Until earlier this week, besides his family’s chocolate lab, the only animals my ten-month-old grandson had seen were in his books.

This week we took him to the zoo for the first time. Was he impressed? We couldn’t really tell!

I, however, am always quite impressed to see God’s amazing wild creatures at close range.

A good zoo protects endangered species, cares well for its animal-kingdom residents, and educates us humans. I’m grateful for every good zoo (like our Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden)–even though I’d much prefer for every wild animal to be able to live safely and peacefully in its natural habitat.

Good books remain the way most of us introduce our little ones to God’s amazing animals. For a board book that combines identifying animals, learning the alphabet, and part of the creation story, you might want to check out Adam Named the Animals from A to Z in Roma Downey’s Little Angels series.

DIANE