#95 | “ResQ” – Translating Science into Fun for Kids

Dr. Eva Pell wrote a series of books that bring science, language, culture, endangered species, social issues, and complex concerns to light.  The books are BRILLIANT and are a hidden secret for teachers and parents! The books are geared towards children ages 9-12 and will keep them engaged while they learn through adventure and fun.  The series include: 

• ResQ and the Baby Orangutan – Engineering boy genius Wheaton and his nature-loving cousin Stowe set out on their first mission for ResQ, their organization to save the endangered orangutan in Borneo.   
• ResQ Takes on the Takhi (the Mongolian Horse) - A harem of takhi—Mongolian wild horses—wandered out of a national park and into danger. Engineering boy genius Wheaton and his naturalist cousin Stowe shuttle to Mongolia on this second mission for ResQ, their organization to save endangered animals. Against wolves and weather, by helicopter and on horseback, and helped by their new Mongolian friend Sarnai, they struggle to guide the lost horses back into the park before winter sets in. 
• ResQ in Panama - All over the world, frog populations are declining, with many frog species headed toward extinction. Cousins Stowe and Wheaton join on a mission to capture and breed endangered frogs on this third mission for ResQ, their organization to save endangered animals. A jaguar, a band of migrants, darkness, and flooding confront them in the indigenous village they make their base. Wheaton’s engineering skills and Stowe’s skills as a naturalist both come in handy as they seek to save not just frogs this time, but also villagers. 

Each story has the hero children visiting a different country where they work with locals to save the endangered species.  

The characters are fun – Wheaton is a boy genius that understands material science – during the interview Dr. Pell explains that material scientists study the properties of materials like nano technology that will allow us to swallow a small camera for a colonoscopy or cloaking, the material in the invisibility cloak from Harry Potter. Stow, who is Wheaton’s cousin, has dyslexia and is home schooled. Stow is a knowledgeable naturalist who educates about the animals and nature surrounding them on the trips. 

While on their missions, they learn words from the local language and explore the culture.  Through their experiences, they observe that the locals have tremendous knowledge about the environment that even the smartest scientist from another country couldn’t understand. 

Dr. Pell’s story about playing with her grandson, Hudson is delightful as she shares how the idea for the books arose. Instead of fixing the broken leg on the same old stuffed animal, she created stories about traveling to countries all over the world to save animals.  They learned what animals lived in what countries and consulted maps before taking off on the sofa that became the spaceship. 

As someone who understands that complex problems take a multidimensional approach to solving, Dr. Pell also believes that the best learning comes from a multidisciplinary approach to teaching. 

Dr. Pell, before retiring and becoming an author, served as the Undersecretary for Science at the Smithsonian Institution and the Sr. Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at Penn State. 

Check out her books at https://tumblehomebooks.org/?s=resq 

And make sure to pass this along to a teacher, school administrator, or parent with children ages 9-12.