Let's Meet The Creatives on Our Wild Tomorrow Trip with CBCC (Children's Book Creators for Conservation)

Meg Fleming, Dr Diane, and Leah Henderson

John Rocco and the 2025 CBCC Team

Quietly observing the hippopotamus gathering

Meg Fleming, Brenda Scott Royce, and Molly Idle study dung beetles

On our first adventure with Kenny

Juana Martinez-Neal, Molly Idle, Kayla Harren, Dr Diane, Brenda Scott Royce, Ann Dye)

For the next two weeks, I am on the Adventure in Learning of a lifetime with CBCC (Children's Book Creators for Conservation). I am still pinching myself that I get to live and work alongside such a dynamic and inspirational group of creators. You can learn more about the 2025 team here or you can visit my YouTube page or Adventures in Learning podcast for interviews with the team members. They are truly creators worth sharing with your children.

We arrived at the Wild Tomorrow Conservation Center this afternoon. After an orientation to the powerful work Wild Tomorrow is doing to support rangers and the community and to build and manage a land corridor connecting two major parks, we did an introductory game drive. Kenny showed us the animals and birds of Ukuwela Nature Reserve while giving us a feeling for the rewilding work. Did you know that one million species are facing exinction in our lifetimes? And a key reason is habitat loss. Wild Tomorrow is offering practical solutions to support communities, protect habitat, and support biodiversity. They're doing it by patiently creating a wildlife corridor and establishing the Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve. You should check out their work here.

I wasn't prepared for the vastness of the South African landscape, nor the way seeing these animals up close would make my heart sing.

Ukuwela Nature Reserve

The beauty of the South African landscape as winter turns to spring is breathtaking. I am awed by the mountains and the open skies. As we made our way along dirt tracks, we saw such animals as impalas, nyala, suni, warthogs, and zebras (including Stumpy who keeps losing fights) enjoying the freedom that comes with protected habitat. It's truly amazing that Wild Tomorrow has been able to work closely with the community to build a wildlife corridor that will offer possibility and hope to a number of key species and ecosystems.

How many hippos do you spy in the water?

A huge highlight of today was a magical visit with some hippopotamus at their watering hole. We heard them spouting from the road. Our guide did some investigating and found a spot where we could observe them quietly from a safe distance. I was mesmorized by their curiosity and playfulness. The common hippo is anything BUT common. Check out these hip hippo facts from Nat Geo Kids.

Male dungbeetle pushing dung and a female

South African python

Fruit bats

Being watched by a monkey

We also saw termite mounds, a very determined dung beetle, and a year old African python. And back at camp, we saw 3-4 monkeys hanging out by the garden, a pair of bushbabies crying in the trees above us, and 14-15 fruit bats hanging out in the ceiling above us as we dined. As our journey progresses, I will be making short posts and sharing videos and photos here and on instagram. If you have questions for the team, post them below and I'll do my best to find answers for you.

Bush Baby in the tree above us (video captured by Meg Fleming)