WHEN VIEWING ON A MOBILE DEVICE -- DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM Acknowledgments Mom, my earliest memories are filled with seeing you care for our pets, hearing you talk to the birds outside, and sensing the love you felt toward all animals. From you I learned how animals can fill up a heart with tenderness and joy. What a gift. Dad, thanks for encouraging and believing in my writing since I could hold a pen. Much to my delight, some of my heroes and sources of great inspiration were willing to talk with me about this project, hear my ideas, and welcome the addition of this book to the growing collection of work on children and animals: Tanya K. Bailey, MSW, LICSW, animal-​assisted interaction program specialist at the University of Minnesota; Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado; Louise Chawla, professor at the University of Colorado; Stephen Kellert at Yale University; Gail F. Melson, professor emerita in the Department of Human Develop- ment and Family Studies at Purdue University; Gene Myers, professor at Huxley College of the Environment, Western Washington University; Meg Daley Olmert, author of Made for Each Other; Carol Saunders, PhD, Antioch University, New England; and Zoe Weil, Institute for Humane Education. Throughout this work I have benefited greatly from the support and feed- back of many colleagues, among them Peggy Ashbrook, author of Science Is Simple; David Becker, senior manager of learning experiences at the Chicago Zoological Society; Pete Cleary, Dodge Nature Preschool; Molly DePrekel; Lars Erdahl, longtime education director at the Minnesota Zoo; Ken Finch, Green Hearts Institute for Nature in Childhood; Seth Hayden, director of the Children’s Country Day School; Cindy Hoisington, Pre-K senior asso- ciate, science curriculum and professional development at the Education Development Center in Waltham, Massachusetts; and Jan Welsh, education specialist at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. ix COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL