Best Christmas Story Ever!

Star: I say it's "The Night Before Christmas."

Billy: No it's "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer."

Mori: My favorite is "Little Drummer Boy."

Zebee: What's all this arguing about? Can't you see we're live in Bloggerville. We don't wnat the folks out there thinking we fight. Tell me what the problem is.

Lito: We were talking about Christmas stories that our boss Joy and her friends have read to us. Everyone of us has a favorite and that's what we were fighting, uh, discussing. Which one is the best Christmas story ever.

Zebee: I see, well I vote for "Frosty The Snowman."

Lito: See, we all like different ones. I wonder which one our friends out there in Bloggerville like best? Maybe they can tell us. I say let's do a survey.

Billy: Yeah, I like that idea. Then all of you will see that "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" is the best ever.

Zebee: Okay Bloggerville fans. You heard them. Which one is YOUR favorite? Drop us a comment and we'll share the results next week.



See you Sunday with more zoo news.

posted by Zebee aka Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Fun ways to help children learn
Books Go Beyond Reading

Getting Ready For This Year's Tree Lighting Ceremony

Good morning to you all. Zebee here. To get you in the mood for Christmas this year, this is a picture of the central plaza in Caguas, Puerto Rico last year. Is'nt that one of the prettiest trees you've ever seen?

Okay, as some of you might remember, last year at our tree lighting ceremony we had a few mishaps. Don't remember? You can read about it here. So, to avoid the same problems, my boss Joy has taken a few precautions.

To place the star on the top of the tree, this year we are drawing out of a hat. The paper that has a star on it will get the honors. Next will be a paper with a Christmas tree light on it. That animal will get to turn on the lights. This will avoid the two biggest problems from last year.

Who's on the guest list this year? All of our boss Joy's wiriter friends and a few of the characters from their books. I think it's going to be lots of fun. We've all heard the stories and m=now we're going to get to meet everybody.

It will be a big party this year. Do you want to come? Just drop me a comment and I'll put in a good word for your invitation to my boss Joy.

I hope to see you there. Oh, it's next Tuesday.

See you back here Thursday with another great book to read.

posted by Zebee aka Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Fun ways to help children learn
Books Go Beyond Reading

It's December 1st!!!

Good morning everyone! Zebee here. This is just a quick note today. See, my boss Joy has this tradition. December 1st is Christmas decorating day.

We here at the V Zoo all join in the fun. We will help decorate our enclosures. The giraffes will help string lights and garlands at the highest points, Billy and his mom are in charge of the popcorn and cranberry stringing, Elvis is in charge of adding the lights and I am going to somehow put the angel on top of the tree. Want to see her?

Isn't she pretty? My boss Joy made her years ago when Rebekha was a baby.

Anyway, then, after all the decorations are up, we help bake fudge, cookies and sing Christmas carols.

So, what do you do at your home to get ready for the holidays? I'd love to hear from you. Sharing family traditions is fun.

Oh, got to go. Here come Joy, Rebekha, Sally and the rest of the V Zoo keepers. See you Thursday.

posted by Zebee aka Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Fun ways to help children learn
Books Go Beyond Reading

Zoo News Sunday: Christmas at the Zoo

Good chilly morning to all, Zebee here. My boss Joy says that Florida is cold, or at least colder than she remembered for this time of year. She's bundled up and, well, that's not why I'm here.

Today I'm going to share 5 zoos that are going all out for this holiday season. If one of these is near you, please make sure you stop by. If not, send me a comment about your zoo and I'll highlight it another Sunday.

Okay, here we go!

Riverbanks Zoo in Colombia South Carolina has a beautiful lights display. Check out their video all about it.

Santa's Magical Enchanted Grotto at the Colchester Zoo is not to be missed. Read all about it and watch the video.

Christmas at the Zoo over at the Indianapolis Zoo is a real treat! Don't forget something for the Mitten tree!

In the Brooklyn area, pop into the Wild Holiday Party at the Prospect Park Zoo. Check out the schedule and be there when your favorite animal opens their gifts.

Zoo Lights are spectacular at the Oregon Zoo. It's chilly there, so be sure to bundle up!


I guess that's it for this week. I just love this time of year, don't you? All the glitter, the lights, the presents, the candy, the . . .

See you back here Tuesday!

posted by Zebee aka Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Fun ways to help children learn
Books Go Beyond Reading

Zoo News Sunday: Orangutans, bonobos and Christmas already!?!

