Very Last First Time

Very Last First Time

Written by: Andrews, Jan
Illustrated by: Wallace, Ian
ages 5 to 9 / grades K to 4

A classic story of an Inuit girl's first experience going alone under the ice to collect mussels.

Eva's journey is a very special one. Today, she will walk on the bottom of the sea alone. She will go into the cave that is under the ice when the tide is out. She will search for mussels as her people have done for centuries. She will find herself in darkness. She will find too she has brought what she needs with her. She will come again into the light.

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.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

A classic story of an Inuit girl's first experience going alone under the ice to collect mussels.

Eva's journey is a very special one. Today, she will walk on the bottom of the sea alone. She will go into the cave that is under the ice when the tide is out. She will search for mussels as her people have done for centuries. She will find herself in darkness. She will find too she has brought what she needs with her. She will come again into the light.

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.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

Published By Groundwood Books Ltd — Oct 1, 1987
Specifications 32 pages | 9.75 in x 9.3 in
Supporting Resources
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Teacher's Guide
Written By Jan Andrews is a writer and storyteller who has published a number of highly acclaimed books for children. Jan lives on a lake near Ottawa, Ontario. Visit Jan Andrews' website: http://web.me.com/janandrews/Site/home.html Visit Jan Andrews' blog: http://www.2wp.ca/jans-blog
Illustrated by

IAN WALLACE is one of Canada’s best-known children’s book creators. He has published many classics, including Boy of the Deeps and Chin Chiang and the Dragon’s Dance. His illustrations for Canadian Railroad Trilogy and Just So Stories have each received three starred reviews. His most recent book is The Curiosity Cabinet.

Ian has won the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award, the Mr. Christie’s Book Award and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award, among others. He has been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the Governor General’s Award and the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award.

Ian lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife, Deb.

Written By
Jan Andrews is a writer and storyteller who has published a number of highly acclaimed books for children. Jan lives on a lake near Ottawa, Ontario. Visit Jan Andrews' website: http://web.me.com/janandrews/Site/home.html Visit Jan Andrews' blog: http://www.2wp.ca/jans-blog
Illustrated by

IAN WALLACE is one of Canada’s best-known children’s book creators. He has published many classics, including Boy of the Deeps and Chin Chiang and the Dragon’s Dance. His illustrations for Canadian Railroad Trilogy and Just So Stories have each received three starred reviews. His most recent book is The Curiosity Cabinet.

Ian has won the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award, the Mr. Christie’s Book Award and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award, among others. He has been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the Governor General’s Award and the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award.

Ian lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife, Deb.

Audience ages 5 to 9 / grades K to 4
Reading Levels Lexile 590L
Common Core CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3

“A unique experience for young listeners and an intriguing introduction to another culture.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books