written and illustrated by Hayley Lowe
Orca Book Publishers, 2024
ISBN 978-1-4598-3807-9 (hc)
$21.95, 28 pp., ages 6 – 8
orcabook.com
This story describes the strength of the bond between a grandchild and her grandparents, who live an ocean away and are in a state of declining health. Noor and her mother travel each summer to visit Noor’s grandparents. Noor and her granddad love pie! They spend many happy days baking old favourites and trying new flavours. Summer races by, and Noor soon finds herself back home and starting a new school year. Each Friday, during the winter months, she and her granddad connect through a video chat, where they discuss their latest “Pie Report.” When her granddad is no longer able to participate in the chats, Noor writes down her comments and shares them with him the following summer.
Classroom Connections: The Pie Reports would make a great read-aloud for primary classes and provide the perfect introduction to the concept of “making connections.” Other reading comprehension strategies that can be practised with this book are questioning, inferring, predicting, and visualizing.
Review by Brenda Boreham.
This review is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Fall 2024 issue.