This session begins with drumming with a First Nation’s hand drum, and the re-telling of the legend “White Buffalo Calf Woman” to immediately engage the audience, get their imaginations working, and make them eager for more.
The presentation moves to her picture books, “To the Post Office with Mama” and “To the Pool with Mama.” which are both set in rural Alberta. Interspersed with reading the stories from oversized books, she describes humorously her relationship with her mother, and her mother’s belief and encouragement that she could become anything she wanted provided she worked hard.
The presentation also describes how to find the book in a library, title page, dedication, etc, with breaks for questions (and personal anecdotes) and stretches “to let the wiggles out.”
She brings along “artifacts” from the stories and enlarged photographs of the real people and settings, and loves to answer students’ questions.
General Activities/Curricular Ties
Social studies, science, language arts
Field trips to the local pool and/or post office, noting details on the way and how they relate to the story. Sending cards or letters to others, possibly in relation to discussions about empathy/compassion/helping others.
Both stories can be used in the “community” units of the social studies curriculum. (Both picture books are set in Alberta.)
Possible activities: map-making, comparing map in the front cover of To the Post Office with Mama with maps the children make, following the map as the story is read.