Classroom Activities for World Elephant Day and National Elephant Appreciation Day with The Elephants of Thula Thula

Hello and Welcome! 🐘

You have arrived at the right spot to find information, a puzzle, or fun projects for your students. I hope you enjoy celebrating two special awareness weeks:

• August 12, World Elephant Day  
• September 22, National Elephant Appreciation Day

Here's a list of activity ideas and links. Also, scroll down to find a printable word search puzzle as well as some ecology definitions.

Classroom Activities & Resources

READ: I hope you enjoy reading The Elephants Come Home , a 2024 finalist for several state awards!

LISTEN: Elephant Voices:  How do elephants communicate with one another? What does the position of their trunks mean? Why do they flap their ears?  What is infrasound? Learn all this and more at “Communication between Elephants Voices and Sounds.” Elephants in Zoo and Circus Elephant Encyclopedia. *Bonus, scroll to the bottom of the page and hear recordings of elephants! https://www.upali.ch/communication_en.html. MORE: Ear flapping. Head Waggling. What does it all mean? Check out Elephant Voices.

WATCH: Elephants aren't puppies yet watch eco-warrior Lawrence Anthony call for the herd featured in The Elephants Come Home(seven-minute YouTube video). 

EXPLORE: The five senses: Would you like to learn more about an elephant’s vision, hearing, or their keen sense of smell?  Check out elephant senses: https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/elephants/senses/

Warm Blooded vs. Cold Blooded Creatures: At this link, Sea World features a classroom activity for teachers and students to discuss warm blooded vs. cold blooded animals. Make sure you add elephants to the conversation!

SPELL: Animal Spelling Bee: The SeaWorld website features another fun activity. You can host an  animal-centered spelling bee – just add “elephant” to the list. You’ll discuss words like “conservation”, “habitat”, and more. Consider adding “Zululand, South Africa” to the list, and discuss the difference between a continent and a country.

SCHOOL VISIT: I love chatting with students. Please check out the “Contact” page on my website (KimTomsic.com ) for a full menu of school visit options (live or via Zoom).

MEET: “Meet” the Elephants of Thula Thula (pronounced toola toola). Learn the names of the elephants that live in the wildlife sanctuary.

BECOME AN ECO-WARRIOR: Consider a classroom fundraiser, “Pennies for Protection” and adopt an elephant.

Word Search Puzzle (High-quality Printable version at this link) :

Definitions:

Habitat –A habitat is an environment where an organism lives for normal life and growth. The habitat contains all an animal needs to survive such as food and shelter. 

 

Biome – “A biome is a large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife.” – National Geographic. A biome is a community made of all the habitats in a region and climate.

 

Boma – “Boma” is a word borrowed from the Swahili language. It is a coral that is built as a space to help animals get used to their new home prior to letting them enjoy the entire wildlife reserve. Read more about bomas and how they are built at Our Planet, My Lens.

 

Reserve: A “reserve” is a managed area meant to protect wildlife and their habitats. There is no hunting on a wildlife reserve. Lawrence and Francoise Anthony started the wildlife reserve called Thula Thula.   

 

Thula Thula: Lawrence and Francoise Anthony started the wildlife reserve called Thula Thula. Thula Thula is a Zulu word that means “peace and tranquility”.

 

Elephants – seven elephants came to Thula Thula. The matriarch’s name is Nana. Her sister’s name is Frankie.

 

Eco Warrior –someone who makes hands-on effort to protect the environment.

 

South Africa: South Africa is a country just like the United States is a country. It is located on the continent of Africa.

 

Province: Some countries are divided into provinces which are, according to Merriam Webster,  “an administrative district or division of a country.”

 

MAP: From zoomed out to zoomed in (biggest to smallest) here’s where ThulaThula and its elephants are located:

Africa is the continent.

South Africa is one of the 54 countries on the continent of Africa.

KwaZulu-Natal is one of the nine provinces within South Africa.

Zululand is the region in KwaZulu-Natal where the elephants lived on the reserve.

