Zoos Victoria have produced a series of five storybooks aimed at teaching kids about five of Victoria’s native animals.
Pippa the Mountain Pygmy-possum, Hope the Eastern Barred Bandicoot, Slink the Alpine She-oak Skink and Obie the Orange-bellied Parrot have been written and illustrated by Zoos Victoria Education Officer Kate Rijs, with Gyack the Corroboree Frog also including artwork provided by Shane Herrington, Wolgalu Man and Discovery Ranger.
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio and Minister for Education James Merlino celebrated that every Victorian primary school has received a copy of the storybooks.
“Teaching the next generation of Victorians to value our unique wildlife is central to protecting and strengthening the state’s precious biodiversity,” said Ms D’Ambrosio.
“We know the pandemic has been challenging for all Victoria’s kids – these programs give them an opportunity to get out and learn about nature in the zoo and in the classroom,” said Mr Merlino.
The books use age-appropriate language to teach kids about the native wildlife in a way they can understand, helping to foster a love and understanding of the plight of the endangered species.
An e-version of each will be available through the Zoos Victoria website during Term 2. The Zoos Victoria books are free and produced in partnership with PETstock.
“Zoos Victoria is committed to ensuring we have a future rich in wildlife and investing in our youngest conservationists is an important part of that mission,” said Zoos Victoria CEO Dr Jenny Gray.
The Victorian Government has previously supported getting children to the Melbourne and Werribee Zoos and Healesville Sanctuary through the $112.9 million Positive Start program and the Kids Visit Free program
which saw almost 200,000 people visit Victoria’s zoos in the Easter school holidays.
