Oskar's Voyage Anchors Here!

Have you heard about Laura Purdie Salas' new book for children? Pause for a moment because Oskar's Voyage anchors here! 

This book is illustrated by Kayla Harren whose beautiful artwork showcases a tiny chipmunk on a voyage he did not intend to take. Minnesota Historical Society Press published the book.

My introduction to this charming book for children started on March 11, 2024, with a Zoom session co-presented by the author and illustrator. I enjoyed the get-together filled with an enthusiastic reveal of the book for educators and students. Days later, I introduced my almost 7-year-old, 1st-grade grandgirl to discuss the storyline. While opening the book, Sierra found a map of "Oskar's unexpected journey". She was intrigued and delighted to discover the next pages with a note for her from my creative author/poet friend, Laura Purdie Salas.

What else would delight a young reader to read the book out loud? Within the pages, we found an oak tree resplendent in autumn colors, food boxes piled high in wobbly stacks, and a gleeful Oskar sitting in the middle of bright red tomatoes. The book continued with a voyage that turned into an adventure. Illustrations of the cargo ship hoisting large freight onboard showed the heavy-duty work of a cargo ship. Sierra was knowledgeable about large cruise ships because she traveled with the family on a Disney ship but was unfamiliar with a huge freighter that crossed three Great Lakes. Many children don't have experiences that Laura writes about in her book. Building content knowledge is a reading strategy for children who wish to become excellent readers and writers.

Sierra continued to fluently read lines with different placements of words. She enjoyed words that rhymed and loved watching the little chipmunk scurry around the deck darting and doving into hiding places. There are more fun adventures for Oskar on the freighter and even mischief happening in places like the pantry. What's a tiny chipmunk to do all alone on a big ship?  

The book has a wonderful storyline with strong action verbs, onomatopoeia, alliteration, and rhyming words. Parents and elementary children would enjoy this book. In addition, the storyline is suspenseful with an adorable animal as the main character so older children might also enjoy Oskar's Voyage.

Will Oscar survive the trip?

What do you think?

Look at the illustration above and make your prediction.

😊

I love to read. Other children will enjoy reading this book, too.

 Thank you, Miss Laura, for the book, the note, and the bookmarks. 

😊

Teaser for Oskar's Voyage 

An adventurous storyteller
and a creative artist
follow an unexpected voyager
on a heavy-duty freighter.
What happens while sailing on the Great Lakes 
is a frolicking tale of mischief, worry, 
and longing to refind home.
©CVarsalona, 2024  

Resources for Teachers

Laura Purdie Salas offers resource pages at the end of her book. There are fun facts, cargo ship lingo, author's notes, acknowledgment, and resources. The back page discusses the M/V Paul R. Tregurtha, a real thousand-footer. In 2019 Laura and her husband, Randy, spent more than a week sailing on this amazing freighter known as the Queen of Lake. This distinction notes that the ship is the longest boat sailing on the Great Lakes. You can also find additional resources for the book on Laura's blog.

"Oskar's Voyage grew out of my explorations aboard the Tregurtha."  

Kudos to Laura for pursuing her dream of sailing on a freighter.

News Flash: Laura Purdie Salas added 4 image poems

to my NPM project on Poetry Parade Padlet.

You can read them here and add your own image poem(s) to the padlet.

Today's Poetry Friday Roundup is on Ruth Hersey's blog,

There is No Such Thing as a God-forsaken Town.

Photo by Ruth Hersey

Port-au-Prince, 12/2020

Ruth still dreams of Haiti, her home for many years while teaching there.

Her dreams are darkened by chaos in the streets.

The last line of her poem brings the reality of Haiti's situation. 

"Often when I dream about my country I wake up with tears in my eyes."