Search for Resources
Description
Book one of the Breadwinner Trilogy featuring children in war-torn Afghanistan, The Breadwinner takes place in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime. The novel tells the story of Parvana, an eleven-year-old girl, surviving with her parents, her two sisters, and her baby brother in a miserable one-room apartment in Kabul. Forbidden by the Taliban government to earn money as a girl, Parvana must transform herself into a boy and become the breadwinner of the family.
The Breadwinner is a novel about loyalty, survival, family and friendship. A map, glossary and author's note provide young readers with background and context. All royalties from the sale of this book are donated to the education of Afghan girls in the refugee camps in Pakistan.
General Assessment
Recommendation of how and where to use it
Suitable for grades six to nine students the novel can be integrated with a Human Rights or Social Justice theme. Have students compare Parvana and her family's life before and after the Taliban took over Kabul. Have students compare their life with Parvana's. Have students make a list of restrictions placed on women while reading the novel. Ask students to research aid organizations that provide support to Afghanistan and its citizens.
Relevant Curriculum Units
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
- Step 1Select a province
- British Columbia
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Global Issues and Governance: Complex global problems require international cooperation to make difficult choices for the future.
- New Brunswick
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Cultures
- Empowerment: Economics
- Atlantic Canada and the World:
- Newfoundland & Labrador
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- World Issues
- Northwest Territories
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Global Issues and Governance: Complex global problems require international cooperation to make difficult choices for the future.
- Nova Scotia
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Social Studies 6: World Issues
- Grade 8
- Step 3Select a subject
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Social Studies 8 - A Changing Canadian Society: Equity and Inequity
- Grade 9
- Step 3Select a subject
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Citizenship 9: Global Citizenship
- Prince Edward Island
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- World Issues
- Yukon Territory
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Global Issues and Governance: Complex global problems require international cooperation to make difficult choices for the future.
Themes Addressed
Human Health & Environment (1)
- Quality of Life
Human Rights (5)
- Cultural Diversity
- Gender Equality
- Poverty
- Social Justice
- War and Peace
