Eighth-grade science teacher Ben Adler was recently walking with his wife and son in Uptown Oakland when his wife pointed out the comic book store Cape & Cowl Comics. They were waiting for their chicken sandwiches from World Famous HOTBOYS Chicken, and Adler wandered inside to check it out.
Sitting near the front counter in the local author’s section was a book that Adler had been thinking of for some time: Bay Area-based ecologist Tiffany Yap’s yellow and brown graphic novel Tales of the Urban Wild: A Puma’s Journey, illustrated by Meital Smith.
Adler had been interested in the book after reading about the author in The Oaklandside. As a middle school science teacher at Downtown Charter Academy, a Title 1 school in East Oakland, he is always looking for new and interesting materials for his students. Yap’s book seemed perfect. He read it and loved it. He gave his copy to a student to get their perspective. The young reader was a fan, and Adler decided he wanted his entire 8th-grade class to read it.
He reached out to Yap and asked if she and Smith would be interested in talking with his students. They both happily agreed. Yap had always hoped the young adult graphic novel would be used as a teaching tool—the book was recently placed on the recommended reading list for young adult fiction for the 2024 Green Earth Book Awards by the Nature Generation. This opportunity gave her the chance to see it in action.
“This is why I wrote the book—to have young folks read it and be inspired by it,” Yap said in an interview. “So, of course, I’d be happy to be part of that.”
To prepare for Yap and Smith’s visit, Adler would need to supply books to around 80 8th graders in time for them to read them over spring break. He knew the school would not be able to find funding for that many books that quickly—even at the discounted rate that Yap was providing them. He also knew that he did not want to ask parents to purchase books for the students.
“I am always very hesitant to ask parents for money,” said Adler. “So I just put it out on my own personal network.”
He launched an online fundraiser through GoFundMe aiming to raise $800 for the kids’ books. Previously, Adler taught English to Syrian refugees and had launched a similar campaign to help them purchase laptops.
Adler said that it was not only important that the books were free to the students, but that they were theirs to keep.
“I gave the books to the students so that they could keep them,” said Adler. “The students were able to own a book that is their educational graphic novel, and then meet the people who created it, and then get the author to sign it.”
The money was raised in no time. Once the books were bought, Adler, Yap and Smith chatted briefly about the presentation before they all came together on Friday, April 19 to give a presentation to the entire 8th grade class at Downtown Charter Academy.
Enthralled students and a fun teaching tool
In a small auditorium on the second floor of the school, where colorful drawings lined the walls, the students sat to listen to Yap and Smith’s presentation. They were each equipped with their copy of the books, sheets of printer paper, and No. 2 pencils. Yap stood at a small podium. On a foldout table next to her were specimens she had brought from the UC Berkeley Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Smith, a Washington-based illustrator, joined via Zoom.
Yap’s book follows the journey of a young puma trying to navigate California’s unique urban and windland environments. Along the way, the mountain lion encounters an array of California’s native plants and animals, as well as fictional scientists based on real-life scenarios.
On Friday, Yap walked the kids through videos of real-life biologists performing the same actions that they do in the book. She played side-by-side videos that helped the kids understand the research that went into the novel. In tandem, Smith would chat through her illustrating process and how the book went from an idea to a physical book.
For a room full of 8th graders, it was surprisingly quiet. Most children listened intently while others flipped quietly through their copies of the book. When it came to the interactive portions of the presentation, the students participated enthusiastically, scribbling puma drawings on their pieces of paper and excitedly showing them around to their classmates.
Smith walked them through a puma drawing lesson as Yap meandered through the crowd taking in the students’ work. Smith is currently working as a student teacher and studying to become an art teacher herself. This opportunity gave her the chance to boost her teaching skills and use her own work as an example.
Yap said this type of learning experience was what she hoped would come about from her book.
“I was really inspired to be with them in that auditorium,” said Yap. “It made me really happy to be there and to see all these students who are so excited about the book—the art and the science. Those kids are really why I wrote this book; it’s for them. And seeing them connect with and learn from it was really incredible.”
Once the presentation wrapped up, the students lined up to get their books signed by Yap. Many students told The Oaklandside that they had read the book two or three times and that the artwork mixed with the content made them excited to learn more.
Adler encourages other teachers to consider using this type of learning as a teaching tool. Seeing the success of this round of reading, he successfully pushed to get the book on next year’s incoming 8th graders’ summer reading list.
Yap also hopes that educators will see graphic novels such as hers as a way to make science education more accessible to a range of students and can be inspired by the work that Adler did for his students.
“Seeing how much the students connected with the book really shows a lot about how excited kids can be about learning about important issues while also bringing out their creative talents,” said Yap.
