family in “The Family Romanov”. Fleming guides the reader through a complex political and social period in an understandable and easy to read fashion. We are introduced to the extravagant lives of the imperial family, with fancy balls and lavish wardrobes, as well as the life and hardships of the peasants. Both perspectives provide an all-encompassing history of the fall of the imperial family and the rise of the Russian Revolution. This book includes period photographs and compelling primary-source material that bring the story to life. This book is a great resource to use when teaching world history, and a recommended book for any students interested in the subject.