Thula Thula is the game reserve in Zululand where the elephants live.

 

 

Awards & Critical Praise:

The Elephants Come Home by Kim Tomsic illustrated by Hadley Hooper. The amazing true story of a herd of elephants, the man who saved them, and the miracle of love that brought them home. One day in 1999, Lawrence Anthony and Françoise Malby Anthony receive word that a herd of wild African elephants need a new home. They welcome the elephants to their wildlife sanctuary—Thula Thula. But the elephants are much less sure they want to stay. How will Lawrence prove to them that they are safe and loved? What follows is a gorgeously illustrated real-life story of friendship . . . and the story of the miraculous way that love given freely will return—greater and more wonderful than it began. Chronicle Books,  ISBN: 978-1452127835

2022 Norman A. Sugarman Children's Biography Honor 

2022-23 Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award Primary Grade Winner

2023 Minnesota Comstock-Gág Book Award Winner

2022 Blue Grass Award Finalist

2022-23 Alabama Children’s Choice Camellia Award Finalist grades 2-3

2023-24 California Young Reader Award Finalist

2023-24 Iowa Goldfinch Award Finalist

2024 Utah Beehive Award Finalist

2024 Connecticut Nutmeg Award Finalist

2024 Illinois Bluestem Award Finalist grades 3-5

Resource - free!

Book available for purchase at:

The Wandering Jellyfish: Click Here

Changing Hands Bookstore: Click Here

Barnes and Noble: Click Here

Indiebound (or to check your local bookstore): Click Here

Red Balloon Bookshop: Click Here

Amazon: Click Here

Or simply ask your local bookseller!

Please reach out if you have any questions!

Awards and Classroom Resources for Elephants!

THE ELEPHANTS COME HOME

(Chronicle Children’s Books, May 18, 2021) ISBN: 978-1452127835

**Printable Classroom Activities & Resources Page

**Book a School Visit 

The amazing true story of a herd of elephants, the man who saved them, and the miracle of love that brought them home.

One day in 1999, Lawrence and Françoise learn that a herd of wild African elephants needs a new home. They welcome the elephants to their wildlife sanctuary in Zululand, South Africa—Thula Thula—with open arms. But the elephants are much less sure they want to stay. How will Lawrence prove to them that they are safe and loved? What follows is a gorgeously illustrated real-life story of a friendship . . . and the story of the miraculous way that love given freely will return—greater and more wonderful than it began.

Classroom Resources and Activities

Elephant Voices: How do elephants communicate with one another? What does the position of their trunks mean? Why do they flap their ears?  What is infrasound? Learn all this and more at “Communication between Elephants Voices and Sounds.” *Bonus, scroll to the bottom of their webpage and hear recordings of elephants! 

THE FIVE SENSES: Would you like to learn more about an elephant’s vision, hearing, or their keen sense of smell?  Check out more about elephant senses.

Warm Blooded vs. Cold Blooded Creatures: At this link, Sea World features a classroom activity for teachers and students to discuss warm blooded vs. cold blooded animals. Make sure you add elephants to the conversation!

Animal Spelling Bee: The Sea World website features another fun activity. You can host an  animal-centered spelling bee – just add “elephant” to the list. You’ll discuss words like “conservation”, “habitat”, and more. Consider adding “Zululand, South Africa” to the list, and discuss the difference between a continent and a country.

Meet the Elephants of Thula Thula (prounounced toola toola). Learn the names of the elephants that live on the wildlife sanctuary. Read about their conservation efforts or the history of the reserve. Perhaps you will decide to work together to save “Pennies for Protection” and adopt an elephant. 

 Video (7:12): See Lawrence Anthony call for the herd like you might call in a puppy from the yard. This seven-minute video titled “Lawrence Anthony's Rehabilitation of Elephants”, will be sure to delight you and your students. You will see all the stars of The Elephants Come Home.

Elephant Voices: This webpage takes a deep dive into identifying elephant behaviors, defining terms, and naming modes of communication.  

