When her family must move once more, Ophelia uses her imagination to make magic out of a scary situation.
Giant rabbits with sharp teeth circle the old motel where they are staying. Ophelia can also hear crow-witches cackling from the trees. And when it’s time to go to her new school, she encounters an ogre who blocks the road with his giant ogre laughs.
But most frightening of all is when Ophelia is left in her new class and realizes that everyone speaks French. Except her.
The kids stare, and Ophelia feels like a fish in a fishbowl. But equipped with the magic of a sheet of white paper and a rainbow of pencils, she will find a way to cast her own spells over the class.
Inspired by events from her own childhood, beloved children’s author-illustrator Marie-Louise Gay weaves a wonderful tale of imagination, creativity and resilience as the keys to children’s power in an uncertain world.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
When her family must move once more, Ophelia uses her imagination to make magic out of a scary situation.
Giant rabbits with sharp teeth circle the old motel where they are staying. Ophelia can also hear crow-witches cackling from the trees. And when it’s time to go to her new school, she encounters an ogre who blocks the road with his giant ogre laughs.
But most frightening of all is when Ophelia is left in her new class and realizes that everyone speaks French. Except her.
The kids stare, and Ophelia feels like a fish in a fishbowl. But equipped with the magic of a sheet of white paper and a rainbow of pencils, she will find a way to cast her own spells over the class.
Inspired by events from her own childhood, beloved children’s author-illustrator Marie-Louise Gay weaves a wonderful tale of imagination, creativity and resilience as the keys to children’s power in an uncertain world.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Aug 1, 2023 |
| Specifications | 40 pages | 7.875 in x 10.5 in |
| Keywords | being the new kid; changing schools; chalk drawings; cross-cultural friendship; finding joy; first day of school; outdoor games; making friends; playing outdoors; magical realism; accepting change; adapting; child's perspective; feeling anxious; new situations; |
| Written By |
MARIE-LOUISE GAY is an internationally acclaimed children's book creator whose work has been translated into more than 20 languages. She has won many awards including two Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award. She has also been nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. She lives in Montreal, Quebec. |
| Illustrated by |
MARIE-LOUISE GAY is an internationally acclaimed children's book creator whose work has been translated into more than 20 languages. She has won many awards including two Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award. She has also been nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. She lives in Montreal, Quebec. |
| Written By |
|
MARIE-LOUISE GAY is an internationally acclaimed children's book creator whose work has been translated into more than 20 languages. She has won many awards including two Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award. She has also been nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. She lives in Montreal, Quebec. |
| Illustrated by |
|
MARIE-LOUISE GAY is an internationally acclaimed children's book creator whose work has been translated into more than 20 languages. She has won many awards including two Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award. She has also been nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. She lives in Montreal, Quebec. |
| Audience | ages 3 to 6 / grades P to 1 |
| Key Text Features | illustrations |
| Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4 |
Winner, Quebec Writers' Federation Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children's and Young Adult Literature, 2024
Gentle encouragement to embrace life's inevitable changes.
” —Kirkus ReviewsAn endearing, reassuring picture book for kids facing their own first-day-of-school jitters.
” —BooklistGay conveys with perceptive power a contrast between the anxious fantasy of the child's world and the reality of an adult's.
” —Publishers WeeklyThe use of hopscotch to help Ophelia "hop" through her challenges was creatively used.
” —Children's Literature Comprehensive DatabaseHopscotch is a thoughtful, creative and magical picture book.
” —CM: Canadian Review of MaterialsHopscotch brings to light the incredible capacity for children to use their creativity and imagination to help them through times of uncertainty.
” —Montreal Review of BooksMarie-Louise Gay's distinctive artwork is a perfect complement to this story about overcoming fears with dreams and creativity.
” —Calgary HeraldMarie-Louise Gay has amused and enthralled children for over 20 years.
” —Winnipeg Free Press