NERO THE HERO,
With The Big Floppy Ears
and
SO WHO ARE THOSE CREATURES?
Two kids' stories in verse.
Nero the Hero With the Big FLoppy Ears is the story of an African elephant whose mother is killed by poachers in his youth, and he is taken captive, transported to a foreign country , and eventually becomes a circus performer. The beginning is sad, the middle is hopeful, and the ending will stimulate sweet dreams. The author's model for Nero was a big bull elephant in Tanzania, that confronted his Range Rover and impressed him emensely, particularly when he waved his big, floppy ears (indicating anger).
So Who Are Those Odd-looking Creatures? is the story of another hero, who just happened to be a baboon, again in Tanzania. A series of events brings him to America, where he becomes a star and settles with his wife and daughter in Malibu, California. The story is good for a few laughs and some thoughts about how close we humans are to baboons.
