When my kids were little I was as likely to buy them a field guide as I was to buy them a story book. As you know, I love stories, but I am, as you say, 'fascinated' by snakes and insects. Up close, not so much, but behind a glass or in a book...yes!
Thanks very much for reading.
When I was little my father took me to a zoo where he swung me over an open snake pit then made me touch a live python. I wish he had just given me a book 😆
OMG!!!! Not cool. Sorry to be critical of your father, but if that was my husband he would pay for doing such a thing. I'm so sorry.
Edit: When I was a very young child my brothers tossed me off the side of a cliff. My choice was to fall or to grab a vine that was hanging from a tree. They were having fun, but also challenging me to be tough. The reverse happened. I have a horrible cliff phobia now.
Heh. My mother wasn't thrilled either, but all the males around agreed it was necessary for a boy to conquer fear and become a man 😆