Commander Gander Goes to Come From Away

The full-colour, full-page illustrations in cartoon format in Commander Gander Goes to Come From Away fully support the accompanying text. The main character is Commander Gander, a hand puppet, whose job is to entertain children. When the “plane people” arrived, Commander Gander worked tirelessly to entertain the children while others helped the adults. Over the next few days, there were many stories about the kindness of the Newfoundlanders and the journeys of the travellers who ended up in Gander. Two people, David Hein and Irene Sankoff, used the stories and turned them into an amazing musical show called “Come From Away”, the term that Newfoundlanders use for people who don’t live on the island of Newfoundland.

As a thank you for all his hard work, Commander Gander was given a ticket to attend the show, “Come From Away”, that was playing in New York City. While Commander Gander was there, he behaved as a tourist and went to visit the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the 9/11 Memorial. At the play, the audience noticed Commander Gander and gathered around him to get pictures and offer thanks. He got to meet the cast members as well.

Commander Gander Goes to Come From Away is a gentle way to tell the story of 9/11 to very young children. It emphasizes the kindness and empathy expressed by the Newfoundlanders and the strong bond between Canada and the United States. Part of Canadian history, this event is a story of great friendship. Reading the story to children may lead to many questions from them about what happened that day in 2001. Each teacher/caregiver should be ready to respond to the children with answers appropriate to the developmental level of the children in their care.