Resources for Learners

Parents Welcome
This easy to read guide is designed to help parents of school-age children get more involved in their children's education. Useful tips on getting your child ready to learn, helping your child with homework, and communicating with the school, are made available.
Cost: $5.00 plus postage and handling
Contact: The Canadian School Boards Association
130 Slater Street, Suite 350
Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2
Tel. (613) 235-3724
Fax (613) 238-8434

Gordon's Story
It isn't easy to cope when you can't read. Even ordinary situations can cause embarrassment and pain. Gordon lived through this, and wrote a story of hope and encouragement for other new adult readers.
Cost: $5.00 plus $.50 postage and handling
Contact: RECLAIM (The Reading Council for Literacy in Montreal)
3449 University Street
Montreal, PQ H3A 2A9
Tel. (514) 849-3679
Fax (514) 849-3670

Winners Two: Ten Award-Winning Athletes
Produced by Laubach Literacy
Canadians have excelled in many sports and in this book for new adult readers, you will read about Tom Longboat, Myriam Bédard, Donald Jackson, Ned Hanlon, Marilyn Bell, Steve Podborski and several others.
Cost: $12.95
Contact: Laubach Literacy of Canada Distributorship
70 Crown Street, Suite 225
Saint John, NB E2L 2X6
Tel. (506) 634-1980
Fax (506) 634-0944

Made in Canada
Produced by Laubach Literacy
This book for adult new readers contains stories of Canadian inventions and accomplishments. Stories are told of Canadians who were first in the fields of sports, science, social issues and many others. They include stories of Superman, the longest street in the world, oil discovery, Trivial Pursuit, Kurt Browning, etc.

The Illiterate Within Me (1996)
Bart Chretien
This is a story about a Canadian who struggled with the invisible chains of illiteracy for 25 years, about his successes and failures. In this book, both the beginning adult reader and the experienced reader discovers that illiteracy is only a part of what kept Bart on a rollercoaster ride of emotion and personal ups and downs.
Cost: $14.95
Contact: Bart Chretien Enterprises
P.O.Box 29505
Maple Ridge, BC V2X 2V0
Tel. (604) 805-1338

Learner's Story

This story originates from British Columbia. The author, Michael Johnny, likes drawing, painting, horseback riding, fishing and skiing. He recently attended an adult education program at the Nechako Learning Centre in Vanderhoof. Michael hopes to work with his band in the future. Happy Times is an excerpt from In This Country...Personal Stories about Northern B.C. (Courtesy Northern Literacy Readers, 1994).

Happy Times
Michael Johnny

When I was about four or five years old, I lived in a village called Blue River, near the Yukon border in B.C. It was a very small village of about 50 people. This was the home of our Indian reservation, called Kaska Dena. I visited the village every summer because it was the home of my grandparents.

One nice, bright, sunny day in the summer, my grandma and grandpa took me for a leisurely walk to the green forests behind our reservation. We walked on the dirt road looking for berries to pick. My grandma had a large pail and grandpa had his big rifle in case we saw a deer, moose or rabbit to hunt. Everywhere we looked on the sides of the road we saw lots of blackberries. Grandma wanted blackberries to make jam and we needed soapberries to make Indian ice cream. I helped them gather berries, but I didn't put the berries in the pail. All I did was put them in my mouth. That's what all kids do. When I got bored with picking berries, I sauntered down the road to look at the wildflowers and the insects flitting about. That's when I saw butterflies all over the small bushes in the centre of the dirt road. I ran and stared at them. I caught one of the purple butterflies. It was in my hands. I ran to show it to my grand-parents. I yelled at them, "Grandma, Grandpa, look!" They looked. I put my hand right in their faces and opened it. As it did so, the butterfly flew away.

My grandparents smiled at me and said, "It's good to let the butterfly go free." I was so happy, I ran to get another one. This was a happy memory I will never forget.