Silver Birch Award shortlist, 2005
Fifth House is GOING WILD with a new children’s nonfiction adventure series. The first of eight books features world-famous zoologist Brian Keating and his travels to experience unique ecosystems and observe animals from pole-to-pole and around the equator.
Amazing Animal Adventures Around the World is a nature book like no other, as children learn about wildlife, the environment, and conservation through first-person accounts from one of Canada’s foremost animal
adventurers. In this book, lavishly illustrated by his own photographs, Keating describes ten of his most memorable wildlife-watching trips in his trademark
energetic and upbeat style.
Join Keating as he describes:
- Miraculously escaping from a pride of charging lions in Africa on the scariest day of his life
- Strolling down a penguin superhighway in Antarctica
- Discovering (the hard way) the memorable defence mechanism of Norway’s petrels - projectile vomiting
- Marvelling at Borneo’s amazing proboscis monkeys with their huge light-bulb noses dangling between their eyes
- Looking into the eyes of Godzilla when getting up close-and-personal with marine iguanas in the Galapagos
Reviews:
"Many naturalists were inspired by stories of someone in the field, and it is probable that Brian Keating will do that for young animal lovers. It's clear he's used to holding school children rapt with tales of his remarkable life."
-- Toronto Star
"From the word 'amazing' in its title, to the intriguing list of chapter headings (eg. Petrel Puke and Headless Kittiwakes) and on through up-close and personal experiences with nature, this book delivers on its promise. Naturalist Brian Keating recounts "the scariest day of my life" as he's almost eaten by lions in Zimbabwe, the malodorous discovery of a captured petrel's defense mechanism, the serenity of an Arctic night with only wolves for company. His engaging writing style places readers squarely in the midst of the action and creates an irresistible sense of wonder. . . There is no down-side to this book.
"Highly Recommended"
-- CM Magazine. Click here to see the complete article.
"Each adventure is highly entertaining, upbeat, descriptive, and includes wonderful photographs. This fascinating book was shortlisted for the 2005 Silver Birch Awards."
-- The Daily Press (Timmins)
Brian Keating is a keen naturalist, avid outdoorsman, world traveller, intrepid adventurer, and extraordinary spokesperson for the world’s wild places and the creatures that inhabit them. Keating’s first job
with the Calgary Zoo in 1981 was in their education program. Now he is Head of the zoo’s Conservation Outreach Department, and responsible for national and international conservation projects, such as the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary in Ghana, West Africa, and the nature-based eco-tour program that he started in 1983.
Keating has been a weekly guest on CBC Radio Calgary for nearly two decades and has been featured bi-weekly on the Discovery Channel for the past six years. In addition to his full time job at the zoo, Keating is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Calgary, a pilot, a scuba diver, and mountaineer. Brian is accompanied on wilderness trips and adventures by his wife, Dee, who is a local Calgary physician and fellow nature enthusiast.
Visit Brian's profile page on the Calgary Zoo's web site.
Click here for a downloadable PDF file of the Teacher's Guide.
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