Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Author Information-

Monica Brown’s website: http://www.monicabrown.net/

About Monica Brown: http://www.monicabrown.net/about/index.php

Illustrator Information-

Elisa Chavarri’s website: http://www.elisachavarri.com/

Activities & Resources:

Peru

Facts about Peru: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/countries/peru/

A virtual journey through the Andes Mountains: https://www.aboveusonlyskies.com/andes-mountains/

Peruvian culture: https://www.machupicchu.org/peru_culture.htm

How to draw a cabeza clava (6:34): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gs0srVDIbI

Sharuko and his family spoke Quechua. About the Quechua language (9:35): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzbJViFwshU

Archaeology

Explore artifacts from the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru: http://sistemas2.cultura.gob.pe/pyBienes/index.jsp?txtdenominacion=&selectmuseo=22&selectcategoria=&btnBuscar=ok

Test your knowledge! What do you know about archaeology? https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/archaeology/what-do-you-know-about-archaeology2

Solving Mysteries with Archaeologists (4:36): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOJlCdMvWAI

Go on an archaeological dig at your home or school. What do you predict you will find?

What Does an Archaeologist Do?:

https://www.thc.texas.gov/preserve/archeology/what-does-archeologist-do

MakerSpace Activities:

Use Google Maps or Google Earth to track Sharuko’s journey through Peru, to the United States, to Europe, and back to Peru.

Make a time capsule for others to find at a later date. Include items that give clues about the current year.

Use Adobe Spark (https://spark.adobe.com/make/timeline-maker/) or another app to create a timeline of Sharuko’s life.

Use recycled materials to make tools archaeologists use. Learn more about archaeologists’ tools here: https://www.nps.gov/archeology/public/kids/kidsTwo.htm#

Discussion Questions:

Sharuko was from Peru. What do you know about Peru and South America?

What do you know about archaeologists?

Why do you think the author chose to include a map?

Why do you think the author chose the text to be in both English and Spanish?

Sharuko was a nickname that means “brave” in Quechua. What nickname would you give yourself based on your traits? Why?

Would you be scared to find skulls like Sharuko and his brothers found? Why or why not?

For centuries, the Indigenous people of Peru were treated unfairly and faced discrimination. Can you think of a similar instance in American or Texas history? Explain.

Sharuko felt proud of his heritage. What do you know about your heritage? Is there something you are especially proud of?

What does it mean when the author writes that the skulls “felt like a part of him-- part of his present and his future”?

Why do you think Sharuko’s aunt wanted to pay for him to go to school in the city?

Sharuko was called Julio at school. Do you have a nickname outside of school? How did you get that nickname?

Sharuko and his father traveled on horseback to Lima. Would you want to make a long journey on horseback? Why or why not?

Sharuko left home at twelve years old to go to school in the city. How do you think he felt?

Sharuko spent time observing and recording Native ceremonies and farming activities, which helped him understand the daily life of ancient Peruvians. How would observing people in present times help you to understand people in the past?

Why was it important to put Sharuko’s discoveries in a museum to share with others?

Did you notice a gray dog in many of the illustrations? Why do you think the illustrator included the dog?

Why do you think Sharuko is still beloved by Peruvians?

Sharuko had many different jobs. Which job would you like best? Why?

What did you learn about Peruvian culture from reading Sharuko?

In the Afterword, the author mentions that Sharuko is buried at the Museum of Anthropology he founded, near artifacts he recovered from ancient sites. Do you think this is significant? Why or why not?

Book Talk Teasers:

Watch the TBA book trailer for Sharuko

Read the Readers Theater for Sharuko.

