Goldfin’s can in English.
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Goldfin’s Can tells the story of a catfish that lived in the mouth of a very polluted river. He was called Goldfin because a gold can have stuck in his fin and, after this, the can became his only loyal friend.
Searching for the river spring and swimming against the current, the little fish lives an auto knowledge journey. On the way, he learns about the relation between men and environment and the importance of protecting and recovering nature.
The book Goldfin’s Can was written on October 2001 by the Brazilian Thiago Cascabulho and it was published on March 22nd 2002, on the International Water Day.
From this day, it starts its successful journey throughout Brazil, with more than 80 thousand copies distributed freely to public schools, with the sponsorship of Ministério de Cultura do Brasil, and it has been adapted many times to theater presentations as well.
This translated edition available to download was illustrated by Estúdio Rebimboca and was released in 2017 by Goldfin’s Project.
Goldfin’s Project is a cultural program which the main goal is to motivate reading and also the protection and recovery of rivers and riparian forests. Its ambassador is the catfish Goldfin, the chacarter from the children and youth’s book Goldfin’s Can, from Thiago Cascabulho.
This project’s goal is to propose a deeper look to water valorization and through literature stimulate children to see rivers with more love and respect.
Help us to take Goldfin to more readers! Let people know about it in your social media, suggest it for your neighborhood school, read it for you children!
Want to talk to us? Great! Send us un email to contato@projetodouradinho.com.br or a message on Facebook on facebook.com/projetodouradinho
Teachers, Goldfin’s book can be a great partner in your classes. As follows, we highlighted some points that we think may be important in Goldfin’s Can book and we did some questioning suggestions that you can use in your readers’ group. Have fun!
Chapter I – DO YOU WANT CATFISH?
Who will be the main character of the story we’re going to read? By the text and illustrations, we already know it’s a fish. But, why is this catfish different from the others? This is a good moment for the reader mediator to ask children to give their opinion.
Chapter II – GOING AGAINST THE FLOW
How is the river in which Goldfin lives? Do children really know a river? Is it clean or dirty? Creating comparisons between fiction and the reality known by your children makes this imaginary river became closer to this reader. This chapter also gives a good opportunity to introduce concepts of river spring and river mouth.
In this chapter we discover that, by accident, Goldfin became different from other fishes. Do children know characters or people that have been through big transformations? Goldfin, now, carries a shining can. Which are the positive and negative aspects of it?
Goldfin meets a new character, the Old Catfish. He represents the certain future of fishes that lived in that part of the river, including Goldfin. Which attitude proposes the Old Catfish? What would be the destiny of the fishes that went to the “unknown sea”? What is better or easier: stop swimming or swimming against the flow?
CHAPTER III – MADAM BLOT
This chapter introduces one of the main problems of the rivers: the sewage dumping without treatment. Have children ever seen an open sewer? Which damage the sewage causes to the river and to the riverine population? Is it possible to solve this problem? How?
Do you know to where goes the oil you use in the kitchen when you pour it on your sink? Have you ever heard about how this behavior causes big issues to the environment?
The character Madam Blot tries to seduce Goldfin, poisoning him also with her words. Do children know any other villain with a similar behavior? How can we protect ourselves from poisoning speeches?
CHAPTER IV – A NEW FRIEND
A lonely tree resists. What makes this character be so determined? After all, why preserving vegetation is so important to the river? What are other benefits forests gives us? Why men deforest so much? Is it possible to recover a deforested area? How can we do it?
Do children really know any wood, park or forest? Being surrounded by trees give you which kind of sensations? And what feelings would you have if you were surrounded by deserts?
Do the street, district or county that children live have a lot of trees? What kind of trees have in there? Do children know any tree that they really like? Why do they like it?
CHAPTER V – THE PATH TO CLEAR WATERS
In this chapter the concept of “tributary” is introduced. But, what is a tributary?
The characters Tributary, Tree and Madam Blot talk about the Human Being to Goldfin. How they describe Mankind? Do children agree with their opinion?
The Tributary talks about another important aspect: Trash. How the children’s family throw away their trash? To where trash of your city goes? What can we do, in our day-to-day life, to reduce the amount of trash we produce?
Do you know how long materials such as glass, aluminum, paper and plastic take to decay in the nature?
What did you understand when the Tributary says: “They create beautiful things and, by them, destroy other wonderful things…”? Are there big industries in your county? Do they respect or pollute the environment?
CHAPTER VI – MEETING A HUMAN
This Chapter talks about a big issue to big cities: lack of water. What is the importance of water to all living beings? What causes the drying of our water supply? What can we do in our daily routine to avoid the lack of water again?
Do children know from where comes the water that supplies their school or their houses? Which tracks do the water have to make to arrive to our tap?
The text says that Goldfin and Lucy “keep talking for a long time on the riverside”. What are they talking about so much? Do you believe that children can fight against pollution and deforestment? How this can be done?
CHAPTER VII – THE SPRING
After swimming for a long time, Goldfin arrives to paradise. How do children imagine this place? How must be the life of a fish or any other animal that lives close to an untouched spring, surrounded by green?
Goldfin has swum a long way to arrive to the river spring. What has changed in this character? What was the most important lesson Goldfin learnt in his journey?
Goldfin sees his friend Can losing itself for ever. What the can represented to the fish until the end? How children think Goldfin will behave from now on?
CHAPTER VIII – A NEW BEGINNING
Goldfin come back to fulfill his promise to save the river. The first this he does is to plant a seed near his friend, the Tree. What children think Goldfin will do after this? And about Lucy and her friends? What do children think the “River Club” can do to save the springs?
Do children think they can also create a similar club in their schools? What can be done to start?