Awards & Critical Praise

Awarded the Norman A. Sugarman Honor in Children’s Biography

Winner!    Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award Primary Grade Winner

Winner!  Minnesota Comstock-Gág Book Award Winner

Finalist for Alabama Children’s Choice Camellia Award Finalist grades 2-3

Finalist for CYBILS Award

Finalist for the Kentucky Blue Grass Award

Finalist for the 2024 Connecticut Nutmeg Award

Finalist for the 2023-2024 California Young Readers Medal

Finalist for the 2023-2024 Iowa Goldfinch Award

Finalist for 2024 Illinois Bluestem Award grades 3-5

Finalist 2024 Utah The Beehive Award

Showcased at the Bologna Children’s Book Festival’s BRAW Amazing Bookshelf of “100 publishing gems” chosen from a selection of 2,200 books submitted by publishers from around the globe.

“The story’s flawless, gentle pacing illuminates the animals’ initial fear and the time, patience, and compassion it takes for attentive Lawrence to earn their trust…Hooper’s…shades of rich blue and soft rose heighten the story’s emotional impact.”—Horn Book Magazine

“In brief action-packed sentences, Tomsic informs readers of all the steps taken to bring [the elephants] back, with the text placed against Hooper’s beautifully realized illustrations of African animals and the vast, gorgeous landscape…with its focus on the elephants and the protagonists, this book is lovely, tender, and moving.”  —Kirkus Reviews

This touching true story portrays conservationist Lawrence Anthony’s relationship with a frightened, hunted herd that found a home at his reserve in South Africa, Thula Thula..The importance of conservation shines through the friendship story here, and both themes are beautifully complemented by Hooper’s detailed, atmospheric drawings of the elephants and their surroundings.”—Booklist

 “The illustrations are expansive with a limited color palette of warm oranges and cool greens and blues. The animal characters are dynamic, humorous, and emotive…A sentimental but high-­interest story based on true events of the bond between wild animals and the humans who care for them.”         —School Library Journal

Where to Find:

Your local library. If they don't have a copy available, please request that they carry!

Available at

The Wandering Jellyfish: Click Here

Changing Hands Bookstore: Click Here

Barnes and Noble: Click Here

Indiebound (or to check your local bookstore): Click Here

Red Balloon Bookshop: Click Here

Amazon: Click Here

Or simply ask your local bookseller!

*Printable Resource Page: CLASSROOM RESOURCES available here.  

**Book an in-person or virtual  School Visit!

4 Success Stories - How a Children's Book Writing & Illustrating Conference Launched the Careers of Four Authors and Illustrators

Conferences are kingmakers. It’s true! Talk to published authors and illustrators, and you'll discover that more often than not an attendee’s career moved into hyper-drive after taking part in a conference. A conference is where you meet people with a shared passion, and you develop new neural pathways for craft. Ideas bubble to mind, and important connections are made. Many publishing hopefuls met their agent or editor attending breakout sessions, getting critiques, or selecting the right seat at an open-table luncheon. 

Illustration courtesy of Brooke-Boynton Huges

Illustrator Brooke Boynton Hughes attended SCBWI's International conference in California more than a decade ago. She entered her portfolio in the illustrator showcase, didn't win but got noticed. In fact, she signed with agent Marietta Zacker and landed a book deal that same year! Furthermore, Brooke signed up for the one-on-one portfolio review. She received feedback throughout the conference weekend and learned nuanced details about craft. When she returned to the event the following year (2013), she walked away as the Portfolio Showcase Honor Award winner and the Mentorship Award winner! In 2014, she received the Portfolio Honor Award at SCBWI's Winter Conference in New York. 

    Brooke's success didn't come from one conference. She says, 

I think the most important part about attending conferences is the chance to have one-on-one portfolio critiques and the opportunity to learn about your craft.  I attended six or seven international conferences and three or four regional conferences before I was published and before my portfolio was recognized in the showcase."  

