Wangari Maathai

Prévot, Franck. Wangari Maathai. Boston: Charlesbridge. 2015.

I read an outstanding book called Wangari Maathi by Frank Prévot. Wangari Maathi was born in Kenya at a time when girls normally did not attend school. So she helped her mom at home: gathering wood for the fire, looking after her siblings, and doing farm chores. One evening, her mother decided that her daughter should be educated. So Wangari went to school and earned a high school diploma at a time when some African women did not even know how to read. Wangari then moved to the United Stated for further studies. When she returned to Kenya five years later, everything had changed She saw Kenyans cutting down trees so they could use the land to grow tea, coffee, and tobacco wanted by rich countries. Wangari was shocked. She decided to take action. She started the Green Belt Movement, gathering a team of people and planting hundreds of trees. She was imprisoned several times because she took action against the government but every time she was released, she fought more. She did not give up. What a positive impact she had on her community! She was courageous and brave and believed in a better future for Kenya. Wangari eventually won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize award for all her hard work. – Avneet, grade 6

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Tillie the Terrible Swede

Stauffacher, Sue. Tillie the Terrible Swede: How One Woman, a Sewing Needle, and a Bicycle Changed History. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011.

I read Tillie the Terrible Swede, a picture book about a girl who left Sweden to come to America. Most girls came to America with a dream. Tillie was no different. But all she had was a needle. So she worked in a tailor shop and waited for a dream to come find her. One day, a man sped by her shop on a bicycle. Now she had a dream! She dreamed of riding a bicycle, too. But girls were not allowed to ride bicycles. Tillie proved that they could. This picture book biography is recommended for girls who want to be inspired to make a difference in their own world. – Avneet, grade 6 

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Remembrance Day

Foran, Jill. Remembrance Day: Lest We Forget. Calgary: Weigl, 2010.

Stories of World War 1

Stories of World War 2

Stories of conflicts after WW2

Stories of conflicts before WW1

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” John Diefenbaker