Books teach children proper place for animals

My skepticism-o-meter lunges into high gear whenever I hear that a celebrity has written a book. Some are wonderful. Many are awful. I wonder about all the good books by unknown authors that are overlooked, in favor of bad books by celebrities that get lots of press.

'Finding Susie' is a new picture book written by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. It survived my skepticism test. The story is based on Justice O'Connor's childhood experiences growing up on a remote cattle ranch in the American Southwest.

For 10 years, she was an only child and wanted a pet to keep her company. She tried a turtle, a rabbit, a coyote and a bobcat. Each animal helped her to understand that wild animals are meant to stay in the wild. When she finds Susie, a stray mutt that actually smiles, she realizes that 'a dog is about the best pet I could have.' 'Chico' is another picture book by O'Connor that tells about her adventures on the ranch with her horse.

'Where Should Turtle Be' by Susan Ring is also a picture book that explores where an animal belongs. A sea turtle hatches on the beach. Instead of heading for the ocean, he's distracted by artificial lights and accidentally heads in the wrong direction. He tries being a box turtle in the woods. He tries being a painted turtle in the pond. He tries being a diamondback terrapin in the salt marsh. He isn't happy until he reaches the sea.

With beautiful illustrations by Laurie Allen Klein and simple rhyming text, children will learn a whole lot about turtles and their habitats. They can learn more with the 'For Creative Minds' activities in the back of the book and online activities at www.SylvanDellPublishing.com. Sylvan Dell books are also available in 'ebook' format. This is an exciting new concept that you can explore on the Web site.

Contact Fran Hawk at franbooks@yahoo.com.