Note:
"Recently [one researcher] had an opportunity to visit a school in northern Trinidad. I went to Grand Riviere to meet the teachers up there. They were so kind for letting me visit the school. I asked my husband and my son to read to the children (gr.3-8) while the teachers and I talked about teaching and literacy. The boys wanted to know all about Canadian animals like Bears and Buffalo and of course sports and games. One boy asked my son to play marbles with him after school. The children and the teacher assistants especially liked the book about Canadian facts. They were fascinated by the fixed link - that is the really long bridge connecting two Canadian provinces (New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island). There was much speculation about the possibility of linking to Tobago." (E-mail communication to a teacher in Trinidad, 2004)

Fractured fairy tales were enjoyed by both the mentors and the students. The mentors who selected these books to read commented that this was their first experience with this genre of literature. They revealed that they were captivated by the different perspective of these tales and found them humorous. The novelty of the genre and the success of presenting a fractured fairy tale on an initial visit to a class quickly spread throughout the mentor group. Even though some of the students were familiar with these books, they enjoyed having them read again by the mentors.

Sports-related fiction (The Hockey Sweater; The Longest Home Run; The Moccasin Goalie and Brady Brady books)were also a prevalent theme within the mentor read aloud choices. Also chosen were biographies of persons who were of interest to the children. A mentor team selected a biographical short story on Matt Groening, a cartoonist and creator of the Simpson's television series from the book Boys Who Rocked the World.

We have continued to purchase books for the read aloud collection where ever we are. We read constantly and sense that we are getting good at matching child to book for interest and for level. Recommendations for books come from the children, the mentors, the teachers, community friends and colleagues, book reviews in the newspaper, and our own continual browsing at school book fairs or in bookstores across the country (Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, and Fredericton).