Now her illustrations are published in books with Beach Lane, Disney Hyperion, and Random House.Author turned agent Ana Crespo met her editor, Kelly Barrales-Saylor who was then an editor with Albert Whitman and Co. (she is now an editor with Sourcebooks) during the regional Rocky Mountain SCBWI conference. Ana signed up for a manuscript critique and landed a feedback timeslot with Kelly. After listening to Kelly’s edit suggestions and taking ample notes during workshops, Ana was armed with ideas to improve her writing. Ana went home, reworked and edited her story, then queried Kelly who bought and published The Sock Thief. Ana went on to sell four books to Albert Whitman in a series called JP BOOKS, MY EMOTIONS AND ME. During another conference, she met Alvina Ling Executive Editorial Director of Little Brown Books. Alvina later published Hello Tree, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk.

 

I met my editor, Melissa Manlove of Chronicle Books, at an SCBWI conference, and let’s just say it involved an unofficial scavenger hunt, an Aperol Smash, and a failed pitch. But that failed pitch was part of a connection, and in the end I received a business card and an email address. A year-and-a-half later I worked on the craft points I’d learned at the conference, I worked with my critique group, I read and drafted, and then I sent a query letter about a new manuscript—here’s where I cue the drum roll and build to a frenzy—I got a YES! That’s how I sold the award-winning picture book, THE ELEPHANTS COME HOME. 

If the above three stories haven't convinced you that conferences are kingmakers, here’s one more. Author Martha Brockenbrough met the editor of her debut picture book The Dinosaur Tooth Fairy at a conference. His name - Arthur Levine of Arthur A. Levin at Scholastic (he is now an editor and founder of Levine Querido). Martha says in an interview with SCBWI, “Truly. Every picture book I’ve ever sold has come directly from my time at an SCBWI conference”. Martha has since sold many picture books and highly-praised novels. Her latest middle grade novel, To Catch a Thief, is out now!

Walter Grant by We Need Diverse Books

What would it take to get you to the next phase of your writing or illustrating dream? A computer? A class? A conference? Something else? We Need Diverse Books and the Walter Grant offer an opportunity to help you take a step forward.   

Take a glimpse at some of the awesome books created and/or contributed to by previous Walter Grant winners: 

We Need Diverse Books extended the deadline to apply for the 2023 Walter Grant to July 10, 2023. If you miss the deadline, read on to get an early start for next year. 

From the We Need Diverse Books website: 

"The Walter Dean Myers Grant program was established to provide grants of $2,000 each to promising diverse writers and illustrators who are currently unpublished. Since 2015, we have awarded 45 grants. Current and former grantees have gone on to publish or contract over 50 books for children and teens."

2015 winner, Angie Thomas, used her award to buy a computer. She went on to write the New York Times Bestseller The Hate U Give and other award winning books. Read more about previous winners in this article by Andrea Ruggirello.  

Requirements when applying - you'll include:

• a brief statement (200 words) about how you will use your grant money to further your writing career. 
• a 200-word summary of the work you're submitting.
• 1 500-word essay about how diversity impacts your writing and/or illustrating career. 
• a 2,500-word excerpt of your work (in the genre in which you are applying) or 4 to 6 illustration samples  

Read here to learn details about submission guidelines, application process, and eligibility details. 

Where to apply:  Right on the webpage - read and scroll down to complete. There's a list of FAQs at the bottom of the webpage: We Need Diverse Books Walter Grant 

Direct any questions to waltergrant@diversebooks.org

Cheers,

Kim

P.S. Who is "We Need Diverse Books"? 

We Need Diverse Books™ is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.

Details here.

 

10 Proven Ways to Jumpstart Your Writing Career

A few times a year, someone I know - a friend, cousin, neighbor, dental hygienist, etc. -  confesses they’d like to write a book. They mention how they've heard about my upcoming release, The Truth About 5th Grade, co-written by me and Mark Parisi (summer 2024, HarperCollins). 

by Mark Parisi

Or they mention my award-winning books with Chronicle or one of the writing classes I teach.  