Read Alikes:

Archaeology

Fern, Tracey E. Howard and the Mummy: Howard Carter and the Search for King Tut's Tomb. Discusses the famed archaeologists career and research in Egypt before he made the famous 1922 discovery of King Tut's tomb. (NoveList Plus)

Steele, Kathryn. Stones and Bones: Archaeology in Action. Discusses the work of archaeologists and describes the sites and artifacts they work with, including such things as ancient cities and burial grounds, temples, sunken ships, tools, and writing tablets. (NoveList Plus)

Books written in English and Spanish

Brown, Monica. My name is Celia: the Life of Celia Cruz/ Me llamo Celia : la vida de Celia Cruz. The "Queen of Salsa" describes her childhood in Cuba, her musical career, and her move to the United States, and explains how her music brought her native Cuba to the world. (NoveList Plus)

Elovitz, Linda, Rainbow Weaver/Tejedora del arcoris. Ixchel, a young Mayan girl who is not allowed to use her mother's thread to weave, exercises her ingenuity and repurposes plastic bags to create colorful weavings. Includes glossary and author's note. (NoveList Plus)

Winter, Jonah, Sonia Sotomayor :a Judge grows in the Bronx/ Sonia Sotomayor : la juez que crecio en el Bronx. A biography of the first Puerto Rican--and third woman--Supreme Court justice emphasizes how she overcame a childhood of poverty in the South Bronx through her own and her mother's hard work and determination. (NoveList Plus)

Reviews:

Sharuko: El arqueólogo peruano Julio C. Tello / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello . Brown, Monica. Lee & Low/ Children’s Book. 2020.

Booklist

Sharuko: El arqueólogo peruano Julio C. Tello / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello (Starred)

Brown. Monica (author). Illus. by Elisa Chavarri. Tr. by Adriana Dominguez.

Aug. 2020. 40p. Lee & Low/Children’s Book, $19.95 (9780892394234). Grades 2-5. 930.1092.

REVIEW. First published June 1, 2020 (Booklist).

Vibrant illustrations and a detailed bilingual text come together to tell the inspiring story of Julio C. Tello, the first Indigenous archaeologist of the Americas and an important figure of Peruvian history. Following Julio—known as Sharuko, which means “brave” in his native Quechua language—from his roots as he explored caves near his home, through his studies in Lima, where he attended medical school, and on to Harvard and Europe, where he studied archaeology, readers will be turning pages with fascination at Tello’s many accomplishments. As Tello returned to Peru once more, he made amazing archaeological discoveries and ultimately became the director of the Museum of Anthropology, which helped him accomplish his greatest wish: to preserve Peruvian culture along with the rich heritage and history of the Indigenous peoples who created it. Chavarri’s gorgeous watercolor-and-gouache illustrations bring to life Tello’s family, his ancestors, moments—both beautiful and dark—from the history of Peru, and the inspiring events of his own life. The bilingual Spanish/English text, neatly laid out in parallel, provides detailed information that will have young readers yearning to learn more, and it’s sure to inspire young archaeologists-to-be. A detailed afterword, illustrator’s note, and author’s sources provide additional information. — Selenia Paz

Reprinted with Permission of Booklist https://www.booklistonline.com/

School Library Journal (June 1, 2020)

Gr 3-6-Julio C. Tello dreamed of documenting Indigenous history through an Indigenous perspective. Growing up in the shadow of the Andes mountains in the late 1800s, Tello heard about the glorious history of Peru from his father. The widespread death and destruction that followed in the wake of the Spanish invasion nearly erased thousands of years of pre-European history, but Tello was determined to discover it all. His fearless curiosity earned him the nickname Sharuko, which means brave in his Quechua language. He graduated from medical school in Lima, Peru, in 1909 and earned a graduate degree in anthropology from Harvard in 1911. Upon returning to Peru, he made many important archaeological discoveries and became known as the "founder of modern Peruvian archaeology." From the discovery of ancient skulls in his youth to his appointment as director of Peru's Museum of Anthropology in 1939, Tello's drive to uncover the heritage of his people helped him become Peru's first Indigenous archaeologist. Brown's bilingual narrative is clear and straightforward, making Tello's life and achievements easily accessible. Chavarri's colorful and upbeat illustrations highlight Tello's discoveries, from the endpapers featuring stone heads extracted from the Chavín de Huántar site to the motifs of Paracas textiles. VERDICT A highly recommended and inspiring portrayal of dedication and perseverance for today's generation of explorers.-Mary Margaret Mercado, Pima County P.L., Tucson, AZ © Copyright 2020. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Reprinted with permission from School Library Journal, 2020. http://www.slj.com.