Arto's Big Move

Arto has lived his whole life in the snowy, cold North — and six years is a long time. When his mom gets a new job and the family prepares to spend a year in the South, Arto is not happy at all. He’s just going to act as if there isn’t any difference. In the new Southern landscape of prickly plants, strange birds, and a big, hot sun, Arto stubbornly dons his winter uniform of boots, mittens, coat, and knit cap day after day. It’s worth the stuffy, sweaty, overheated feeling if he can pretend he’s still in the North.

But when Arto makes a new friend, Ana, he slowly sheds his layers and discovers that it’s not such a bad idea to adapt to your surroundings. When his year in the South is over, Arto understands there is a way to cope with another move while keeping the memory of his Southern adventure alive. A relatable story with a memorable character, Arto’s Big Move uses a gentle touch to convey an important message about adapting to change.

Grade: 2
Fountas & Pinnel: L
Reading Recovery: 19
Lexile Measure: AD 790L
Common Core State Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.5,5a,6
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.2.4,4a,4c
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,10
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.1,2,3,7,8
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.1,1a,1c,2,3,4,6

Drawn to illustration by her passion for children’s books, Monica Arnaldo is a graduate of Sheridan College’s Illustration program. She combines a variety of media, including watercolor, pencil, acrylic, and graphite, to create images full of character. She divides her time between Toronto and Montreal.