Positives

• This book has both Spanish and English text on each page, which may help support multilingual learners. 
• This story is entertaining to young learners as it includes fictional, imaginative elements, yet also features important themes.

Additional Prerequisites

• The title, dedication, and author's note are read in English, but the story is read in Spanish.
• This story deals with themes of hunger, the loss of a parent, and suffering animals so prepare for how to support students' big emotions that may arise around the reading of this book.
• This resource is also available with the book read aloud in English, as the subtitles in English may not work properly.
  

Differentiation

• Introduce key concepts in students' native language before reading the book, and then provide opportunities for students to listen to the book in both English and Spanish.
• Either print the last page of the book or give students a blank sheet of paper to draw their own sunset as directed on the last page of the book.
• Pair students up to discuss an alternate ending for the book in which Ollie and his mother are able to survive in the arctic due to humans' actions to reverse climate change.
• Provide opportunities for the content in the Author's Note to be explained in Spanish since it contains important information about polar bears and climate change.
• Give students the opportunity to explore resources from Polar Bear International, such as this polar bear tracker or this coloring sheet asking students to write a message from a polar bear.
• Use ideas from the final page of the Author's Note (possibly with translation assistance) to spark ideas about how students can reverse climate change and help polar bears, and then have students share ideas on posters or in writing.
• Facilitate a class discussion about the ending of the book and what it means since it isn't explicitly explained.