Smithsonian Kids All-Star Readers: Reptiles Level 2

Brenda Scott Royce is a lifelong lover of beasts and books—and whenever possible her work combines the two. She’s served as editor of Zoo View, the award-winning magazine of the Los Angeles Zoo, for more than a decade. Her children’s books include two titles in the ASPCA’s Pet Rescue Club series— Champion’s New Shoes and Bailey the Wonder Dog. Her award-winning comedic novels Monkey Love and Monkey Star chronicle the misadventures of Holly Heckerling, a stand-up comedienne who befriends a monkey while juggling career and romantic entanglements. Brenda likes to say that she majored in monkeys in college (she earned a bachelor’s degree in primatology and anthropology from California State University, Fullerton) and that some of her best friends are chimpanzees (she worked as a chimp keeper at a wildlife sanctuary). She lives in Glendora, California.