Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Author Website: https://www.kathiappelt.com/

Interview with Middle Grade Ninja: http://www.middlegradeninja.com/2011/02/7-questions-for-kathi-appelt.html

Illustrator Information:

Illustrator Website: https://www.ericrohmann.com/

Activities & Resources:

Activities:

Simon and Schuster Reading Group Guide: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Once-Upon-a-Camel/Kathi-Appelt/9781534406438

Desert Adaptations

In the book, the author talks about how camels have adapted to life in the desert and how kestrels have adapted to flying. Look up other animal adaptations.

Zada mentions many animals and plants that live in her part of Texas. Make a list of these animals and plants and research facts about each one.

Cibola

Zada talks about the appearance of conquistadors in North America and their quest for the City of Gold, Cibola. Research this city and the conquistadors who searched for it. Did they ever find this city? https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/Where-Are-the-Cities-of-Cibola

Video of Coronado and the seven cities of Cibola (13:49): https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=6n_cddQ4sGs&feature=youtu.be

Context Clues

Using context clues, make a chart of the Turkish words used by Teodor, Zada, and Aisye with what you believe they mean in English and the context clues that led you to your answer.

St. Elmo’s Fire

Research St. Elmo’s Fire and whether it is real and why it happens. https://www.livescience.com/st-elmos-fire.html

Video showing St. Elmo’s Fire(1:28): https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=cNYZW3kfDNQ&feature=youtu.be

Camels

Video all about camels (2:24): https://basinpbs.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/camels/san-diego-zoo-kids/

Camel information: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/bactrian-camel

Zada is a Camelus dromedarius. She says that there were Camelops in ancient Texas and her ancestors in Turkey were prehistoric poebrotherium. She also mentions the giant Titanotylopus. Where do these names come from? Are there still camels in Texas today? How did ancient camels get to Texas? Do some research on the camel species in North America and Turkey.

Kestrels

Five Facts about Cool Kestrels (3:17): https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=54HJdMHZpgs&feature=youtu.be

Video of kestrels in their nest (22:53): https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=Y04R9ZrSRIg

Mountain Lions

Mountain lion information: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/mountain-lion

Video about mountain lions/cougars (4:52): https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=feavfdrhBwc

MakerSpace Activities:

Torn paper desert and camel scene: http://jo-jacks.com/camel-crafts-kids/

How to draw a camel: https://artprojectsforkids.org/how-to-draw-a-camel/#t

How to make an origami camel(5:21): https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=HQBFbDxlEcg

How to draw a kestrel: https://www.drawingtutorials101.com/how-to-draw-a-kestrel

Make a movable mountain lion: http://learncreatelove.com/mountain-lion-printable-craft/

Make a mountain lion mask: http://www.supercoloring.com/sites/default/files/cif/pdf/2019/04/mountain-lion-mask-outline-coloring-page.pdf

Discussion Questions:

The story starts with Perlita telling Zada that a mountain was moving towards them and was going to eat them. Zada did not understand, but knew this was serious. How would you handle this situation? How would you react?

A haboob is a very dangerous wind storm. Zada says the fish could survive deep in the water and the badgers could burrow deep in a hole in the ground. How would you feel and what would you do if you had to face this kind of storm where you live?

Zada is designed to survive in the desert and Pard and Perlita are designed to survive by flying. These are adaptations. What other adaptations by animals or humans can you think of why are they needed?

What adaptations do you wish you could have? Do you want to fly like a kestrel or have double eyelids like a camel? Why?

Pecos de Leon and Zada had history. She knew him since he was a cub. So why did she wish he wasn’t home?

On page 32, Perlita and Pard's final words as they were taken away by the haboob was to “Keep them safe!” The book calls this the “universal prayer of every mother and father in every land.” What does it mean to be universal? What are some other things that are universal?

Zada uses stories of her life with Asiye to quiet and comfort the bay kestrels. What is your favorite story? Why is it your favorite? Did it help you through a tough time?

Asiye and Zada have a motto: “En parlak yildez ol.Become the brightest star” (p.59). What did that mean for them? What would it mean in your life?

Asiye and Zada loved to “fly.” They loved racing each other, running as fast as they could. What do/would you enjoy doing every day?

As Zayda and Asiye got older and better at racing, it was “time to create bridles worthy of their elite status” (p. 81). Teodor wanted something gold “to catch the glimmers from the sun” (p. 82). He got a sheet of gold and took a walk to note the things he loved to decide what to make. What would you make? What things do you love?

Teodor made both camels a bell to adorn their bridles. One bell did not make much of a sound, but the two camels stood together “it was as if the bells discovered their voices and sang out loud, in a clear chiming echo” (p.85). How do the bells symbolize the relationship between Asiye and Zada?

