Teach-Reading-and-Writing-Issue-22

7 About this book A child and a whale meet at the shoreline and journey together through glittering oceans and glowing coral reefs. They dive deep, leap high, and revel in the rhythms of the sea — until they find something that shouldn’t be there. Plastic. Rubbish. Waste. As the sea darkens, both whale and child are changed. Padmacandra’s textured illustrations carry the reader from wonder to heartbreak and back again, showing the joy of connection and the cost of carelessness. Poetic, powerful and hopeful, this story invites readers to notice, to feel and to act. 8 Gustavo the Shy Ghost BY FLAVIA Z. DRAGO, WALKER BOOKS 2021 16 | www.teachwire.net About this book Gustavo is a ghost who longs for friends, but being shy and see-through doesn’t make things easy. Even when he’s near others, he often goes unnoticed. So, he decides to invite everyone to a violin concert in the graveyard… on the Day of the Dead. Mexican-born author-illustrator Flavia Z Drago fills each page with warmth, colour, and exquisite detail — from papel picado to marigolds, sugar skulls to glowing spirits. Underneath the festive textures is a tender story about courage, self-expression, and the quiet magic of being seen. A joyful celebration of identity. The Tale of the Whale ILLUSTRATED BY PADMACANDRA, WRITTEN BY KAREN SWANN, SCALLYWAG PRESS 2022 Thinking and talking • Why didn’t anyone notice Gustavo? How do we know what he’s feeling? • What does Gustavo draw on to express himself? • Can you think of a time you felt shy — or when you helped someone who did? Try this... n Design a poster inviting others to your own ghostly concert — what would you play? n Use stencils, coloured paper or pastels to make papel picado decorations. n Write or draw a ‘friendship guide’ from Gustavo’s point of view — what advice might he give to someone feeling shy? Thinking and talking • How do the whale and child become friends? What do they learn from each other? • What does the whale find in the sea — and how does that change the story? • Why do you think the child promises to “tell the whale’s tale”? What might that mean? Try this... n Use Freeze Frame to show the story in four parts: meeting the whale, journeying together, discovering the plastic, and making a promise. n Create a ‘sea panel’ showing what the ocean looked like before the rubbish appeared – and after. n Write a message in a bottle to the future. What would you say to protect the sea?