This week we are talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wanted to be a zookeeper. I was kind of obsessed with it. My mom signed me up to get these National Geographic animal cards. I would get a new set every month. I kept them organized in a little green plastic case they sent me. The cards were laminated and filled with facts about the specific animal they were about. I would try and match one of my stuffed animals with each card as best I could so that I could have my own little zoo. I would play for hours with these cards and my stuffed animals. I also had a knack for memorization so I could dazzle people with useless information like what a koala eats, or that the male seahorse carries the babies, and fun stuff like that.
I think the day that turned my dream around was when I actually visited a zoo. It was a stifling summer day and it stunk so bad. Then a monkey actually tried to pee on my friends and I. It just didn't seem so glamorous after that and I decided to be a lawyer.For a chance to win a copy of Tera's new book, tell me what your favorite animal to visit at the zoo is.
And after you are done here, visit Tera's diary http://teralynnchilds.blogspot.com/ to meet all of the characters from her new book and leave a comment for another chance to win her book. She is also donating a quarter to Oceana, an ocean-focused charity, for each individal comment left. AND, if you just can't wait to read Tera's book, you can read the first sixty pages for free here http://browseinside.harpercollinschildrens.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061914652.
xo,
Stephanie
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40 comments:
A zookeeper? that's so cute! It reminded me of when my brother was a kid and was obsessed about becoming a train driver.
Funnily enough my fave animal to visit at the zoo is the monkey cos they look so ridiculous and act so like humans it's just..i don't know, amusing.
I also like visiting the tigers and the lions, 'cos it gives me a thrill getting so up, close with them. Lol.
Awww, that's cute :) I always like the aquarium in the zoo. The fish are so colorful and so different.
librarylurker@gmail.com
Hey, Steph, I don't think this will be a real surprise to you or our readers, but I like the big CATS!
That's a tough one! I love all animals, but I guess I would pick the monkeys. There's just something about them...
Margay
I wanted to be a zookeeper and a dolphin trainer growing up, too. If I was at the regular zoo as a kid, I think I remember being fairly obsessed with visiting the elephants.
I'm a huge giraffe fan!
I love watching the big cats (when they move). Ahh, the life of a cat: sleep, eats, sleep some more.
Oh, I love the lions! I don't have to worry about being eaten, and I can get a good view of their daily life!
I like to see the snow leopards and the elephants I avoid the reptile area yuck!
Cassie
I love going to the zoo its always such a fun time for me I think that I'll always be a kid in heart I love going to the big cats house its always so amaZing seeeing the tigers and cheetahs as they walk back and forth HEHE
Denise Madness
I’m another fan of the big cats. I love to watch them. Especially the babies when they play.
I love to watch the penguins. It's so fun to watch them swim under the water as they twist around. My friends and I also like to go see the flamingoes and copy their poses. :)
Another Big Cat girl here. But if I had to be specific I would say the white tigers, I love them! I even have a stuff animal collection of white tigers.
~Andrea
is it wrong to say I'm afraid of animals? I think I said this on the horse post. Well I guess I like the fish. Are there fish in zoos?
Well, I only went to the zoo once as a kid...but I think that I really liked seeing the giraffe's. They're just awesome ;)
I always considered being a zookeeper, but than I was afraid I could get eaten... haha I have always loved the meerkats, I think they are so adorable! Timon probably helped them get on the "map" or zoo I guess ;) (Lame joke I know.. haha)
-Katrina
atomicxrawr@yahoo.com
Oh, I always loved the kangaroos. At the zoo I used to go to they had their own little island, and you got to take a boat trip around them. I almost fell out of the boat on several occasions because I would stand up to see them. My mother would always freakout cuz she said I would drown in that, like, seven inches of water.
I was able to ride an elephant at our zoo when I was a child and that has always stuck with me. They are enormous! I for sure thought I was royalty up there!
I like the monkeys best of all. The one in the picture above is so cool looking. How could you not love them?
Giraffes are my favorite! They are so graceful and pretty and friendly! I love them so much.
I like the tigers and Lions.
My favorite animals are the otters. I love to watch them swim around and bark!
I totally had that same zookeeper box!!!! I remember filling up the entire living room floor trying to organize my cards!!!
