Sunshiny Day

It's only a little bit sunny out today in Montreal, but the day was sunshiny for me since I spent most of it at an elementary school called Sunshine Academy in Dollard-des-Ormeaux.

I worked with three classes: Mrs. Pedicelli's Grade 4's; Mrs. Petosa's Grade 3's; and Miss Boulos's Grade 5's (though Miss Boulos was absent and Miss Kouri was in charge instead). My visit was organized by librarian extraordinaire Miss Susan.

You know how I'm always telling everyone to be OBSERVANT? Well, I made an interesting observation of my own in Mrs. Pedicelli's class. I noticed that a boy named Dylan keeps a packet of ketchup in  his pencil case. (In my time, I have snoop-ily inspected the insides of many pencil cases, but this was the first time I spotted ketchup!!) Then I uncovered an interesting story: many of the kids in the class keep ketchup packets in their pencil cases. Dylan says he likes to throw his up in the air and catch it; Kelly likes to smear ketchup on her finger and pretend it's blood. I think a story about kids and ketchup could be fun!

I told Mrs. Petosa's class that, like the Inuit students I have met in my travels to Nunavik, I am also a hunter. Then I asked Mrs. Petosa's students what they think I hunt for. The answer I had in mind was STORIES. Only a student named Julien came up with another very good answer: WORDS. You're quite right, Julien, we writers (and by that I mean every one of us who does any kind of writing, so that includes students, too!) need to HUNT for the RIGHT WORDS!

The Grade 5 gang really responded well when I read them some bits of my books Home Invasion and What World Is Left. I was inspired to read from What World Is Left (a novel about the Holocaust and based on my own mum's experience during World War II) because I noticed several posters on the wall about Anne Frank. (Did I ever tell you my mum knew Anne Frank? They attended the same school in Amsterdam and were in the same grade.) When I told the Grade 5's that I write every single day, a student named Adrian told us he's as serious about swimming as I am about writing. Even in winter, Adrian swims five times a week.

So here's to Sunshine (both the school and in our sky!) and to dedication to things we love to do.

I'll be back again at Sunshine Academy on March 18. I'll make sure to stay through lunch in case any of you students at Sunshine want to show me the stories you're working on. Have a great weekend wherever you are!