Bring on the spelling lists. And the math problems. And the endless little projects. Children learn from their storybooks as much as their math books. Many of the lessons add truth and vividness to classroom lessons.
Biographies are some of the best teachers.
In most classrooms, they are required reading. As a young girl the idea of caging animals had disgusted Gertie. She vowed she would be surrounded by animals roaming free. The baby gorilla named Buddy was only one of them. She also had four chimps, a leopard and a Komodo dragon, plus common things such as a dachshund that wore glasses and a parrot that talked.