My love and appreciation for nature is rooted in my childhood. Growing up in rural Upstate New York, my life was filled with the wonders of nature. Our house was surrounded by apple and cherry orchards, and my five sisters and I spent countless hours gathering drops and climbing through the branches. Our parents were extremely accommodating when it came to pets! At one time or another, we had dogs, cats, a skunk, raccoons, a pig, a goat, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, a rooster, rabbits, fish, hermit crabs, turtles, and a duck! They were all well-loved members of our family. My husband, Gary, and I, along with our three children, were fortunate to be able to move back to my childhood home. So once again, there were orchards to explore and many pets to love and cherish. When our three granddaughters were born, I wanted to instill in them our family’s love of nature. A humorous but educational book with unusual scientific facts about animals seemed a good way for me to do that, and to have their uncle illustrate it made it perfect! I hope that future generations of children will enjoy this book and learn to appreciate the world we live in.