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live in a world of their own - under the sea. Kids delight in seeing the happy, friendly dolphins that interact so naturally with human beings - with their big smiles and their clever, playful antics and tricks. They are amazed by the magnificence of whales. Then there are captivating birds such as penguins and other adorable, playful sea creatures like seals and otters that belong to this mysterious world as well. Kids just cannot get enough of these comical sea creatures that seem to share their sense of fun.

Other wild creatures - such as cuddly, fuzzy-wuzzy koalas munching on gum leaves; kangaroos with joeys peeping out of their pouches as they bound along; cute squirrels cracking acorns open; pandas lolling about chomping on bamboo; and other bears licking at honey or pouncing on salmon also charm and fascinate them with their amazing looks and behaviour.

Wild animals from the jungles and the African Savannah fill children with wonder and awe because they are so incredible - the big, majestic and ferocious cats with their power and speed; the graceful giraffe with its very long neck and spindly legs; big rotund hippos that roll around in waterholes; even bigger elephants with their long trunks that can lift heavy things and spray water; zebras with their unique stripe patterns; and agile, mischievous monkeys that swing from tree to tree - to name just a small selection.

There can hardly be a more exciting outing for most children than a day at the zoo, where they can get a look at many of these astounding exotic creatures up close. Zoos, wildlife sanctuaries and animal parks inspire in children an even greater desire to learn more about the animal kingdom and to do their part to care for and protect them.

Even the most fearsome creatures - like crocodiles and snakes - and including those long extinct - have their own magnetism to young children - particularly little boys. Our lad is quite fanatical in his passion for dinosaurs - though I'm sure he's relieved they are long gone. I guess in a way it's easy not to be terrified of something that hasn't been around for sixty million years. Yet the evidence that they existed - and all that can be learned about them today - is absolutely intriguing to kids of the 21st century.

It's hardly surprising that fauna of all kinds is so alluring and irresistible to children. For that matter, a large number of adults have never really outgrown their fascination with all the animals great and small that share our world - and that's as it should be. We are responsible for their well-being and they need us to be very aware of their needs and their plight. It's vital to their survival and their future on this planet that little children continue to be mesmerized by them and to have an overwhelming desire to find out all they can about them. Those children are the rising generation that will have an enormous impact on their fate - to protect them from going the same way as the dinosaurs.

Learn more about this author, Ruth Woodhouse.
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