The Trickster Shadow

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After reading The Trickster Shadow, invite students to investigate shadows! Begin by exploring how shadows are made. Demonstrate how a shadow appears when an object blocks light from reaching a surface. Then provide students with flashlights and time to experiment: What do their shadows look like? What happens when they move the light source? How can they make a shadow grow bigger? How can they make it smaller?

Read The Trickster Shadow again. Talk about Zoon’s shadow. Why is it dog-shaped instead of Zoon-shaped? How does Zoon’s shadow change throughout the story? What did Zoon discover about himself that helps him deal with his shadow? Ask students to think about the shadows they created during their investigation and how they are different from Zoon’s trickster shadow. Do you sometimes have your own trickster shadow? What could it be? When does it show up? What helps you feel strong when it is around?

Invite students to create their own trickster shadow. Students can imagine a shadow character that shows a feeling, worry, or challenge that sometimes gets in their way. Students can give their shadow a name, draw what it looks like, and cut it out from cardstock. Then, using flashlights, students can explore the shadows their characters make. Encourage them to talk about their trickster shadow: When does it appear? What does it do when it shows up? How could they become friends with it?

Remind students that challenges and strengths are part of everyone's story as they add their shadow character and what helps them when their shadows feel big or out of control to a class display of Our Shadows, Our Strengths.

Questions for Discussion or Reflective Writing

• At the beginning of the story, why does Zoon want his shadow to disappear? Have you ever wished you could make a problem disappear? What did you do?
• Why does Zoon go to visit his Nookomis? What does she share with him that helps him feel better? Who is someone you can talk to when you need help or encouragement?
• How do the illustrations help you understand how Zoon is feeling? What do the different colors tell you about his emotions?
• What happens when Zoon yells at his shadow and tries to scare it away? When you are upset or angry with something or someone, what do you do?
• How does Zoon use his Mishoomis’s drum? What happens when he closes his eyes to drum and sing?
• How are Zoon and his shadow different at the end of the story than they were at the beginning? What helped Zoon make friends with his shadow?

Related Resources

Book Chat with the Illustrator featuring Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley from Little, Brown School & Library

The Trickster Shadow Teaching Tips from Little, Brown School & Library

Taking Care: An Educator Guide to Healthy Habits for Student Emotional Wellness from First Book