Carol Creager

Ronnie's Reach: My Story, by a Red-eyed Tree Frog Carol Creager

What problems do we frogs face? Loss of habitat, capture by humans. Did you know that many species of frogs have become extinct or are becoming endangered? All frogs live in both air and water. Pollution of air and water harms our delicate skin and destroys us. As tadpoles we live entirely in water; as frogs we must breathe air but stay moist by jumping into water. Such fun! Please help us to survive in nature by protecting our homes in trees or by ponds. Ronnie o Rani, la Rana

It is important that everyone help wildlife to survive and that as many as possible enjoy seeing, while not disturbing, wild creatures.

What do I know about wildlife? I have watched and photographed it since I was a small child. I have visited most Spanish-speaking countries during my vacations from teaching Spanish. My first trip to Costa Rica was in 1970. My goals in life are to entertain as well as to educate others and to promote conservation. I want everyone to be able to see and to appreciate nature and wildlife; therefore, I write photographic books. Most books describe animals and birds. I want you to see what I see while I travel so that you can understand as much as possible how creatures live, what they eat, how they move, and what they do where they are visible. I tired of studying books talking about ecology and wildlife; I want you to see what each creature looks like and how they act.

I chose Spanish-speaking countries for two reasons. First, I speak the language and have photographed everything I could for many years for my students to see as they learned the language. To communicate successfully with people of other countries, you need to understand their customs and culture as well as their language. Second, people are familiar with huge African and Asian animals. Unfortunately, little attention has been paid to the wealth of Latin American wildlife; I am trying to do my bit to help remedy the lack. While most of my books are written primarily for children, I hope adults too will enjoy the photographs and humor as well as learn more about the wildlife. Carol Creager