You would not even want to know about the "zoo" I grew up with--Although they did have buffalo and deer grazing, and a swan/duck pond, with some peacocks...They also had about a half-dozen animals...I haven't been back in years, so I don't know if it's still there--I kind of hope not. The animals were kept in side-by-side chain-link cages with concrete floors. They all had rope and tire type toys for the animals to play with. As a kid, what did I know? But looking back...not so good. I don't remember all the animals; I think there were some raccoons, a fox?, sometimes they varied...But the last cage had a real bear in it. As a kid, it was so cool to see something like that---as an adult, I would be horrified.
As to my favorite...It's so hard to choose one animal, because they're all so cool to see! I'm going to go with the capybara--The first time I'd ever seen or heard of one was just a couple of years ago. They remind me of giant guinea pigs or hamsters--like the size of a Shetland pony. It seriously blows my mind whenever I see them--I think I get this feeling in the back my mind, like they are the Incredible Hulk of guinea pigs--mild-mannered, until they are exposed to gamma rays or something, and turn into mild-mannered GIANT guinea pigs. It totally makes me feel like a kid again when I see them--maybe because I had never imagined anything like them???
Funnily enough, my favorite animals in the zoo are the seals. They're one of the few that looks really thrilled to be there. It's as if they know that no shark are going to eat them and the most work they have to do is open their mouths so tourist can toss $4 dead fish in them (myself included).
BTW, I just discovered this blog and think it's wonderful! Consider yourselves bookmarked, ladies :)
meg
I used to work at a theme park in Georgia, and when I wasn't running roller coasters and other fun rides I was on my lunch break in which I would take my food and walk around the large board walk and look at all of the animals. My two favorites to see were the brown bear they had, I named BoBo, and the slothes. They just moved sooooo slow and were the cutest things ever.
I've never been to the zoo but I'm pretty sure my favorite animal would be the leopard. I absolutely love leopards; they're gorgeous. ;) Especially the kittens! I love watching them in Big Cat Diary.
These posts are great! They help me remember what I wanted to be growing up..lol.
I wanted to work at Sea World! I loved the water and thought it would be an amazing job. Then I saw that they had to feed them yucky stuff and clean up poop and I changed my mind :)
My favorite animal in zoo's are the panda bears, they are so beaitul to watch!
BELUGA WHALES!!! oh wait, they're only at Seaworld...i hope that still counts :)
I once went to a wild animal park in the San Diego area where the animals could run around on the hills and stuff -- which I really liked because of the lack of cages. So I think I'd like best to watch any animal like that, who's having fun!
Otherwise, I'm lazy, so I'd probably like any animal who I could sit down to watch. ;-) Oh, and shade is nice! And I like those enclosed huge bird places where all the birds are having fun bird conspiracies while the tourists walk through and pretend they're in a rainforest...
Cara
Ewww and awesome! What a funny story, Steph.
Tigers. I'm still obsessed to this day.
I love watching the otters. They seem to have so much fun playing.
Ever since I was a kid, I've most enjoyed visiting the ring-tailed lemurs at the zoo. (Random, I know, but it's true!)
Penguins!! They are so much fun to watch swimming :)
throuthehaze at gmail dot com
I love all the animals at the zoo but I'd have to say the penguins or the polar bears :)
My favorite animal to visit depends on the time of year. For the most part I just love to watch the elephants, they are so big and gentle, and pretty, and I like their herd mentality. During the winter though that changes, I'm from a fairly tropical environment with a steady climate that is pretty warm but during the winter for like two months it gets bitter cold and then I like to go visit the anaconda, not because I think anacondas are particularly awesome, in fact it kind of creeps me out, but the anaconda lives in the rain forest and the whole room is warm and humid, just like I like it.
I always liked the lions and polar bears.
I hated the reptiles, though. Still do.
serendipityxkiran@yahoo.com
Aww! A Zookeeper??? That's So Cute. :)
When I Was Younger Loved Going To See The Polar Bears.. I Still Do!
I Think They Are The Coolest Animals Around!
xoxo
RagDollVampGirl
We don't have them at the zoo in my area, but when I went on a family roadtrip last year I got to see some wolves, my favorie animal :)
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