STUDY GUIDE for Miss L'eau

About the Author:

Working as a television Production Associate for hundreds of children’s animated tv shows does something to a person.  There are moments in a day where you find yourself thinking like a cartoon character or imagining a funny sound effect to accompany whatever visual is in front of you (junky-clunky cars or shopping carts with wheels that wobble, etc.)  With past television shows that included cowboys in space (Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs), dinosaurs in suspended animation brought back to life in the modern world (Denver, the last Dinosaur), a tiny, yellow rubbery man who lived in the walls of houses (Mr. Bogus) the author has had plenty of exposure to the subjects that make kids laugh.  But one show in particular, Widget, that told the tales of a little alien who came to earth to protect its’ creatures still resonates in her heart.  The show went of the air quite some time ago, but T. Katz felt that children still need colorful characters to keep the message of “Save the Earth” alive.  Therefore, Miss L’eau was created to help kids learn more about the planet’s seashores and the inhabitants who could use our assistance and care.

 

About the Inspiration:

Growing up in Watsonville in Northern California you’re not far from the ocean, and it becomes a part of you.  Watsonville is sandwiched between Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, and though it’s a booming agricultural area – when you live there you’re still a product of the sea.  It’s in your bones, all that salt air and hundreds of days of fog a year.  You’re practically swimming in moisture standing on the sidewalk.  As a result, the sea is never far from your thoughts.  Even when I moved to sunny, bone-dry Southern California’s high desert I still had saltwater running in my veins.  Every chance I had, I would turn my car in the direction of the nearest beach and spend as much time as I could, but seeing the ocean slurp up and spit back litter made me cry.  I didn’t remember seeing all that trash as a young person, so I decided to write Miss L’eau, in an effort to make young minds aware of the help our shores needed.  If one page of Miss L’eau makes a reader want to investigate more about the water surrounding us, then a good deed was done.

 

About the Story:

Two young boys in a coastal town discover a secret about their elementary school teacher, Miss L’eau, which changes their lives forever.  The boys had always known there was something unusual about her, but they could never quite put their finger on it.   Even though the boys have always lived near the ocean, they never thought about its importance, power and certainly never its vulnerability.  Through Miss L’eau, and her very unexpected relationship to the sea, they develop a love and understanding for the great body of water covering most of the earth’s surface.  With their teacher’s help, they become involved with a nearby aquarium and organize an annual clean-up event in their community.

The Characters:

David – a boy with endless curiosity and a sneaking suspicion that his teacher is hiding something from him and his classmates.  He is determined to discover Miss L’eau’s secret.

James – David’s best friend and reluctant accomplice in the mission to uncover the story to Miss Leau’s double life.

Miss Leau – the teacher who changes the lives of two young boys, thanks to her unusual relationship with the sea.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Have you ever known someone that you thought was unusual and that there was more to him/her than they presented?  What was it about them that made you think that?
2. Part of Miss Leau’s secret is in her eyes.  It is often quoted that the “eyes are the windows to the soul”.  What do you think that means? 
3. Do you believe a person’s story can be told through their eyes?  Briefly describe what you see in someone’s eyes.
4. Miss Leau teaches her classroom about clouds.  What do you think the relationship is between clouds and the ocean?
5. David and James visit a nearby aquarium where they have an opportunity to learn more about the sea.  Some say that aquariums are a good way to educate people, while others say it is unfair to the sealife that live there.  Talk about all of the ways aquariums might be both good and bad.
6. In the story it tells how manatees were mistaken for mermaids in ancient lore.  How do you think that could happen?
7. The earth is such a large planet.  How do you think there could be other “undiscovered frontiers” might be on earth?  What or where do you think they might be?
8. Discuss how we could explore them.
9. Miss Leau talks about the ecosystem.  Describe your household’s ecosystem and how each person interconnects to survive.
10. James comes up with the idea to hold an Annual Beach Clean-up.    Why do you think people listened to them?
11. Do you believe that young people can have a voice in the community?  Why?
12. David and James wore their “Sunday best” to many of the Beach Clean-up activities.  Why do you think it was important for them to do this? 
13. Talk about how a person can dress different ways and what impressions people might have.
14. Answer the question, “Simple careless actions in my everyday life can affect …”
15. Come up with solutions to correct the problems.
16. Examine 75% of your daily diet.  How does that 75% affect your health or state of mind? 
17. Do you think that keeping the 75% of our world’s surface (the ocean) healthy is important?  How do you think it makes a difference?
18. What we do every day makes an impact on the planet.  What things can you start to do to make a difference?
19. What we do every day also makes an impact on the people around us.  Discuss what things you can do that might affect other people.  What are some positive things?  What negative things?
20. Name two things that you can do each day to have a positive effect on others.
21. Miss Leau was only in the boys lives for a short while, but she made a great impact.  Have you ever known someone in your life that changed the way you think or do things for the better?  What change occurred?

