Text by Marc Bekoff, Foreword by Jane Goodall
Children, Youth & Environments Center,
University of Colorado
Free; Available online at: https://www.colorado.edu/cedar/sites/default/files/attached-files/kids_and_animals_printable_lowresolution.pdf
Animal behavior expert Marc Bekoff , in partnership with Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots program and the Children, Youth and Environments Center at the University of Colorado Denver, has produced a colorful new online book in which young children express how they feel about animals and the natural world.
Roots & Shoots programs around the globe asked local children - in words and drawings - to complete the statements “I have a dream that ___” and “I am thankful for ___.” The resulting book is filled with sweet, guileless pictures of favorite animals, coupled with heartfelt declarations expressing each child’s unique vision of a harmonious relationship between humankind and our animal neighbors.
Says author Bekoff: “Our goal is that this book will inspire other young people to draw and write about their feelings for animals and to put their own ideas into action to care for animals, protect their habitats, and promote compassion, empathy, coexistence, and peace.” Teachers of young children should indeed find Kids & Animals inspirational, and a useful icebreaker to open discussions and activities focusing on conservation and humane education. The book can be viewed, downloaded and printed from the internet at no charge from the Children, Youth and Environments Center website: https://www.colorado.edu/cedar/sites/default/files/attached-files/kids_and_animals_printable_lowresolution.pdf.