All ask the big "H" question - “how”. How do you write books and/or have a successful writing career?

I love sharing goals and dreams with friends, so the question is a huge compliment!

My most recent email sounded like this: 

Hey Kim! I know you are a writer, correct? I am thinking of writing a true life story. Any pointers you can give me? How do I go about presenting to a publisher? Is it best that I get a writer to assist me in my story? Any help/guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Here’s my evolving answer. I hope the following information is useful to you, too:

I'm happy to hear you're interested in writing a book. Good for you to ask questions early! When I decided I wanted to write, I spent a year creating a 60,000 word novel. After I finished, I read a book on craft and talked to experienced writers—that’s when I discovered the one-million things I did wrong, haha—oh well! The best thing I did was sitting my butt in a chair and getting started. Here are my recommendations:

1. BIC (butt in chair). Have a goal of how many words a day you plan to write and do it (by the way, word count is where it's at; not page count). Set aside a time every day to write and commit to that schedule. For me, it is first thing in the morning. One of my friends writes at night after everyone has gone to bed. 

2. Join an Organization. Join a genre-specific organization and participate in activities and events. I write children's books, so I joined the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). There are many organizations. It might take a bit of research for you to find the right fit (Romance Writers of America; History Writers of America, Science Fiction Writers of America, etc.).

3. Connect with Other Writers. Research to see if anyone in your area hosts a writers connection event (a writer get-together). When I lived in Colorado, I co-hosted a Connect for SCBWI members who lived in Boulder area. The other co-host and I picked a topic and moderated a group discussion. We covered novel structure, character development, craft book discussions, goal setting, etc. Now that I live in Phoenix, and I co-host a Write Night.

4. Read: Find craft blogs and read, read, read. My blog is geared toward children's book writers and readers. I post book recommendations, interviews with agents and editors, and writing tips. I like the SCBWI blog by Alice Pope, and several others such as Deborah Halverson's Dear Editor. I also like Adventures in Children’s Publishing, and one by Nathan Brandsford.  In addition to blogs, read craft books like SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder, or WIRED FOR STORY by Lisa Cron, or SCENE AND STRUCTURE by Jack Bickham, or THE BREAKOUT NOVELIST: Craft and Strategies for Career Fiction Writers by Donald Mass, or Everybody Writes: Your New and Improved Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley.

5. Find or form a critiquing group. This is crucial! It takes a village to write a great book—your village starts with your critique group. A good critique partner tells you about your glows and grows. I like the sandwich method—that's when you begin by talking about what you specifically like and what works well and even why you think it works well; next you discuss what needs work and why (in your opinion); lastly, close with something specific and positive. If you can't find an in-person critiquing group, there are many on-line forums.

6. Social Media. Find a social media forum that fits your style and “follow” a focused base of people who are experts, consumers, and also novices in your field—through them, you can stay on top of what is relevant—i.e. conference chatter, or when is the so-and-so book award coming out, or when is Dear Editor giving away a free critique, or what's the latest in Publishers Marketplace, or what did so-and-so say this time.

7. Subscribe. Consider a subscription to Writer's Digest, Poets & Writers, or Publishers Marketplace. Subscribe to the free email offered by Publishers Lunch.

8. Attend a conference. The knowledge you'll gain at a conference will close the learning gap quickly (craft, formatting, word count, looking professional, how to, and more). Also attend a writing workshop, one that is craft and feedback focused.

9. Podcasts. Listen to Grammar Girl podcasts and become familiar with The Punctuation Guide, then forgive yourself for how many things you get wrong (but fix them).

10. READ read and read. Reading is important to mention a second time! Be a good literary citizen. Good writers need to be avid readers first, especially in the genre they want to write. It is bananas to me when someone says they want to write a children's book, yet all they read are adult books. The best writers are readers first.

Good luck! I look forward to seeing your name listed under New York Times Bestsellers.