Teach-Reading-and-Writing-Issue-21

4 My Other Life BY POLLY HO-YEN, ILLUS. BY PATRICIA HU, BLOOMSBURY READERS (BROWN BAND) 2020 5 Emmanuel’s Dream: The true story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah BY LAURIE ANN THOMPSON, ILLUS. SEAN QUALLS, SCHWARTZ & WADE 2015 KEY S TAGE 1 KEY S TAGE 1 14 | www.teachwire.net About this book When Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah was born in Ghana with a disabled leg, many people gave up on him. But his mum had strong ideas about education and independence. “Don’t give up,” she said. So he didn’t. And when Emmanuel came up with an impossible plan for a poor boy with only one leg – to cycle around Ghana – he found a way to make it happen. This beautifully illustrated non-fiction picturebook tells the story of Emmanuel’s heroic ride. Thinking and talking • When Mae goes through the portal, what changes? What stays the same? • Why does Mae come back? What would you have done? • If you could travel to another version of your life, what would it be like? About this book Mae has asthma, and often ends up in hospital. The first time she sees a strange, dark hole in the wall, she ignores it. But when the portal returns, she travels to another version of her life – one where she isn’t sick, and many things have changed as a result. Gently tackling some big ideas about how our circumstances affect who we become, this short novel delivers quietly uplifting messages about what matters most, and valuing what we have. Mae’s asthma is realistically portrayed, but family love and friendship are the book’s key themes. Thinking and talking • How do we know that Emmanuel is strong and determined? Find examples. • Why did Emmanuel decide to cycle around Ghana? How did he manage with only one strong leg? Who and what helped him? • As the final page says , one person can change the world. What would you do to make the world a better place?