Children meet animals during Weatherford Public Library event
Kaitlyn Thompson with Animal Tales Southeast introduces children to a Flemish Giant rabbit during a special summer reading program event at the Red Bay Public Library. CONTRIBUTED/AUTUMN SIZEMORE
News, Red Bay
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com
 By María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com  
Published 8:00 am Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Children meet animals during Weatherford Public Library event

RED BAY — Children at the Weatherford Public Library got an up-close look at a variety of animals during an Animal Tales event that was part of the library’s summer reading program.

Kaitlyn Thompson with Animal Tales Southeast introduced a lineup that included Madagascar hissing cockroaches, a prairie dog, a Colorado River toad, a Flemish Giant rabbit, a Brazilian rainbow boa and a red crested turaco.

“The children loved all the animals,” said Autumn Sizemore, assistant director of the Northwest Regional Library, of which the Weatherford Public Library is a member. “My favorite moment was seeing how excited they were as each animal was presented — and how eager they were to ask questions.”

This was the second year Animal Tales has visited the Weatherford Public Library. The presentation was part of a themed program called “Art of the Wild,” created especially for the summer’s statewide reading theme, “Color Our World.”

“Art of the Wild” blended education with entertainment to explore the ways animals use color to camouflage, communicate and express themselves in the wild.

“They’rethebestanimal show in the South, in my opinion,” Sizemore added. “They’re very engaging with the children, and parents and kids always seem to enjoy them.”

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