Artist Rod Martin / Rod Martin Artist
All the books I’ve created for kids were inspired by my two granddaughters. They are the reason I wrote Things I Don’t Know About Animals with the help of my artist/illustrator, Nadine Yokotake. It’s one of the many ways I show them I love them. Another reason for creating this book is that I love animals too, though I think it’s a good idea to keep a safe distance away from the ones that may want to eat me. Living on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I’ve had the occasion to find myself swimming near all kinds of sharks. Luckily, I’ve always been able to swim away from them or just get out of the water. I’ve also been dumb enough to moo at a group of cows while hiking in their pasture, and a couple of bulls came and chased me up a tree, where I had to wait until they went away.Hiking in the foothills of some California mountains, I heard a loud buzzing noise, which turned out to be a warning signal from a rattlesnake. I made a hasty retreat. My most painful encounter was being bitten on my little finger by a centipede that had taken up residence in one of my work gloves. I can tell you that hurts a whole lot.Most of my encounters with animals come from visiting them in a zoo (the safer way to view wild creatures), though I occasionally seen birds in flight such as seabirds, eagles, and owls. Sometimes I’ve had a song session with a shama thrush, who will whistle a tune with you if you take turns and don’t spook them. I’ve had the privilege of raising ponies, had my ownhorse, two black Labradors, and countless incredible cats. I’m no expert on animals, and that’s why I had to call this book Things I Don’t Know About Animals. I hope you’ll enjoy the poetry. Yes, you’ll notice I like to rhyme a lot, but I hope that might encourage you to create some poetry of your own.With lots of Aloha, Rod Martin Artist.