Good morning Bloggerville fans, Zebee here. It’s been a quite week on zoo news fronts. Check out a finds and meet me at the end. I have a request for all of you.

Philadelphia Zoo Shows Off Newest Addition
Watch this video of a baby orangutan and learn about the naming contest.

Jacksonville zoo welcomes baby bonoboJacksonville zoo welcomes baby bonoboJacksonville Zoo Welcomes Baby Bonobo
See the first bonobo born at the zoo in more than five years.

Celebrating 20 years of reptiles at the zoo
Join the celebration. Read all about it.

Komodo Dragons Make Debut at Phoenix Zoo
Read all about this great addition to the zoo.

Toledo Zoo turns on The Lights Before Christmas
It’s not too early for Christmas lights and Toledo Zoo is having their ceremonial lighting on November 20th. Mark it on your calendar if you live in the are.

Red and Blue Primate Babies at the Zoo!
See the new babies with their moms.

300-Pound Gorilla Voluntarily Monitors His Blood Pressure
Fascinating! Learn how this came about and see how it works.

Santa Safari Arrives at the Louisville Zoo
If you live in the area, check out the schedule and mark it on your calendar.

Okay, are you ready for Christmas? Many of the zoos around the world are too. I’d love to mention YOUR zoo and what they are doing special for this holiday season. So, drop me a comment anytime over the next several weeks. I promise to post you local zoo events.

Thanks and I hope you all have a great day. See you back here Tuesday. I have an amazing video to share with you and all your friends. Bye for now.

posted by Zebee aka Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Fun ways to help children learn
Books Go Beyond Reading

Christmas Lights in Puerto Rico

Good day Bloggerville people. Zebee here with a real treat! Do you like Christmas lights? Who doesn’t, right? Well, my boss Joy loves them. She’s lucky because in Puerto Rico they go all out. She’s gotten her husband Julio to take her around so she could take pictures to share with all of you.

Enjoy!







If you'd like to see the whole slideshow, it's a bit long but worth it, go to Christmas Lights in Puerto Rico.

Zoo News Sunday: Celebrations, tapirs, aardvarks and reindeer

Good Sunday after Christmas to you all. Zebee here. I hope you all had a great holiday and got all the presents you wanted from Santa. As for us here at the ‘V Zoo’, we had a ball, but that’s for another time.

Today we have a bunch of zoos to visit, so let’s get started. See you at the end.

Zoo shows off latest new arrival
Read about what a Tapir does if it gets threatened. Oh, also look at how cute this baby is.

Wild and woolly Zoo Year’s Eve party
Read about what the Little Rock Zoo is doing to ring in the new year.

Flies take off backwards... and other interesting animal facts
I know this isn’t about zoos, but it’s got all kinds of neat facts about animals.

Reindeer swoop into Bristol Zoo
I know Christmas is over, but here’s an up and personal look at a live reindeer.

Zoo welcomes baby aardvark
This baby is so cute! They don’t know yet if it’s a boy or girl, but they name the baby already. See the picture and find out the name.

Thurmont's zoo offers intimately wild experience
Get an up close and personal view of the animals here. Neat!

Weeklong celebration at zoo
Lots of great things are happening at the Philadelphia Zoo. This is a must do if you are anywhere near here.

The Zoo at Acadiana holiday fare
Watch the video and check out all the fun things going on at the zoo this holiday season.

Hope you enjoyed these stops today. See you Tuesday.

The lighting of the Christmas tree at the ‘V Zoo’

Boy! Did we have a great Christmas lighting party. Everyone came. Margot Finke was here as were Donna Shepherd, Jennifer Gladen, Kevin Collier, Barbara Techel, Kim Chatel, Sue Thurman, Shari Lyel-Soffe, Dianne Sagan and Lanaia Lee. My boss Joy got us a beautiful tree and along with all her friends and zookeepers, they decorated the tree.

But, as this is a zoo, animals do unpredictable things. First Billy got into the act. He wanted to put the star on top of the tree. Well, Star thought she should, after all it is her name. Star had it in her mouth ready to place it when Billy climbed up her neck, grabbed it and took off. He almost knocked the tree down in the process. It took Jabira to stop him. Ever since Billy woke him up that night by jumping on him in his exhibit, Billy’s been afraid he’ll do something to him. So, when he approached Billy, Billy dropped the star and slinked away back to his mother.
When that was all settled, then Fred and Elvis started arguing about who should turn on the lights. Well, I guess you could say it was a total ZOO!

