Want to do something wild this summer? Here’s a surprising suggestion: Stop by Stacks Book Club in Oro Valley.
Stacks has partnered with the Reid Park Zoo to launch a children’s Story Time series called “Tales from the Wild,” featuring Julia Beres, an animal care supervisor at the zoo.
Zoo-centric Story Times will be offered on the first Saturday of every month at 9 a.m.
Next up: Beres will narrate “Otter Spotter” by Phoebe Fox — and share insights about the otters she knows — next Saturday, May 2.
“We’ll make sure it’s fun, but my real goal will be to share the joy I have when I’m with these animals at the zoo,” Beres said. “I’m hoping the kids will love them, too, and learn there’s something we can all do help them. Every single person, no matter how old we are, can have an impact when it comes to nature and conservation.”
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Both Beres and Stacks co-owner Lizzy Jeffrey-Franco hope the Story Time series is just the start of an enduring partnership between books and beasts.
Already in the works is a Little Free Library that Stacks has agreed to stock and sponsor in the children’s play area at the zoo.
“On our end, we’d love to make this a long-term thing,” Jeffrey-Franco said. “Bringing kids and animals together through books? What could be better than that?”
It was Beres who initiated the conversation with Stacks earlier this year.
Julia Beres, the animal care supervisor for Reid Park Zoo’s ungulates, hoofed animals such as giraffes, zebras, rhinos and gazelles, hopes to share stories about them with audiences at book readings. Last summer, Beres coordinated the delivery and care of a newborn zebra, Tambi. Two months ago, she welcomed another new critter, a baby giraffe named Ndizi.
“I live in Oro Valley, and I’ve been following them since they were a pop-up at Steam Pump Ranch on weekends,” she recalls. “When they opened the bookstore a few years ago, I started bringing my kids. My son even did their summer reading challenge last year, so when the zoo started encouraging us to promote conservation in the community, I knew just where I wanted to start.”
In short, Beres offered to curate Saturday morning Story Times in the hope Stacks would sponsor the zoo’s Little Free Library, which is now under construction.
It was not a tough sell.
Jeffrey-Franco: “I never knew Julia was a zookeeper, so that was a fun surprise, and when we heard what she wanted to do? Immediately, I was like yes! That sounds amazing!”
Stacks Book Club in Oro Valley has partnered with the Reid Park Zoo to launch a children’s Story Time series called “Tales from the Wild,” featuring Julia Beres, an animal care supervisor at the zoo.
The Story Time concept resonates with Beres because she herself learned to love animals early on.
“My sisters were in 4-H, and I remember raising orphan squirrels in our backyard,” Beres said with a grin. “I loved reading books about animals. I loved going to zoos. The up-close connection with animals is just special.”
While a student at the University of Arizona, Beres interned at Reid Park. After graduating, she worked in the education department at the Phoenix Zoo.
Today, she is the animal care supervisor for Reid Park Zoo’s ungulates, hoofed animals such as giraffes, zebras, rhinos and gazelles, and it’s been a busy nine months.
Last summer, Beres coordinated the delivery and care of a newborn zebra, Tambi. Two months ago, she welcomed another new critter, a baby giraffe named Ndizi.
She hopes to share those stories and more with her young audiences this summer.
“I won’t just be reading a book or two,” Beres said, “I want to talk about the animals, and tell stories about the zoo. If I can help get kids to love books and animals as much as I do, it will be a pretty good morning.”
Stacks is an independent bookshop located in the Oro Valley Marketplace, 1800 W. Tangerine Road.
Admission is free, but RSVPs are encouraged so the store can clear enough blanket space for everyone who plans to attend. Just visit stacksbookclub.com/events.
Footnotes
- Inventory is now being ordered for Stacks’ new location at 2920 E. Broadway, near North Country Club Road, Jeffrey-Franco said. Barring any further delays, it should open late next month.
- Poet Balam Rodrigo will read both in Spanish and English this Thursday evening, April 30, at the University of Arizona Poetry Center. A former professional soccer player, Rodrigo has published more than 40 books of poetry, one of them “Central American Book of the Dead.” For more, visit poetry.arizona.edu.
- The Rogue Theater will host a free poetry reading and friendraiser called “Coming to Our Senses” this coming Thursday, April 30, at 6 p.m. Greg Hart will read from his newly published collection, “We Are Here,” and the audience will share their thoughts about the arts, education and philanthropy. Music will be provided by Arnulfo Velasquez, and refreshments will be served.
- Save the Date: Next year’s Tucson Festival of Books will be March 13-14, Executive Director Abra McAndrew announced.
- Full-time astronomer and part-time author Erika Hamden is among 223 scholars and artists selected to receive this year’s Guggenheim Fellowships, the Guggenheim Foundation has announced. Hamden is an associate professor of astrophysics at the University of Arizona.
