Wild about the Alphabet! (and Other Tales) 3rd Edition

Aa

A is for alligator, aardvark, airedale, and akita, too!

The alligator lives mainly in the southeastern United States, where it can be 12-feet long, and weigh over 1,000 pounds!
(That is like six grown-ups!)
Even though the 'gator, (as it is sometimes called) is very large, I have seen pictures of them climbing fences, and even trees!
You're right. The 'gator is really black, not green ...
But this book is in color!

Bb

B is for baboon

Now, the baboon may have a face like your neighbor's dog, but it is really a monkey!
The baboon lives in Africa, in large groups of up to 200 members, called troops.
Although it is only the second-biggest monkey, the largest baboon can still weigh go pounds.
That is as much as I weighed in Middle School!
Do you think that is because the baboon will eat anything? Even bugs?
Bugs are icky!
I am just saying.

Cc

C is for catfish, chipmunk, and coelacanth, too!

Ha! You thought I was going to write "C is for cat"!

A catfish is called that, because, well, it kind of looks like a cat.
Well. .. it sort of looks like a cat.
Okay ... it has whiskers like a cat. (They're actually called barbels)
The catfish lives in fresh water, salt water, and even brackish water, (a mixture of fresh and salt waters). Some catfish prefer to live in lakes and ponds, but others live in streams and rivers.
Many people like to eat catfish ...
I like mine with grits!

Dd

D is for dolphin

The dolphin lives in most oceans, seas, and some rivers, but it is not a fish. It is what is known as a "mammal."
Now, there is a fish called a dolphin ... but that is not what I came here to tell you about.
While fish are cold-blooded, and breathe underwater, mammals are warm-blooded and need air to breathe ...
Just like you!
The dolphin is very smart. It cannot operate heavy machinery, but as far as animals go, it is right up there! This is a striped dolphin, which is prettier than its cousin, the bottlenose dolphin. Now, you probably thought I would use the bottle­nose dolphin, but ...
The bottlenose is gray!
Remember what I told you just six pages ago?
This book is in color...!

Ee

E is for echidna, and elephant, too!

This is an echidna. The echidna is my favorite animal! It has hind feet that point backward! It is sometimes called a
"spiny anteater," but. .. it is not an anteater. Unlike an anteater, it actually eats ants!
The mommy echidna is one of only two mammals that lays eggs! (The other is a platypus)
Just like a marsupial, it keeps its newly-hatched babies in a pouch, but. .. it isn't a marsupial.
Just like so many other strange animals, it lives in Australia. It lives in New Zealand, and New Guinea, too.
Its babies are called "puggles" ... puggIes!
You cannot make this up!

Ff

F is for fennec

The fennec is the smallest type of fox, and it is about the size of your other neighbor's cat!
The fennec lives in the Sahara desert, and other places in North Africa.
Next to its babies, which are called kits, it is the cutest animal, ever.
Ever!
A fennec is a wild animal, and would not be a good pet, so do not ask for one.
I mean it.

Gg

G is for gecko, giraffe, and gila monster, too!

A gecko is very cute, but not really very cuddly, because it is a lizard. It cannot talk either, so do not let those commercials fool you.
The gecko lives on every continent except Antarctica. It can live in rainforests, deserts, and cold mountain slopes. It is usually green, with a really long tongue it can use to catch its food. Sometimes it uses its tongue to lick its own eyeball!
Which would be very strange in a commercial.

Do not hold your breath waiting to see it.

Hh

H is for honey badger

It is not a badger. It is not sweet. It is really called a ratel, and lives in Africa, Asia, India, and the Middle East.
It is not a nice animal. Not even a little bit. It is not large, usually less than a foot tall, but, apparently, is not afraid of anything, and will fight almost any animal, even a lion!
The honey badger is one of the few animals that use tools! Like the dolphin, it cannot operate heavy machinery, but. ..
It uses sticks, stones, and even logs to help make life easier!