Gators on the Loose at North Park Schools this Tuesday!
On Tuesday, May 11, students at Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Academy and North Park Schools will watch books come alive in a fresh and exciting way as they meet the real people who inspired the characters in Grand Rapids’ Author Sue Stauffacher’s new series with Random House. They will even meet real alligators!
In “Animal Rescue Team” (Knopf, May 11, 2010), her new series for Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, Stauffacher has created a lovable cast of characters centered around the Carter Family, owners of Carter’s Urban Rescue. They include fifth-grader, Keisha; her 1st grade brother, Razi; baby brother, Paulo; Mama and Daddy and Grandma; along with a community of neighbors and friends. One wacky adventure follows another, involving kids’ interactions with animals, each other and their town, Grand River. Inspired by events at her 150+ year old farmhouse in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, as well as news items from the surrounding area, Sue keeps kids—and animals—in stitches, while subtly teaching children what to do when they encounter wildlife.
Sue Stauffacher has a long history of making kids laugh while teaching them about compassion, relationships and growing up. Books like “Donuthead,” and “Harry Sue” have won awards from readers as well as organizations like the American Library Association, the Library of Michigan, The N.A.A.C.P., and the Women’s National Book Association.
As the series unfolds—there are four books so far—Sue relies heavily on Grand Rapids’ Public School’s principal and friend, Carrie Tellerico. With Carrie’s permission, she also became a character in the book. She is the principal of Langston Hughes Elementary, which is loosely based on Carrie’s own school in GRPS, Martin Luther King Jr., Leadership Academy. “I’ve worked with Carrie for many years,” says Stauffacher. “But if I couldn’t imagine what she’d say, I’d call her up and ask her.”
Another developing storyline takes the school’s jump rope team to the division championships in Detroit. “Coach Rose, who worked with the girls at MLK, was wonderful about explaining how the jump rope competitions work,” says Stauffacher. “And I learned so much from the jumpers themselves! So many kids had a hand in developing these stories.”
To write “Gator on the Loose,” the first in the series to be released May 11, Sue worked closely with Dan Malone, Animal Management Supervisor, at John Ball “The public has a lot of misconceptions about what zoos can and can’t do with regard to local wildlife,” says Stauffacher. “I wanted to make sure I was representing the zoo correctly. I came away very impressed with their role in keeping all animals wild and safe, not just the ones in their care. Both for our website and for the book, Dan helped me give kids up-to-date information on some scaly and scary problems…such as what do to if there’s an alligator or snake loose in your neighborhood.”
She also consulted heavily with, and incorporated into the story, David Critchlow, who, with his wife, Carmen, operates Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary in Athens, Michigan. “David’s sanctuary was a dream come true for me because I was able to write a realistic happy ending for my story.”
For more information on the series, check out Sue’s website and blog at www.suestauffacher.com and learn more about Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary at www.alligatorsanctuary.com