by Jack Dalton, OURF Youth Ambassador & Kid Conservationist.
Stories are beautiful ways to convey emotion, passion, and connections with those who are just like us or not like us at all. Some stories are short, long, ever-lasting. Some are illustrated, some are wordy, and some have no words at all. When it comes to conservation, storytelling can put us in the shoes of animals and those who work with them. These stories serve as a gateway into another world full of beauty and excitement and help inspire people around the world to make a difference. Come with me as I share why stories are vital to conservation!
Through books, readers build an emotional connection with the characters. The main character of my story, Kawan The Orangutan, Lost in The Rainforest, is a special orangutan named Kawan, who is very close to his mother. Over the first half of the book, Kawan’s relationship with his mom is shown, and the reader falls in love with the orangutans in the book, along with the real-life orangutans. When Kawan gets separated from his mother, he meets other rainforest animals, and along the way, you learn how orangutans help each. By the end of the book, readers have learned about orangutans and their friends, and why they should care about them. Without even knowing it, they have built an emotional connection with the rainforest animals, which will hopefully lead to them taking action to protect them.
Stories such as Out of The Cage by Gary Shapiro share the journeys that people go on as a conservationist. Out of The Cage follows Dr. Shapiro into the rainforest and explores his time there working with and studying wild orangutans. This book is a true story, written by Dr. Shapiro himself. Through stories like these, we can see into the perspectives of others and people working on the ground and be inspired to follow in their footsteps. It also shows, rather than tells about how incredible orangutans really are. Gary could tell you he taught an orangutan sign language, which is amazing on its own, but why doesn’t he bring you along with him on the journey so you SEE how important and groundbreaking it truly is.
Some books are about adding a fun spin to learning to be more engaging and informative. Sylvia Medina is a children’s book author who puts stories together from facts. Her book,Princess, shares about Dr. Shapiro’s time in the rainforest in a way that’s geared towards kids, features cute illustrations to keep the young reader engaged, and does it all while bringing real orangutan facts into it. Sylvia Media’s books all take real animals, and craft characters from what we know about them. She is a very talented author and her stories have inspired many kids to love animals.
The best part about a world full of stories is getting to tell and experience them. When facts are presented as numbers or charts, they are boring and forgettable. When facts are shared as books and stories, we build a connection with the characters and journeys, and we learn to become a better part of the world we live in.