Lizzie was actively involved with the stories and the children reading to her, maybe she even wanted to see the pictures in the books. (
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Dorothy Henry Library Director Jerry Galante introduces the Reading to a Reptile activity by suggesting some great informational books. (
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Dogs aren’t the only ones being read to at the library by eager child readers after school Reptiles enjoy a story now and then, too. On May 12, the Dorothy Henry Library (66 Route 94, Vernon) hosted a Read to a Reptile session. The guest of reading honor was Lizzie the Leopard Gecko, accompanied by library clerk Adrienne Steyling.
Lizzie is a pet of Steyling’s son and is actually a pretty good listener as she was read stories about kitties, Biscuit the dog and the alien next door.
Leopard geckos are native to semi-dessert environments and have the distinctive yellow coloring with irregular black spots. Her diet consists of all things creepy and crawly like crickets, mealworms, wax moth larvae and grasshoppers. Lizzie has the classic segmented tail common to all geckos, when if lost, her tail can regenerate.
Another fun fact of the reading segment was that if geckos are named, they recognize and react to their names.
As part of the program, each child had the chance to read to Lizzie for up to 10 minutes. The library says reading aloud can help increase self-esteem, confidence and public speaking skills. For more information on this and similar events, contact the library at 973-827-8095, option 2.
