For more than a decade, I have been visiting Northeast Ohio elementary schools to read The Brainy Adventures of Bonobo Kid — The Rainy Day Lesson to students. This spring, a visit to a kindergarten class at Huntington Elementary School revealed a surprise: the author of the book is not only a Northeast Ohio local — she is a teacher.
Lynette Miller teaches first grade at Crestview Elementary School. She wrote the book at home with her daughters when they were young.
"I wrote this book with my daughters when we were home and they were little and they did not understand weather and they were scared of storms," Miller said.
In the book, a blue bonobo monkey teaches children why weather happens. Miller said the fear many young children feel about storms, particularly tornadoes, comes from not understanding them.
"They're so fascinated by tornadoes, but fearful about them. And I think they need to understand, like, it will get through. Yes, it should be feared if you're in the tornado alley, but what do you do to get through it?" Miller said.
I used to be one of those kids, scared of tornadoes. It is part of why I visit so many classrooms now, and why I keep reading Miller's book.
Miller said her goal was to make the science feel approachable.
"All I kept thinking about was how can we teach them, it's a very simple concept, and it's a beautiful thing, it's going around all the time," Miller said.
The book explains the water cycle—and it turns out Miller's story has come full circle in more ways than one.
She does not just teach at Crestview Elementary. She was a student there, too.
Miller has also written additional books in the series, covering topics including healthy habits, oceans, forests, and the world around us.
"I do, I do. So, healthy habits, learning about where you live, about the ocean and the world around you. Forests. Anything science, we started making topics and writing," Miller said.
While Miller is uncertain whether she will write more books — she said she loves her job as a teacher — she is clear on what she believes children need most.
"Kids need to read. Kids need to learn math. Kids need to practice, practice and build that. The world is open to anything, but they've gotta have those foundations," Miller said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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