Mama and Me

I am so pleased that my Serafina is the heroine of this book about how my daughter became more independent as she was growing up.  She worked to develop her ability to make her way along a tree branch to prepare for her future.  “Mama “ Sloth

What is special about MAMA & ME?  Mama and Serafina (ME) are real sloths living in the wilderness of Costa Rica.  It is an opportunity to see how baby sloths live and travel by riding on their mothers’ tummies.  As they grow larger, Mama takes a break from her duties by parking her baby in a safe fork high in the branches of a tree.  While Mama is nearby eating, her baby Serafina is nibbling on her own and then traveling along a fairly small tree branch, practicing and developing her skills for the time when she is an adult.  Sloths spend much of their time upside down, to the human way of thinking, but comfortable for a sloth.  This means that it is easy for the baby to travel on its mother’s tummy.

I photographed the entire story, so that the young reader sees what the two sloths are doing on every page of this true story, supposedly narrated by the youngster.

Why do I write children’s wildlife books?  I have always been a teacher endeavoring to interest students in how to think and how to create.  I have been promoting conservation in a variety of ways.  My high school students and I created stories that we used to interact with those in kindergarten and first grade.  Those students greeted me warmly when they reached high school and began initiating projects of their own.

Why sloths?  Sloths are very appealing as well as unusual from the human point of view.  It is an opportunity to see creatures that are quite distinct from us.  I have been photographing birds, sloths, and other wildlife since 1992, when I took the Rainforest Workshop for Teachers, led by the famous guide and biologist Charlie Gomez.  After that I took many birding Borderland Tours with Charlie Gomez and Rick Taylor.  When I decided to see other parts of Costa Rica, I found Luis Barrantes of LUBARO.  Luis is a fantastic driver, guide, and photographer, who has taken me on several trips each year, finding a number of little-known spots for wildlife, and having varied experiences with different wildlife during distinct seasons.  I have taken thousands of photographs of any wildlife we encounter.

I had to use my wildlife photographs and teaching experience to introduce children to species found in Costa Rica, educating them about the importance of wildlife conservation.