written and illustrated by Linda Lovisa
Self Published, 2020
ISBN 978-1-7771244-0-3
$25, 60 pp, ages 5 – 8
llovisa58@gmail.com
Gordon is a young Canada Goose. He lives with his family on the shores of Lake Okanagan in British Columbia. As winter approaches he is thrilled at the prospect of flying south. When his father tells him that there is no need to fly south (because they have lots of food and the temperature stays fairly mild) he sets off on his own to explore the Okanagan Valley. When he lands on a ski hill populated by humans dressed in brightly coloured clothes, the adventure begins. With a little help from a ski instructor, Gordon learns a few foundational skills: stopping (in a snowbank), snow plowing, and even riding a chair lift!
Linda Lovisa is a professional artist who is well known for her landscape paintings. This is her first picture book.
Classroom Connections: Gordon Goes Skiing is an entertaining and colourfully illustrated picture book. It would make a great read aloud in primary classrooms and lends itself to practising a number of reading strategies: asking questions, making connections, and making predictions. The illustrations are full of humorous little details and help to convey the meaning of the text for younger readers. Gordon Goes Skiing could also be an effective starting point for discussions around picture making and the use of watercolours in the classroom.
Review by Brenda Boreham.
This review is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Winter 2021 issue.