Story Summary:

There’s a new cub in Bear Country, Harry McGill and the neighbourhood is buzzing with curiosity. Harry uses a wheelchair, but his disability isn’t the biggest challenge he faces. With a chip on his shoulder and a fierce reluctance to trust “normal” cubs, Harry struggles to make friends and navigate his new school.

Brother, Sister, Queenie, and the others try to welcome him, but Too‑Tall Grizzly and his gang make things even harder. As the cubs slowly discover Harry’s strengths, talents, and frustrations, they learn important lessons about friendship, empathy, and acceptance. Everything comes to a head when Too‑Tall challenges Harry to a one‑on‑one basketball showdown played entirely in wheelchairs.

This novel study explores disability awareness, peer relationships, compassion, and personal growth through rich literacy activities.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

• follow instructions and respond to routine questions and directions
• apply reading strategies to improve comprehension
• identify grammar, punctuation, and text features that support meaning
• use writing conventions to produce legible, purposeful text
• describe how language helps us think, learn, and communicate
• make connections between story events and personal experiences
• identify interests, values, and important relationships
• recognize consequences of decisions and actions
• describe rights and responsibilities within families, schools, and communities

Introduction Includes

Teacher Notes

• Introduction
• Novel Summary
• Learning Outcomes
• Author Biography
• How to Use This Unit
• Reading Partners
• Activity Cards
• Booklets
• Whole Novel Activities
• Teacher Input Suggestions
• Questions for Discussion
• Vocabulary
• Extension Activities

Chapter Questions

Students will need a dedicated place to record their answers, as the chapter‑question pages are not designed for writing directly on them. Before beginning the author study, set students up with a workbook or folder system so their responses stay organized and easy to assess.

• 2 pages of questions for each chapter
  • Comprehension
  • Word Study
  • Creative
  • Journal

Novel Extension Activities

Half page activity cards for learning centers. Students would need additional notebook or paper.

• Worksheets:
  • Story Report
  • Personality Chart
  • Venn Diagram

Whole Novel Activities

1. Story Report Identify setting, characters, problem, and solution.
2. Venn Diagram Compare two characters (e.g., Harry vs. Too‑Tall).
3. Personality Chart Identify traits with evidence from the text.
4. Party Planning Create a party themed around a favourite character.
5. Favourite Part Illustration Draw and describe the most memorable moment.
6. Poster Design Create a promotional poster for the novel.
7. Asking Questions Write five meaningful questions about the story.
8. Changed Characters Describe two ways characters changed
9. New Characters What new character would you become
10. New Ending Write a new ending

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