Forget-Me-Not by Maxine Trottier

Forget-Me-Not, written by Maxine Trottier and illustrated by Nancy Keating, is set in a Newfoundland outport in 1917.  It tells the story of how Bridget, a young girl in the community, brings food to a young soldier that returns to the community but keeps himself separated from the others, possibly because he's ashamed of his injuries.  The soldier initiates a note writing relationship with Bridget, naming the wildflowers that she usually leaves with his food.  The last flower he names, with the last note he writes to her, is the Forget-Me-Not.

I wondered if this story was too advanced for Anna and she wasn't sure about it at first but it wasn't long before she was caught up in the story.  It is a great story to use as a social studies resource. It can led into discussions about that time in history and the wars that were happening and how it affected so many people.  Also, inspired by the names of the different flowers in the book, it could led to a science study of plant identification.  Anna and I ended up in both kinds of discussions.  I'm fairly certain that this is a book we will return to again to take advantage of the learning it can initiate.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful.  This is not the first book I've featured illustrated by Nancy Keating.  Anna and I both admire her illustrations.

The author, Maxine Trottier, is a profilic writer that has decided to make Newfoundland her home.  There are teacher guides on Maxine Trottier's website for a number of her books, but neither one for this book.  We have read a number of her books and will definitely be featuring more books by her.

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