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Kids love animals. Especially real, live creatures. Up close and personal.

"Look what I caught, Mom!"

Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor? Zip through the zoo, and you'll see what I mean. Just glance at the giraffes. Check out those chimpanzees. Look at the llama. Observe the ostrich. Peek at the peacocks. Ogle the orangutans. And don't even get me started on the manatee.

Peek into any child's toy collection. What will you find? Stuffed animals, beanbag critters, and even wildlife figurines.

Look at the bookshelf. How many picturebooks are filled with animal stories? From THE CAT IN THE HAT, to THE WIZARD OF OZ, kids love to read about wildlife, particularly those with imaginary powers of speech.

And what is every child's favorite Bible story? If it's not the one about David the shepherd killing Goliath the Giant with a slingshot, then it most certainly is the one about Noah and his arkful of animal pairs. Again, the animals!

Click on the TV. Flip to children's programming. What have we got? Talking animals, dancing dinosaurs, and more. Even the superheroes are based on wild creatures: bats, spiders, cats, and whatever you can imagine.

What does every child dream of finding under the Christmas tree or the Hanukkah menorah? (Hint: It's furry and cuddly and must be house-trained.)

The lion may be king of the jungle, but the entire animal kingdom surely reigns in every kid's heart.

Learn more about this author, Linda Ann Nickerson.
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