Exemplary Eagles: Fourth-grader Maximillian B.

In this section of the Graded Gazette, we showcase the accomplishments of an extraordinary student who embodies Graded's mission: Inspire. Challenge. Succeed. Every student, every heart, every mind.

Fourth-grader and published author and illustrator Maximillian B. is this month's Exemplary Eagle. Max has been a prolific artist since he was a toddler and is especially fond of drawing animals. He knows a lot about them from books he has read, and their curious worlds fascinate him.

During the pandemic, Max completely immersed himself in the animal world, combining his drawings with well-researched and wonderfully written paragraphs detailing the (often quite bizarre) habits of some of our planet’s most spectacular creatures.

Max decided to collect his research and illustrations into a book called Meu Mundo Animal. His primary objective in writing the book was to share some of his love for animals with other children throughout Brazil. He kept that in mind as he organized the book's content and carefully selected the creatures he thought would most interest other kids. 

Max completed the manuscript in December 2021 and had it published with the help of his parents. The final product is a small hardcover book full of beautiful illustrations and fascinating facts. (Did you know that sugar gliders are arboreal marsupials with membranes that stretch from their forelegs to their hindlegs, allowing them to glide down tree canopies? Or that unaus, also known as two-toed sloths, are the most aggressive species of sloth?) 

Several copies of Meu Mundo Animal are available in the Lower School Library. 

With this incredible achievement, Max certainly embodies Graded’s mission. Hopefully, Max is as proud of his book as we are of him!