Animals take over Toddler Tales at North Shelby Library

As a holiday season special, the North Shelby Library welcomed both kids and animals on Monday morning for Animal Tales. 

Led by naturalist John Ham from Animal Tales LLC, the organization puts on educational programs for children by bringing in different animals they don't typically see outside of a zoo. 

This is the second time that the North Shelby Library has hosted Animal Tales, with the first occurring during the summer. "We love them [Animal Tales]," said library director Katie Guerin. "Part of the reason is he really cares about the animals."

During the 45-minute program, Ham showed eight different animals: a red kangaroo, a collared aracari, an Argentine black and white tegu, a Paraguayan screaming hairy armadillo, a salmon pink bird-eating tarantula, a boa constrictor, a giant African bullfrog and an Egyptian fruit bat. He discussed the animals briefly with the families and children, and for certain animals allowed the children to pet them gently, which was a big hit. 

"We want people to love coming to the library, but also to expose kids to different things," said Guerin. 

The Mt Laurel Library will host the Animal Tales Holiday Safari on Monday, Dec. 19 at 10:30 a.m., and Toddler Tales will return to the North Shelby Library on Dec. 19. Participants who want to attend the Mt Laurel Animal Tales are asked to pre-register online.