On Saturday, February 8, 2020, DC Super Heroes took over the L.A. Zoo with the help of the acclaimed authors and artists behind DC’s new middle grade graphic novels. The fun-filled day – DC Presents: Reading with Zoo-per Heroes at the L.A. Zoo – featured an honorary naming ceremony for one of the L.A. Zoo’s green and black poison dart frogs, interactive author/artist talks & signings, drawing demonstrations, live animal presentations and superhero-themed arts & crafts. Through these activities, kids and families were inspired to discover their own super powers while also learning about the super powers of several animals.
Author/artists appearances included Agnes Garbowska (DC Super Hero Girls), Shannon Hale (Diana: Princess of the Amazons), Dean Hale (Diana: Princess of the Amazons), Michael Northrop (Dear Justice League), Ridley Pearson (Super Sons), Kirk Scroggs (The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid), and Victoria Ying (Diana: Princess of the Amazons).
Zoo-goers heard firsthand from bestselling authors Shannon Hale (Diana: Princess of the Amazons), Dean Hale (Diana: Princess of the Amazons), Michael Northrop (Dear Justice League), Ridley Pearson (Super Sons) and Kirk Scroggs (The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid) about their new middle grade graphic novels starring Wonder Woman, the Justice League, the super sons of Batman and Superman, and Swamp Kid, and enjoyed learning about animals and the environment through a superhero lens with zookeepers and docents. Scroggs and fellow DC artists Agnes Garbowska (DC Super Hero Girls) and Victoria Ying (Diana: Princess of the Amazons) also taught several drawing lessons throughout the day.
The kick-off ceremony, hosted by the DC Kids YouTube show’s Nandi Hildebrand and Jett Bednar, featured an honorary naming ceremony for one of the L.A. Zoo’s green and black poison dart frogs. The frog was named “Russell” after the main character in Kirk Scroggs’s The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid graphic novel. To commemorate the occasion, Scroggs, with the help of Michele Wells (DC’s Vice President and Executive Editor of DC Books for Young Readers), presented the L.A. Zoo with a custom piece of artwork (illustrated by Scroggs) featuring his main character – Russell Weinwright – holding “Russell.”
Following the honorary naming ceremony of the L.A. Zoo’s green and black poison dart frog, author/illustrator Kirk Scroggs read his The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid graphic novel to “Russell” and a group of Zoo-goers at poison dart frog exhibit.
Super Sons author Ridley Pearson held “Patrick,” one of the L.A. Zoo’s hog island boa constrictors, during his presentation at DC Presents: Reading with Zoo-per Heroes at the L.A. Zoo. Pearson and an L.A. Zoo docent discussed “Patrick’s” superpowers with Zoo-goers.
Super Sons author Ridley Pearson quizzed Zoo-goers about superheroes and snakes for a chance to win a signed copy of his graphic novel during his presentation at DC Presents: Reading with Zoo-per Heroes at the L.A. Zoo.
DC artists Victoria Ying (Diana: Princess of the Amazons), Agnes Garbowska (DC Super Hero Girls) and Kirk Scroggs (The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid) drew superheroes and animals during their drawing demonstration at DC Presents: Reading with Zoo-per Heroes at the L.A. Zoo.
