As the West Waco Library opens, families are lined up outside ready to hide in the cool air, but other creatures are already cooling off inside.
Danny Connor's Reptile Adventures has been invited to give kids an up close encounter with snakes, turtles, and lizards.
He opens up his first black case and out comes Juanita. A 10-foot reticulated python. Next up is Apollo, an albino Burmese python that takes 5 kids to hold it. Connor rounds out the show with his star. Spartacus, an alligator snapping turtles who is more than 100 years old.
Connor says that he wants his shows to help kids better understand reptiles.
Danny Connor: “Snakes aren't slimy, they may not be your dog and they may not come when you call them but that doesn't mean you can’t like them or appreciate them doesn't mean you have to have one… “
The Waco McLennan County Library has similar hopes. Shows like this are a part of the library's summer reading program. Every 10 days that kids or adults read, they can prizes through an app called Bean Stack. But beyond the app the library hopes to give the community new experiences that will help them want to learn more. Youth Coordinator, Rachel Moore says these types of shows can spark an interest to learn something new.
Rachel Moore: “ So you know a kid may might come in here and they might be scared of snakes or they may have never seen a snake or they may have never realized that turtles can get that big and they’re suddenly going to get really excited about going to our non-fiction section and finding that book about giant turtles.”
Moore says kids and adults can still take part in the summer reading challenge, and there are more shows on the calendar before school starts again in August.
You can find more info at https://wacolibrary.org/
