by Marsha Skrypuch
art by Michael Martchenko
Fitzhenry & Whiteside 2000
isbn 1-55041-509-3
Generosity triumphs over greed…
A heartwarming Ukrainian folktale, set during the Famine of the 1930s, tells of a young girl’s attempts to save her village from starvation. Marusia’s ingenuity gives her the opportunity to go on a magical journey to the North American prairies to find more food for her village.
Pre-reading activities
Look at the cover of Enough. What do you think the story will be about? Why? What does the title mean?
Reading comprehension
Where does the story take place? When? Where does the stork take her? Does Marusia know the meaning of “enough”? Does the officer? Does the Dictator? As you’re reading, make note of all the times an article of clothing is mentioned. Does the purpose of that article of clothing change? How? As you’re reading, make note of what is “folk tale” and what is “history” and why. Folk tale: the stork, the journey. History: wheat being taken away by the Soviets, the countryside covered with graves.
Vocabulary
harvest
silo
Dictator
exhaustion
enough
starve
babushka
threshed
granaries
spiraled
Define the above words. Write each in a sentence or draw a picture to show their meaning.
Geography/History
Why are there patches of brown and green in the fields? (the Dust Bowl) Draw a map of the journey Marusia takes, and label at least three provinces she flies over. What is the same about Ukraine and Canada? (in terms of crops, population, form of government then and now etc.) What is different? What was happening in Canada at this time (1930s) besides the dust bowl? (the Great Depression). What was happening in Ukraine?
Why did the Dictator take away the wheat? answer
Why do the crosses in the grave look different from ones we usually see?
(Orthodox crosses because the Famine took place in Soviet Ukraine, where most of the people were Ukrainian Orthodox)
Art/Drama/Creative Writing
What if the Dictator flew on the stork to Canada instead of Marusia? Working either alone or in small groups, think of how the story would change. Illustrate this, either by drawing a picture, acting out a scene, or writing a revised ending.
Is there a Famine survivor or a relative of a Famine survivor in your neighbourhood? Talk to this person and ask about what they remember.
Ukraine
General information on Ukraine.
