Dear April Sayre,
At Lakeview, we just read "Crocodile Listens". We were wondering if you actually went to Africa to do your research or did you do the research with books/Internet/interview? The animal sound words were pretty unique in the book- almost as if you had heard the sounds in person. We also were curious about how you chose the animals you wrote about in "Almost Home". Are these animals you have researched and have a particular interest in? We are really enjoying your books!
Students at Lakeview Elementary

For Crocodile Listens, I did not go to Africa. I did my research by reading books, watching videos of crocodiles hatching, and speaking with crocodile experts. (One imitated the crocodile noises to me over the phone.) To get the sound words just right, I watched a video of crocodiles hatching. I watched it over and over. I had to listen carefully and experiment with words to find letters that, when spelled out, made the right sounds.

I have studied many of the animals in HOME AT LAST in person. I have seen wood frogs. I have seen whales. I have been pecked on the head by an Arctic Tern. (I was near its nest, on a small island above Iceland.) I have seen lobsters walking and swimming across coral reefs, although I have never seen them walk single file. (I did watch them do so in a documentary film.) I have worked with sea turtle scientists and seen sea turtle eggs hatching at night. Many of my later books, such as Army Ant Parade, are from my personal experiences with animals.

April Sayre