A literary field trip for students

CYNTHIA RAMSAY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN

The annual Cherie Smith Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver Jewish Book Festival is not just for adults. School field trips form a large part of the events. Here is a sampling of what the kids can look forward to when they head to the JCC with their class between Nov. 16 and 21.

• Hurricane Hazel hit Toronto Oct. 15, 1954. Flooding and strong winds destroyed homes, ripped apart trees and wiped out bridges: 83 people were killed, 5,000 left homeless and there was $25 million in property damage. Written on the Wind, by Anne Dublin, tells the story of this devastating storm through the eyes of a young girl, Sarah. Geared toward kids nine to 11, Dublin's work of historical fiction includes stories from her childhood. Dublin will be at the festival Nov. 18 to speak at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

• Full of rhymes and beautiful illustrations, My Animal Friends helps three- to four-year-olds learn the names of the animals and the noises they make. Written by Vancouver's David Stephens and illustrated by Kathryn Shoemaker, My Animal Friends is being launched Nov. 19, 10:30 a.m. Children are encouraged to bring in a picture of their animal friend to share with Stephens, Shoemaker and Angela and Merrilyn Gann, who will perform their arrangement of "My Animal Friends" accompanied on guitar by Alessandro Guliani.

• Karen Levine's Hana's Suitcase is a moving tribute to Holocaust victim Hana Brady and to Fumiko Ishioka, curator of the Tokyo Holocaust Centre, and the Small Wings, a group of Japanese kids age eight to 18. Hana's empty suitcase was sent for exhibit to Japan from Auschwitz and Levine's book follows Ishioka on her journey to learn the story of Hana's life and fate. She eventually finds Hana's brother, George Brady, in Toronto. He then travels to Japan, where he meets the Small Wings, who publish a newsletter, help run the Tokyo Holocaust Centre and work to teach other Japanese children the history of the Holocaust.

Reservations for school groups are necessary for this Nov. 18 reading at 9 and 10 a.m. – the deadline is Nov. 7. Tickets are $5/person or $50/class.

• Award-winning author and playwright Irene N. Watts will read from Finding Sophie on Nov. 20, 9 a.m. The story follows Sophie Mandel's arrival in London, England, on the first Kindertransport from Germany. Only seven years old at the time, she is taken in by a friend of her parents, who remain behind. After the war is over, Sophie must decide where she belongs. The target age group for this field trip is 13 and up.

• Younger children – five- to eight-year-olds – will enjoy Glenda Leznoff's children's book Pigmalion about shy Juliet's quest to win the role of Eliza Piglittle in George Barnyard Shaw's Pigmalion. Leznoff joins the book festival Nov. 20, 10:30 a.m.

• I'm a Vegetarian includes information about eating a balanced diet, recipes and ways to cope with the potentially difficult situations facing vegetarian children age 12 and up, such as telling their parents. Writer Ellen Schwartz launches the educational book Nov. 20, 1 p.m., and discusses the process of writing a non-fiction book from the initial idea, through the research, interviews and writing to the final publication.

• Roz Davidson is going to have children three to 11 rapping to songs celebrating their differences. She will play rap songs about bullying and read stories from her new children's CD/booklet Talk-A-Tale on Nov. 20, 4 p.m. In addition to introducing her new character Owly-Ver, the wise owl, she will encourage audience members to participate in the sounds and music.

• In conjunction with the Toronto Child Abuse Centre, Linda Sky Grossman has written six children's books. The I'm a Great Little Kid series uses rhyme and colorful illustrations to transform challenging subject matter – ranging from abuse to getting along with other kids – into humorous and accessible reading experiences for readers ages four to eight. Grossman will be at the festival Nov. 21, 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

All of these events take place in the Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library, except for Levine's presentation, which takes place in the Norman Rothstein Theatre. In addition to the field trips, there are children's activities and the Young Authors' Tea on Nov. 17. Storytelling sessions take place Nov.18-21. For more information, call 604-257-5111 or visit www.jccgv.com.

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