Migrant

Migrant

Written by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault

Groundwood Books, 2011

34 pages

Multicultural - Low-German speaking Mennonites from Mexico

                Have you ever felt like a bird, a jack rabbit, a bee, or a kitten?  Anna has!  She is the daughter of German Mennonites who travel between Mexico and Canada as migrant workers, and her family is constantly on the move.  They never stay in one spot for very long, and that is what Anna longs for the most.  She wants to know what it is like to feel like a tree, planted in one place.  Read Migrant by Maxine Trottier to get a glimpse of life as a child of migrant workers.

            Isabelle Arsenault very creatively illustrated this book using a variety of mediums including watercolor, gouache, crayons, and collage.  Each illustration takes up more than one page, and the vast majority of them are doublespreads.  She used her unique artistic style to illustrate how Anna related herself and her family to different animals and objects.  The illustrations are the main focus on each page with the text being small and off to the side.  These illustrations are very unique and will quickly grab the attention of any reader.

            This book could be used in any third through sixth grade classroom.  It could be used as part of a lesson about metaphors.  Throughout the book, Anna uses them to relate herself and her family to animals.  It could also be used to initiate a compare and contrast activity where the students compare themselves to Anna showing the similarities and differences between them.  Additionally, this book could be used to start a writing activity.  The teacher could ask the students to imagine they are a member in Anna’s family and write about their feelings and experiences.  Overall, this is an interesting book, and it could be used in many ways in the classroom.