Thanks for all who came and for those who read and follow our, um, my blog.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! See you Sunday with more zoo news from around the world. I’m taking Christmas day off.

Zoo News Sunday: Black Lemurs, lights and gifts for Mandrills

Good morning everyone out there in Bloggerville! Zebee here with another fun filled report about the world zoos. Today we have lights, gifts and new arrivals. So sit back and enjoy. See you at the end.

Zoo goers see lights -- millions of them
Go to the Brookfield and Lincoln Park zoos this holiday season. Lights, magic shows and Santa await you.

Naples Zoo gives gifts to animals
What kind of candy canes do hyenas like? Check it out, it’s not what you might think.

Zoo hides new arrival
Malaika is 22 and new to this zoo. See where she came from and where she was born.

Chester Zoo names its baby Eastern Black Rhino
What did they name him and what does it mean in English? Do you think he’ll live up to his name?

Festive holiday outings for the whole family
See what the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago is giving it’s residents for Christmas. If you live in the area, don’t miss out!

Bronx Zoo in New York City calendar of events for the holidays.
Want to go to the Bronx Zoo this holiday season? Here’s all the happenings at the zoo for you.

Bramble Park Zoo Has New Pallas Cat Kittens
Check out these highly endangered Central Asian cats.

Baby hippo makes first appearance at Berlin Zoo
Watch this video of a hippo and his mommy.

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will bring back "Dinosaurs!" exhibit in May
Something to look forward to this spring. Dinosaurs were my boss Joy’s favorite animals when she was a kid.

Gift Giving Means Monkey Business At Lowry Park Zoo
Cute picture of a Mandrill opening a present.

"Christmas Light Festival" continues at Montgomery Zoo
This looks like fun. I especially love the poster, take a look!

Como Zoo plans 'Noon Year's Eve'
What a fun way to celebrate New Years Eve with the young ones.

OAKLAND ZOO: Rare Lemurs Arrive at Oakland Zoo
Black lemurs with blue eyes? This you have to see.

Well, I don’t know about you but I’m exhausted. I think I hear that shade under the tree over there calling me. So, while I take a nap, you go have a great day and I’ll see you again on Tuesday.
Zebe out.

Zoo News Sunday: babies and Christmas treats galore and Dianne Sagan as our week's guest

Happy Sunday to all of you in Bloggerville. Today we are traveling the world zoos with Dianne Sagan. She’s a ghost writer!

D: Hi Zebee and everyone out there. I’m looking forward to spending the week here at the ‘V Zoo’ with you and your friends. I can’t wait to share more about what it is that I write, but today I want to go with you around the world and see what’s happening at the world zoos.

Z: To give everyone a little information about you, where are you from?

D: I live in Amarillo, Texas and just love it.

Z: Since we are all animals here at the ‘V Zoo’, we like to know if our guests have pets. Do you have any pets, and can you tell us about them if you do?

D: We have a Bishon Frizee named Gigi. She is a little white dog who doesn’t know that she is the pet that lives in our home. She thinks we are her people and this is her house and family. We got her when she was five weeks old and had no puppy teeth. She fit in the palm of my hand and one of our daughters said she looked more like a hamster than a dog. She is now about 12 pounds and the smartest, most affectionate dog I’ve ever had.

Z: She sounds smart. Okay, let’s get going we have places to visit and animals to see. Are you ready Dianne?

D: Ready Zebee. Lead the way.

Zoo's new chimp enclosure is champ
See what awards this new Chimpanzee exhibit got! Way to go!

A Paignton Zoo Majic Ticket Will Get You A Train Ride And Buffett With Santa
How fun is this! Eat with Santa! I want to go, how about you Dianne?

Critter Christmas at the Salisbury Zoo
This is going to be fun. You even get to make your own gingerbread house.

Winter Fun at the Zoo
Go to the Dakota Zoo this winter and visit the animals. They’re out and waiting for you.

San Francisco Zoo welcomes new baby gorilla
Look how cute he is. What should they name him?

Santa Claus at the St. Louis Zoo
If you live near St. Louis, here’s a fun thing to do with your kids or grandkids.

Zoo Boise welcomes another zebra
Check it out. Another relative of mine is in the news.

Zoo offers free admission with donation to food bank
Get in the cost of a can of food. Now that’s a great offer and you help out the local food bank at the same time.

In photos: 'Belgrade Zoo White Lion Cub'
Now this is the cutest white African lion cub ever.

