Migrant - by Maxine Trottier (Hardcover)

About the Book

Anna is the child of Mennonites from Mexico, who have come north to harvest fruit and vegetables. Sometimes she feels like a bird, flying north in the spring and south in the fall, sometimes like a jackrabbit in an abandoned burrow, since her family occupies an empty farmhouse near the fields, sometimes like a kitten, as she shares a bed with her sisters . . . But above all Anna wonders what it would be like to be a tree rooted deeply in the earth, watching the seasons come and go, instead of being like a "feather in the wind."

Book Synopsis

A New York Times Book Review choice as one of the 10 Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2011, an Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award Honour Book, and finalist for the Governor General's Award: Children's Illustration and Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards: Picture Book

Each spring Anna leaves her home in Mexico and travels north with her family where they will work on farms. Sometimes she feels like a bird, flying north in the spring and south in the fall. Sometimes she feels like a jack rabbit living in an abandoned burrow, as her family moves into an empty house near the fields. But most of all she wonders what it would be like to stay in one place.

The Low German-speaking Mennonites from Mexico are a unique group of migrants who moved from Canada to Mexico in the 1920s and became an important part of the farming community there. But it has become increasingly difficult for them to earn a livelihood, and so they come back to Canada each year as migrant workers in order to survive. And while they currently have the right to work in Canada, that right may be challenged. Working conditions are difficult for all migrant workers, most of whom have to leave families far behind. And yet countries like Canada and the United States benefit greatly from their labor.

Beautifully written by Maxine Trottier and imaginatively illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, this book describes what it is like to be a child in a migrant family.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

Review Quotes

...a wonderful addition to any book collection...--Kristen Ferguson "CM Magazine"

...moving, inventive and thoughtful...-- "Kirkus Reviews"

...poignant...--Senta Ross "Canadian Children's Book News"

Lyrical metaphors comparing Anna to various animals reveal her connection to nature, her vivid imagination, and her heartfelt desire to feel more settled.--Lesley Colabucci "Language Arts"

Migrant does a rare thing in children's books of this type: it teaches without being pedantic-- "32 Pages"

New York Times Top 10 Book of the year, 2011.-- "The New York Times Book Review"

Separating this work from other children's books about migration and work is the focus on Mexico's Mennonite community and the issues faced by some of its members in Canada and Mexico.-- "Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children"

The illustrations...will grab the attention of those sharing this book.-- "Sal's Fiction Addiction"

The words and images could stand alone as feats of artistic excellence. Together, they form a package that should become a staple for kids learning about Canada's diverse population.--Laura Godfrey "Quill & Quire, STARRED REVIEW"

Without a heavy message, this sensitive offering captures a small child's experience of constant upheaval as she flies like a feather in the wind.--Hazel Rochman "Booklist"