Wildlife Wong Book Series

The short answer is YES. Wildlife Wong’s full name is Dr Wong Siew Te. Some people also call him ‘Papa Bear’! He lives on an island called Borneo in SE Asia, where he runs the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. So far, Wong has rescued about 65 bears, and rehabilitated. He spends most of his time with bears, but he has all kinds of adventures with other animals too. You can find out more about Wildlife Wong and his amazing work here.

All the stories about Wildlife Wong are true stories. Sarah interviews Wong who shares all his stories. Then she weaves his experiences together into the book. Before it goes to print, Wong reads the book and lets Sarah know if she needs to change anything. These stories would not be possible without the collaboration between Dr Wong and Dr Sarah.

Eventually, there will be nine Wildlife Wong books. Each one focuses on a different rainforest creature. Each animal has a different, yet important, tale to tell; each book includes a story, amazing facts and experiments; and each book aligns with the Australian curriculum.

Before a Wildlife Wong book is published, the story is sent to several young people for their thoughts and feedback. Sarah is really grateful for their expert opinions! Some of the reviews are published in the front of the finished book with a photograph and Sarah sends them a free copy as a thank you! If you would like to be a Wildlife Wong Young Reviewer, email Sarah here.

The rainforest is home to many different species. When we cut down trees, many animals, birds and insects lose their homes, and nature’s balance is affected. But that’s not all. Borneo has been called ‘the lungs of our planet’ because the trees breathe IN carbon dioxide and breathe OUT oxygen. All living things need oxygen to survive, including us! We need the Bornean rainforest as much as the animals who live there.

The wonderful black and white sketches in the Wildlife Wong books were drawn by Ali Beck, an artist in New South Wales, Australia. First, Sarah sends Ali a list of sketches. Ali creates these sketches in the old-fashioned way—with a pencil and paper and sends Sarah a photo. Sometimes Sarah suggests changes. When the sketches are finished, Ali scans her artwork and sends it to Sarah who, in turn, sends all the images to the book designer, Gram.

Wildlife Wong books target children between 8-12 depending on their reading ability. Almost all children love the stories, but reluctant readers love the statistics, and those kids who have trouble sitting still love the experiments. While the conservation topics are challenging, the narratives have been written in an age-appropriate fashion, and the books align to the Australian curriculum for Year 4-7.

YES. Sarah conducts readings and workshops in-person or online. She is often joined by a menagerie of rainforest puppet characters, and other times she is joined by the real-life hero Wildlife Wong to answer questions about his amazing life! To find out more, click here.