Information – My Favorite Animals ABC

June 27 update

Today I went on a bit of a rabbit trail. I started out looking for red amphibians and discovered a strange creature known as a Caecilian, which isn’t red but piqued my interest anyway based on how strange it was. It was as if God couldn’t decide whether to make a new snake or aContinue reading “June 27 update”

Zany Zebras

Zebras may be a common animal in children’s ABC books, but for good reason. While many other animals start with a Z the only other pretty one that doesn’t have zebra in the name is a type of spotted skunk known as a zorrilla. I had too many similar body type animals to the zorillaContinue reading “Zany Zebras”

Yahoo for Yabbies

Yabbies are a sort of crayfish that lives in Australia. Their burrows are madein riverbanks and dams. When water is clear their shell colors range fromdark brown to dark blue to black. When the water is muddy or cloudy theircolors can be tan or greenish brown. They will migrate up to 37 miles to findnewContinue reading “Yahoo for Yabbies”

Winsome Weasels

The story about why I chose weasels is a rather complicated one. As a matter of fact this is the very first animal I had an idea for in the book, though it was not the first picture I drew or first poem created. In the months before I had the idea for making aContinue reading “Winsome Weasels”

X-elent Xenopus

Xenopus was the second animal I had an idea for, and the first poem and picture I drew. Following my wondering about other animals I could research and see if they were a new favorite, I wondered if there were any animals that started with the letter X! Turns out most animals that start withContinue reading “X-elent Xenopus”

Valiant Voles

I chose voles because I had been thinking about them recently at the time of the book. We had a lot of voles in the garden, and they would be completely fearless around us. Voles are often confused with mice but are different in that they are rounder and have a shorter tail. Voles areContinue reading “Valiant Voles”

Ultra Umbrellabirds

As soon as I saw the goofy name of the umbrellabirds I knew that they had to be in the book. Umbrellabirds are found in Central and South American rain-forests. Despitetheir monochromatic black feathers, they are easily recognizable by theirumbrella shaped crest and long wattle. The wattle hanging down the front isinflatable and meant toContinue reading “Ultra Umbrellabirds”

Terrific Tetras

I chose tetras because they are colorful and fun to draw. They live in the Amazon. Tetra coloration is red and blue striped and they are easy to spot. Tetras are most well known as a popular aquarium fish. Because of their popularity in captivity, little is known about them in the wild. Their colorationContinue reading “Terrific Tetras”

Swell Salamanders

Salamanders are very pretty, very cool amphibians. There’s such variety in them and yet they’re all similar. I decided to include them mostly because I think they’re neat. There are many species of salamanders all over the world. All salamandersare amphibians. Some spend most of their lives on land, some switch betweenthe water and land,Continue reading “Swell Salamanders”

Rad Raccoons

Racoons are another animal that is often overlooked, but is really very cool when you look at them. That’s why I decided to use them for the letter R in this book. Raccoons are common sights in urban and forested areas. These animals arehighly adaptable and intelligent. They have a very strong sense of touch,Continue reading “Rad Raccoons”