Zada worries because there are so many things she can't control like the wind, the stars and not knowing what happened to Perlita and Pard. What are some things you can’t control in your life? How does it make you feel? How do you handle them?

Zada and Asiye were ready for their first race for the Pasha. Teodor took them to practice on the beach. When he let go of their leads to run, they both stood still with fear. What if they were the first camels to lose the Pasha his grand prize? Discuss a time when you were afraid to try because you were afraid to fail.

Zada talks about flying. Beulah and Wims tell her that camels can’t fly because they don’t have wings. Zada says “maybe there are other ways to fly” (p. 126). What does she mean?

Teodor set Zada and Asiye free on the banks of the Rio Grande and left them there alone. It seems like a hurtful act, but it was done out of love so that they would not end up with someone who would not treat them badly. Discuss other things that have happened to you or in history that would fit this same scenario.

The book says a miracle is “a good thing happens at the exact moment it is needed” (p.164). Discuss miracles in the book. Discuss a miracle that has happened to you.

Why did Pecos de Leon let Zada and the kestrels leave his cave unharmed?

During the drought Zada wished upon a star. What did she wish for? What would you wish for?

Wims and Beulah wanted to know what was Zada’s most exciting “field trip” ever? What has been your most exciting “field trip” ever?

How did Zada’s age and previous experiences help her and the baby kestrels survive?

Zada saved Pecos de Leon, Perlita and Pard, and now Wims and Beulah. Why would she save these animals that were strangers or not part of her camel family?

What does the flock of butterflies in Chapter 67 symbolize?

How did Asiye fly in the end?

In her author’s note, Kathi Appelt says “In these days of so much anger and division, it’s more important than ever that we take time to share our stories.” Why? What does her statement mean to you?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the Reader's Theater for Once Upon a Camel.

Watch the book trailer for Once Upon a Camel embedded at the bottom of the page.

Once Upon a Camel Read-Aloud with Kathi Appelt from Simon Kids (7:00):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=aOn-pEnHotY

Read Alikes:

Applegate, Katherine. The One and Only Ivan. When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life. (NoveList)

Parry, Rosanne. A Wolf Called Wander. "A young wolf cub, separated from his pack, journeys 1000 miles across the Pacific Northwest, dealing with forest fires, hunters, highways, and hunger before finding a new home. Based on the true story of a wolf called OR-7"--Provided by publisher. (NoveList)

Pennypacker, Sara. Pax. When his father enlists in the military and makes him return his beloved pet fox to the wild, Peter, who has been sent to live with his grandfather hundreds of miles away, embarks on a journey filled with astonishing discoveries in order to be reunited with his fox. (NoveList)

Rosen, Michael J. The Tale of Rescue. When a sudden blizzard traps a family vacationing in the Appalachian foothills, a local cattle dog devises a plan to rescue them. (NoveList)

White, E. B. Charlotte's Web. The story of Wilbur, the pig, smallest of the litter, who is raised by the farmer's daughter, and who finds a friend in Charlotte, the spider. (NoveList)

Reviews:

Appelt, Kathi. Once Upon a Camel. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2021.

Booklist

Once upon a Camel.

By Kathi Appelt. Illus. by Eric Rohmann.

Sept. 2021. 336p. Simon & Schuster, $17.99 (9781534406438). Grades 4-7. REVIEW. First published July 2021 (Booklist).

Zada, an elderly camel, is enjoying a peaceful desert snooze when a kestrel friend frantically flies in with a warning: an enormous sandstorm is on its way. As the kestrel and her mate realize they must rescue their darling chicks from the oncoming whirlwind, honorary aunt Zada steps up, ordering the tiny fluffs to hunker down atop her head. The group agrees to meet nearby after the gale passes, but before they can say goodbye, the storm sweeps the kestrel parents away, and the camel hightails it for shelter, chicks in tow. To calm the anxious babies, Zada begins spinning yarns of her extraordinary life. She shares tales of her opulent youth in Turkey, a fraught trans-Atlantic crossing, and incredible adventures in North American deserts. In a clever nod to her namesake, Scheherazade, the camel tells her stories to save lives, and Zada’s past and present come together to preserve them all. The unusual story is at turns extremely funny and incredibly sweet. There’s a beautiful fluidity to Appelt’s descriptions, capturing movement and sound with amazing (and amusing) accuracy, and the conversational narration comfortably establishes a cozy world. Rohmann’s soft, lifelike oil paintings scattered throughout the text handsomely add to the fantastical proceedings, resulting in an unconventional ode to the beauty of found families and the power in our stories. —Emily Graham

Used with the permission of Booklist https://www.booklistonline.com/