It may be blasphemous to admit this, but whenever I am reading a magazine, the newspaper, or a book I flip through the pages looking at the pictures first. Always.
So as soon as I saw animal rear ends at “the end” of Betty White’s Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo, I knew I’d enjoy actually reading the “tails” about the animals. (See? Betty and I both make butt jokes.)
A “confirmed zoophile”, White understands the history, culture, and conservation goals of “good zoos” that continue to adapt and evolve like the animals they aim to protect and promote. In fact, for almost four decades she’s been an advocate for zoo reform and humane animal care as a trustee of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA).
“I’ve never been one to stand outside and join critical demonstrations – I wanted to get inside and get involved. It turned out to be one of the happiest choices of my life.” – White
Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo is a scrapbook of White’s personal zoo memories accompanied by professional portraits of the species with starring roles: Harriet, the snoozing giraffe, Glenda, the gorilla, standing on her mother’s head, and the Gita, the Asian elephant matriarch. Betty & Friends allows the reader a glimpse into the zoo community where species co-exist as co-workers, but become friends, and even family, as they share their live’s milestones.
Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo was recommended to me via Twitter by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) while conducting research for my middle grade zoo adventure novel, Trespassers May Be Swallowed. What zoo or animal related books do you recommend?
