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Message: <blockquote data-quote="solifuge" data-source="post: 3424282" data-attributes="member: 138661">WowThank you all for the inputs thus far.Firstly, let me say that the info on the Stanley Crane is EXACTLY the sort of stuff I am looking for, and I will use it for sure. I am grateful for that feedback, which I would simply never have been able to discover here for myself.As a general reply to various posts: 1. The aims of the book are to assist learners with English (our official language although hardly anyone uses it as a home language); to encourage a reading culture; to supplement the few books for children on Namibian nature specifically; and to spark the interest of children who might wish to go on to study the sciences. All linked to our government's drive to produce educational books with local content and all objectives that will, I hope, encourage a local publishing house to accept the manuscript and/or interest donor organisations who might fund a print run.2. Each chapter will include a bit of info about a Namibian bird (range, habits, appearance - some rare and some common) and some info about its common name included as a standalone story. Then, because it's likely that the bird will have been named after/by an explorer (male,white, perhaps wealthy) I will include a second section on a bird that's not necessarily African but that was named for a woman scientist (not simply a mistress etc.) or an indigenous collector, or some other representative of a minority group - this is more likely to be by way of the scientific name. Wasn't a bird recently named after Chico Mendes for example? The takeaway being 'Hey, some of these people are like me'.3. To make the content more diverse I have also included chapters on myths and religion (Goliath heron and argus pheasant) and professions/jobs: bataleur and 'butcher birds'.4. I did start out with a list of birds I wanted to include but months online have not produced the kind of material I needed (either too scant, or too contradictory) so now I will go with the best stories that this thread produces! The more entertaining, macabre, unexpected the better. The book is for children just leaving primary school and so it needs to be fun but also include actual facts about role models (Dr Salim Ali?).I hope that background info is useful.</blockquote>

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