The Brainstorm Vol 44: Books for K-12 classrooms

Here are three books I enjoyed right after school got out for the summer. Two would make great read-alouds, and the third is a novel starring TCKs.

Nonfiction Resource

Unusual Creatures: a mostly accurate account of some of Earth's strangest animals by Michael Hearst, ill. by Arjen Noordeman, Christie Wright, and Jelmer Noordeman
Michael Hearst (with the help of his friendly designers and artist) takes readers on a humorous tour of some of the world's most unusual creatures, from Axolotl to Yeti Crab. The weird and wonderful illustrations will grab younger readers, while older readers will appreciate the humor and interesting facts. Each page includes the Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Genus and Species for the critter, plus normal range, and average size. The pages are just jam packed full of good information. The critters picked span a broad range of types. Most are quite rare, endangered or threatened so Hearst also includes a section in the back for ways readers can help conservation efforts. But the biggest win of the book is that Hearst makes it so entertaining I couldn't help but stop quite regularly to share tidbits with my husband. Spontaneous impulsive sharing is a big sign to me that a book is a winner.

Activity Tie-ins:

• Nonfiction read-aloud: When I think of a read-aloud, I don't often picture a nonfiction book in my head. But the humor, fascinating facts, and appealing illustrations of this book are sure to suck in even the most die-hard fiction fan. Teachers and parents will also like that because of its structure, you can read as little as two pages at a time in little moments where you need a filler activity.
• Classification: Just memorizing Kingdom, Phylum, etc can be a little boring. Science teachers going over the classification of living organisms could easily use this book in liven up their classification lessons with some unusual creatures. Each animal has its full classification listed.
• Environmental care: Several of the animals in this book are endangered because of environmental factors and Hearst provides suggestions of how ordinary people can help the environment, from recycling to other less-frequently mentioned activities. Students can easily pick one way to make sure they are helping rather than hurting the Earth.
• Fun nonfiction read: If you're trying to help a child find a nonfiction book to read for fun (or even an assignment) this is a great pick. Who says nonfiction has to be boring?
• Animals: For classes studying animals or looking for ideas for animals to report on, this is a good resource as it introduces many beyond the average bunny and bear. 
• Nonfiction writing: Hearst accomplishes two important things in his writing: he conveys interesting facts clearly and he makes his readers laugh. You could read just one or two page spreads with students and discuss some of the ways Hearst does these things well before students launch into their own writing.

Fiction Resources

Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston
Morty, a reporter zorgle ends up chosen to go on a quest to find the missing zorgles of Zorgamazoo. Sounds great, right? But Morty feels a bit in over his head. That adventuring stuff is something his Dad did, it’s not really his thing. Katrina Katrell is all for adventure, which is a good thing because she is forced into running away from her guardian when Mrs. Krabone decides Katrina’s imaginative brain must be stopped with some good ol’ brain surgery by the lobotomy doc. Katrina gets away from Mrs. Krabone only to fall into the clutches of an unfriendly street gang. It’s looking quite bad for her until Morty stumbles in and saves the day. It’s only right that Katrina should then help Morty on his quest. So the two of them set off for Zorgamazoo and find plenty of adventures awaiting them.
Oh, and did I mention this entire novel is told in rhyme? Yep, it's 128 pages of rhymed and metered text that creates an adventurous story.

Activity Tie-ins:

• Read-aloud: This is a book that just begs and screams to be read-aloud. In fact, if you tried to read it quietly you might accidentally find yourself reading it out loud. The story and the format combined will make this a quick, exciting read aloud that will appeal to a diverse audience.
• Poetry: If you are doing a poetry unit, this is a good pick for those who love the genre to read further. You could also use it for examples of rhyming patterns and meter. Like Dr. Seuss, Mr Weston isn't afraid to make up some words if he can't find one that rhymes. Perhaps these two can inspire some creative new words in young poets.
• Compare/Contrast: Have students read some of Zorgamazoo and some of a Dr Seuss book and compare/contrast the two authors. OR have students compare/contrast some of Zorgamazoo and some of The Crossover by Alexander. Both are books in verse, but The Crossover uses a whole variety of poetic forms while Zorgamazoo is pretty consistent in poetic form throughout. 

Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein
At first Black Dove and White Raven were a pair of women flyers who did stunt flying at air shows. Delia was Black Dove and Rhoda was White Raven. Both were American but had met in France where they also learned to fly and had children with foreign flyer husbands. Delia’s husband was from Ethiopia, and died on duty not long after Delia and Rhoda had gone to America to do air shows together. Rhoda’s husband is Italian, and his duties take him all over the place. So Delia and Rhoda raise their kids, Teo and Emilia together and take them all over on tour. And when Delia dies in an accident, Rhoda takes in Teo as her own. Eventually, Rhoda decides to fulfill Delia’s dream of going to Ethiopia with the kids. She gets a job flying around Dr. Ezra for clinics and takes photographs to sell to magazines. Though Africa is their third continent in their short lives, Teo and Em seem most at home there. They learn the local language from Dr. Ezra’s wife Sinidu, get lessons with another expat family, and help around the village as they can, and in their free time make up stories about their fictional characters, Black Dove and White Raven who have all sorts of adventures. But their idyllic life starts to become threatened by rumblings between the Ethiopians and neighboring colonists, the Italians. Only because of this, Momma starts teaching both teens to fly, a skill they’ve dreamed of since their earliest memories. As war becomes more and more eminent, the family will have to figure out what to do, stuck as they are in a tricky position with ties to both sides.
Note: If you've read some of Wein's other women aviators books, this isn't linked story-wise at all; also it is calmer, less bloody, and has less swearing. (The other books are set in the heat of WWII and are much more intense. I would be ok handing this one to a middle schooler, but I'd only give Code Name Verity and Rose under Fire to high schoolers or older. They are very good, but have more mature content.)

Activity Tie-ins:

• Book Club Book: There's lots of great discussion points in this book from historical perspective, to racial issues, to the third culture kid experience, to what all is going on in Momma's head. I see too many students get turned off by long books they're forced to read as a class so I wouldn't recommend this for that, but in smaller or less formal settings like free reading discussions or book clubs, this would be good.
• Third Culture Kids: Give this book to your favorite TCK and allow them to share with you how they identify with Teo and Emilia. Or read it yourself to better understand TCKs. I certainly found many commonalities myself, and I'm technically just an expat, not a TCK. Wein absolutely nails the full joys and trials of being a third culture kid in her depictions of Teo and Emilia. Emilia is Italian/American, born in France, spent her childhood traveling frequently all over the US but never fitting in, and then fully adapts to life in Ethiopia as a teen. She goes around barefoot and can speak the local language so well she could pass for a native if it weren't for her white skin. Teo is Ethiopian/American, born in France, spends his childhood traveling frequently all over the US where he is treated poorly because of his skin color; he loves being invisible in Ethiopia but that only works until he speaks because he can't fully get the language as well as Emilia even though he's the one with Ethiopian blood. Both characters struggle with figuring out where they belong.
• Debate/Discussion: Teo and Emilia are an interesting and moving example of a pair of kids/teens who culture said shouldn't even be friends let alone family. But despite prejudice and cultural pressures, they love each other like brother and sister. A great class discussion would be to debate who it would have been harder for, Teo or Emilia and why. Or why readers think they didn't succumb to the pressures of society. Was it their own personality, the example of their families, something else, or all of the above? Who is someone your peers may discourage you from being friends with, and how can you apply Teo and Emilia's strategy to your own life?
• African history: There aren't a whole lot of books for young adults set in 1930s Ethiopia or that explore the conflict between the Ethiopians and Italians at that time as rumblings of WWII roll in. 
• History through multiple viewpoints: Wein keeps things very balanced as we view the Ethiopian/Italian conflict through the eyes of people who know and love both Ethiopians and Italians. She also explores what it was like for someone with black or white skin to live in America versus Europe versus Africa in the early 1900s. 
• Multicultural read: Wein does a fantastic job of bringing small town village life in turn of the century Ethiopia to life. It's an interesting peak into a culture not often highlighted in English literature.