Topics for Research and Discussion:
Topic #1: Causes and Beliefs

1. What characters in history made entire nations or groups of people think or do things for the better?
2. What was their main concern or cause? 
3. Do you think it was difficult for them to stand up for what they believed in?
4. Is there anything that you believe in that you would be willing to address crowds of people for?

Topic #2: Philanthropy and Humanitarian Works
1.  David and James work together to organize an event that will help clean-up the seashore where they live.  What could you do to help your community with a similar project? 
2. Write a mission statement telling what you hope to achieve with your event or project.

3. Outline your event’s activities from start to finish and decide how you would organize volunteers to see your project through.

4. What steps might need to be taken to see that your event continues year after year, if you decide to move on to another cause?

Topic #3: Teachers and Educators
1. Teachers can have an impact on students that go beyond the subject matter in a class.  Why do you think that is?

2. Students sometimes wonder why they have to go to school to learn about history, science and other subjects.  Having a basic knowledge of subjects sometimes creates a desire to learn more.  Name one subject from your work in a classroom that made you more interested in the subject.  State the simple facts given by your teacher and then provide the additional information you received in your own research.

Topic #4: Using the Earth’s Resources
1. In the story, Miss L’eau, it is mentioned that many natural resources are pulled from the ocean for commercial uses.  Find out what those uses are and what other substitutions might be made.

2. What other plant or animal resources on earth provide multiple uses?

3. What measures are being taken to ensure that the resources are not depleted or destroyed?

Topic #5: Environmental Awareness
1. What are your concerns for the environment?

2. How do you believe these concerns may affect you during your lifetime?

3. What steps are being taken in your household to protect the environment?

4. What further steps could be taken to do more?

5. When you have your own job, household and car someday, how could you structure your life to do the least damage to the environment and make the greatest impact?

STUDY GUIDE for Pythagoras

About the Author:

While primarily a storyteller at heart, I feel that every story deserves a soundtrack of sorts and as a result there has always been an undercurrent of rhythm in my world.  In addition to playing piano at the age of 4, I also participated in every musical class or choir my school experiences offered, sang professionally for a bit and have been teaching piano, guitar, voice and music theory on and off for a long time.  It seems that most of my days are spent at some kind of a keyboard, either musical or computer and it is where I am happiest.

About the Inspiration:
The piano is an instrument that not everyone can play.  Once upon a time almost every home had a piano, either purchased for a child taking lessons or handed down from a beloved relative.  Nowadays, the numbers of keyboard players are small.  Students take lessons because their parents chose the instrument.  Not all of them will continue with lessons, with reasons ranging from easy to explain to incredibly complicated.  Playing the piano with any degree of skill takes time, dedication and patience and young students find that difficult.  When I play piano, I am often transported by the music and find my mind wandering to colorful places and people.  Therefore, I wrote Pythagoras out of a desire for more piano students to be inspired during their practice time at home and find their own magical adventures while practicing.

About the Story:
A reluctant piano student discovers that her piano is inhabited by ghost.  His name is Pythagoras and he is only conjured up when the piano’s “A” key gets sticky and doesn’t work properly.  The musical spirit that arises from her piano begins to teach the girl bits and pieces about musical history (composers, instruments, etc.) and theory, which she has previously found boring and insignificant.  While the ghost teaches her facts about music, the girl begins to apply the lessons to her everyday life, finding out more about music than she thought possible.  She even manages to teach her father an important lesson about music by the story’s end.

The Characters:

Pricilla Villanueva – a piano student who enjoys the music, but finds she needs some further inspiration to continue playing.

Pythagoras – the colorful spirit that comes to life when Pricilla’s piano develops a sticky “A” key in the lower range.

Mrs. Villanueva – Pricilla’s creative mother, Vanessa, who is supportive and patient and encourages her daughter to be committed to her piano lessons and practice.

Mr. Villanueva – Pricilla’s prickly father, Eduardo, a man who doesn’t have a lot of patience or appreciation for music lessons or practice time.

Mrs. Brasshear – Pricilla’s piano teacher, a woman who has no problem expressing her gratitude when she hears “music” coming from her students fingers.

Questions for Discussion:

