I was in a Grade IV classroom last spring and the teacher’s briefcase stays in memory, mostly because she was a teacher-librarian, no one busier, always on the run, always cheerful, willing … one great lady … with a bulging briefcase.
MARTINE’S BRIEFCASE
the colour of earth 
it smells of leather crayons
journeys in a bus jammed with kids
classes pour out of it
sheaves of printed paper
coloured by kindergarten stories
told on a red carpet
authors’ readings
book sales math-tables
found-poems workshops
reading weeks and conferences
spill over breakfast
phone calls emails
travel passes picnics
and finger-paintings
hide between the stiff leather panels
it squanders adventure
when the handles drop
The Berry Books for 3-6 years old: Berry the mouse, who lives in a tree, gets into funny situations, and has to find his way out of them.