D: Wow! That was fun. Okay, I’ve got to run home for a bit. I’ll see you back here on Tuesday and I’ll share more about me and what ghostwriting is.

Z: Thanks Dianne, this was fun for me today too. I’ll see you on Tuesday.
Bye for now Bloggerville fans.

Zoo News Sunday: Frogs, okapis and Lanaia Lee as our guest for the week.

Good day to you all out there in Bloggerville. Today we are traveling the world zoos and I’m bringing another guest along. Let me introduce Lanaia Lee to you.

Hi Zebee. I’m glad I get to be your guest this week. Jennifer told me how much fun she had here at the ‘V Zoo’.

Thanks Lanaia. We had fun with her too and I know we are going to have a great week visiting with you.

So Zebee, where are we off to today?
Let’s see. . .South Africa, the USA and Canada. Ready?

Ready. This should be fun.

Okay, here we go!

South Africa's National Zoo Hosts A Fun Frog Walk
Great way to bring awareness to the plight of the frog. What’s that? You ask. Read here and find out.

KYLE'S KRITTERS: Okapi arrives from San Diego
More okapi news. I just love bringing news of our relatives here at the ‘V Zoo’.

Zoo’s holiday festival features live reindeer
Check this out, especially if you live in the Issaquah. Where’s that? Read this to find out more.

Edmonton’s Valley Zoo Opens Junior Zookeeper ProgramWhat a great Christmas gift. If you know a child and live in the Edmonton in Canada, you need to read this.

White tiger babies at Lowry Park on display Tuesday
Very cute! Love their blue eyes.

Zoo gets 5-year stamp of approval
This is a big deal and great news for the people in the area of Bridgeport, CT. They have a zoo that’s doing great things.


Unique California Birds Featured in Zoo's Backyard
Read about the additions to the Sacramento Zoo.

Lights turn Turtle Back Zoo into a holiday wonderland
Cool lights. I really like Christmas. All the special decorations. Anyway, if you’re in Essex County in New Jersey, check it out.

ZooLights: Wild fun at the Phoenix Zoo
Phoenix area? Don’t miss this. It goes from now until Jan. 11, 2009.

The Alexandria Zoo lights up the holidays with annual safari event
In the Alexandria, LA area? This one’s for you! Looks like this only goes until the 23rd of December, so go soon.

Bird tiles benefit Sequoia Park Zoo
Get your tile, personalized, for just $100. Great gift for the zoo.

Wow Zebee! I never knew we could travel so fast and see so many places. This was lots of fun.

I’m glad you went with me today Lanaia. I can’t wait to talk more with you on Tuesday. I’ve got to go over and check out what’s going on in the giraffe exhibit. I’ll see you Tuesday.

Okay, see you then.

What are those giraffes up to now? Star, could you please. . .

Zoo News Sunday – check out what’s happening at the world zoos

Hello everyone, sorry we’re up a bit later today. My boss Joy went out swimming and forgot to leave me the computer. So, now that she’s back, I have lots to share with you today. We have babies, Christmas celebrations, awards and more, so, sit back and enjoy. I’ll see you at the end.

Visit Indianapolis Zoo's "Marsh Christmas at the Zoo"
Christmas at the zoo. What could be better?

Celebrate the holiday at Cosley Zoo
This is a different type of zoo. Check it out if you’re in the Chicago area.

New addition is born in the Petting Zoo
See who Buttercup and Reese are and how cute she is.

Holiday Lights Planned At Chattanooga Zoo
If you live in the Chattanooga area, mark this on your calendar.

A Belize Zoo: Tapirs, Vultures and Jaguars...OH MY!
A fun and different zoo. If you are in or go to Belize, you just have to visit.

Palm Beach Zoo introduces baby jaguar
She’s cute, but doesn’t have a name yet. What would you name her?

Jaguars Phil and Jeanne spotted at zoo
Strange names for jaguars. Read the story and find out where the names came from.

The Cincinnati Zoo introduces three cheetah cubs
Check out this video of the babies. If you go down the page, there’s a video of a baby okapi too. This is a great link.

Chimp grows strong, confident with his extended zoo family
Baby George is cute and cuddly. Read about his life at the Knoxville Zoo.

Paignton Zoo Wins Green Environmental Award
What is the Green Environment Award? Check it out here.

Hope you had as much fun as I did. I’ll see you back here on Tuesday with something a little different.
Zebee out.