1. While practicing piano, Pricilla finds herself distracted and wishing to join the kids playing outside.  It’s easy to be tempted to stop something important because playing sounds like more fun, has this ever happened to you?
2. What ways do you keep from finishing a job when you’d like to stop and do something else?  How does it make you feel when you finish?
3. Pythagoras tells Pricilla that you have to find the joy in learning.  What subject do you find difficult?  How could you make it more interesting and find joy in it?
4. Pythagoras described percussion as two things banging together and that many of the sounds we hear everyday are percussive in nature.  Can you name 5 things that you might hear during the day that make percussive sounds?
5. Mr. Villanueva tells his family that life was about getting a good education, securing a decent job and working hard without room for much more, including music.  Do you agree?  Why do think music might still have a place in a person’s life?
6. Pricilla comments that, “doing the same thing every week was a little boring”.  While that might be true, what are the benefits to repeating something (like flashcards for math or language)?
7. What things do you find easy to repeat over and over?  Why is it so easy?
8. What things do you find most difficult?  How can you make it more fun?
9. To become skilled at any instrument takes time and dedication.  What other talents take time and dedication before you are an expert?
10. Even if you do not study music, you have a basic understanding of dynamics.  Can you name at least 2 ways to play or sing a line of music to change it?
11. Pricilla’s mother made a special family recipe called Bundini di riso.  Does your family have a special recipe that they make?  What is it?  What makes it special?
12. Performing at a recital can make a person very nervous, especially if they are not extremely well prepared.  What other things do you think could make a person nervous about performing in public?
13. What activity have you done where there was an audience watching you? 
14. What did you do to calm yourself before?
15. Mrs. Villanueva believes that creative activities are a way to express oneself.  Why do you think that is? 
16. What artistic ways do you express yourself?  What does it say about you?
17. When Pricilla’s teacher has a tear on her face and an expression of true appreciation, it made Pricilla feel that she’d really done well and it meant a lot to her.  Do you find that a job well done feels better when someone else appreciates your work?  What expression of approval do you like best?
18. Pricilla’s grandfather used the phrase, “Do what you love and the money will follow” when talking about choosing a job or profession.  What do you think that means?
19. Pythagoras tells Pricilla that music expresses emotions and feelings when words cannot.  What emotions can you think of that music can communicate?  What instruments (violin, tuba, trumpet, etc.) could you match to emotions?
20. Pricilla and her father ultimately find that they can share music and it makes both of them very happy.  Is there a hobby or subject that you share with someone in your family?  Do you think it brings you closer together and if so, why?

Topics for Research and Discussion:

Topic #1: The Language of Music 

1. Written music on paper can appear very intimidating to someone who doesn’t read music and cannot decipher the images on the page.  However, recorded music can tell a story even without words.  Listen to an instrumental piece of music and create a story to accompany it.  If the music is fast-moving, are your characters moving quickly?  If the tempo of the music is slow, does it make you think of something sad, sleepy or secretive?
2. Music that is written in a minor key kind sound spooky or mysterious, while major keys take on a happy or bright mood.  Listen to a piece of music and decide whether you can determine the type of key.
3. Music is made more interesting using dynamics for contrast.  When you tell a story, you also use dynamics.  Tell a brief story using three elements of dynamics.
4. Before music was written, songs were handed down from generation to generation.  Is there a song you learned from a relative?  How do you know it if it wasn’t given to you on paper?  Was it sung over and over for you, or just one time?

 

Topic #2: Music and History
1. Pricilla discovered that learning about the music that was popular during a certain era made history come to life for her.  Pick a century and the historical characters of that time, then research the music that was popular during that period. 
2. Craft a story from that era using specific music as a backdrop.

3. Can you come up with ideas as to why that particular music was popular during that time?  What instruments were popular then?

Topic #3: Composers 

1. There were many composers throughout history who had very tragic childhoods or careers where they did not receive recognition in their lifetime.  See what you can learn about such a composer and write a brief description of his life and music.
2. Do you think the composer’s difficulties influenced the type of music that was written?  Why? 
3. Pick one of the composer’s compositions and see if you can hear the expression of his/her experience in the music.  Describe it.

 Topic #4: Music and Emotions 

1. Music has the power to influence your emotions.  It is hard to not be happy when listening to music that is happy.  Marching music that is loud and heavy with drums will bring about a different response.  Songs that feature harps or violins have a quality that is more sweet and melancholy.  Why do you think that is?
2. Do you find that you listen to certain types of music when you’re sad or bored?  Does the music change your mood?
3. Some people find that music often matches what is going on it their life.  It’s almost as though a songwriter or composer was tuned in to a person’s experiences.  Have you ever felt this?
4. Noted neurologist Oliver Sacks was quoted as saying, “Music is as powerful as any medicine.”  What do you think that means?  What instances can you think of where music could be helpful in a medical situation?

 Topic #5: Practicing and Time Management 

1. In any pursuit you must dedicate time and effort to become skilled.  However, many young students complain that they don’t have time to practice.  Write out a list of your daily and weekly activities that you participate in.
2. Draw a timeline with 24 hours.  Making sure to allow for 8 hours of sleep, proceed to fill in the rest of your daily activities.  How many hours of the day do you have left after completing your tasks, chores and regular routines?
3. Break whatever time you have left into 20 minute segments.  What could you do with those 20 minute sections?

Topic #2: Music and History1. Pricilla discovered that learning about the music that was popular during a certain era made history come to life for her.Pick a century and the historical characters of that time, then research the music that was popular during that period.2. Craft a story from that era using specific music as a backdrop.