Book sale proceeds support wildlife research, conservation, rehabilitation, and education efforts.
As a child, I had a Pegasus as a pet (seriously, nobody else saw it?), knew I was part mermaid, and talked to animals – truly believing I would grow up to be Dr. Doolittle.
As an adult, things have changed: Pegasus flew off to follow his own path, my mermaid ancestry is questionable, and I still talk to animals, but haven’t quite reached Dr. Doolittle status. However, I do believe there is magic in the world and use my passion for nature, science, and art to do my best to make the world a better place.
Whether it was hanging out with furry family members at my house or observing wildlife, my world has always revolved around animals. This passion led to volunteer experiences that included the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine mammals and working as a licensed veterinary technician. But it was a visit to Kenya that cemented my love of animal behavior and conservation, ultimately leading to degrees in Wildlife Science and Environmental Studies (where my research focused on painted dogs – also known as African wild dogs).
Animal behavior is my primary focus, but my work also involves studying how humans and animals interact with one another. Learn more about my current canid research on iNaturalist, Facebook, and Instagram.
My love of science, art, and education led to the publication of my 3 children’s books.
I enjoy supporting others with their writing projects, so if you need a fresh perspective to help you polish your work, please contact me!
Book sale proceeds support wildlife research, conservation, rehabilitation, and education efforts.
Entertaining for kids, beautiful art within. It also gets African Wild Dog behavior just right. Relationships between predator-prey and between predators is complex, and PDP addresses this well. Wild dogs do not hunt just anything, balancing risk with reward, and must be cautious of lions. In the end, the pack is the greatest defense in the uncertain savanna. Looking forward to the next one.
My kids enjoyed this book! They particularly liked the pictures. Combined with the story, this helped them learn about painted dogs and other animals in Africa, as well as some of the difficulties faced by painted dogs right now. It’s great to know that not only is this book educational, but it also supports conservation efforts!
Painted Dog Pursuit tells the story of Kane, a painted dog living with his pack in Africa. When Kane goes for a hunt with his pack, we are introduced to elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, and lions. Thomas Block’s richly-colored, realistic illustrations pair nicely with Tammy’s short, informative text. Kane is separated from his pack and must find his way back to them, a theme all children will connect with. And while he does indeed reunite with his family, children will be disappointed that the hunters return to the rest of the pack without food, creating a teachable moment for those who want to build understanding and empathy for predators living in the wild. A “Did you know?” section on the final page gives five additional fun facts about painted dogs. The author is generously donating 100% of the book’s proceeds to painted dog conservation–a win-win for all!
