Al-the-Gator and Honey Bunny. $21.00

This is my fifth children’s book and most of the illustrations are in color which made it cost a bit more.  The new character is a swamp rabbit and I studied them for five years.  They are excellent swimmers and divers.  This book was dedicated to Savannah the daughter of my dear friends Sean and Julie Williams. 

She is not yet a herpetologist, but I am working on converting her as well and have given her an endless variety of toy reptiles and amphibians.  Again the beautiful drawings are by Shanna Covington.  The book is finished and is available from Amazon.com. 

Al-the-Gator and Tommy Turtle Coloring Book.  $6.00

This is the third in the series of children’s books and is the first coloring book.  Again, it is beautifully illustrated by Shanna Covington and was published by CreateSpace, a subsidiary of Amazon.com in 2009.  Most of the pictures are taken from the story book with a few added exercises for children.  Not only do children seem to enjoy the coloring book, but they will learn more by thinking about each drawing as they bring it to life by coloring it.  We all learn by repetition and thinking about the context of the picture in the story helps the child to learn and retain the scientific material as well as the important moral lesson.  Some of the questions challenge children to apply what they have just learned from the story book.  It is hoped the books will make learning fun.  Perhaps some will become future zoologists.  I was influenced by books at an early age.

Al-the-Gator and Tommy Turtle.  $14.00. 

This is my second children’s book and is beautifully illustrated by Shanna Covington.  The front and back covers as well as many of the pictures inside the book are truly breathtaking and represent a marriage between my focus on scientific details and the artist’s love for the whimsical.  It was published by CreateSpace, a subsidiary of Amazon.com in 2009.  Each book in the series introduces a new character, but also involves those in previous books.  It is the first to have a companion coloring book to provide an additional activity and opportunity to learn more about the creatures.  Children seem to LOVE both books.  As in Al-the-Gator and Freddy Frog, the book contains some interesting scientific information in an attempt to help children love science.  This book was dedicated to Sean Todd the son of my dear friends Sean and Julie Williams.  He is not a herpetologist yet, but I am working on converting him.  This and subsequent children’s books include Bible verses and a clearly stated moral lesson.  Children in our public schools are taught godless evolution from kindergarten through college and need to be reminded that, “In the beginning God…”

Al-the-Gator and Annie Anhinga.  $12.00.

This is my fourth children’s book and was published by CreateSpace, a subsidiary of Amazon.com in 2009.  It is dedicated to Braylee the daughter of two dear church friends Shawn and Duaina.  Like the previous two children’s books it was beautifully illustrated by Shanna Covington. 

The front and back covers are in color, but in order to keep the price of the book affordable the illustrations inside the book are black and white.  To farther reduce costs the story book and coloring book are combined into one larger book.  Although many people are not familiar with the Anhinga, it was a common feature of the wetlands where I studied alligators.  Unlike most water birds, it lacks an oil gland and its feathers become saturated as it swims in the water searching for food.  It must stop swimming and dry its outstretched wings in a nearby tree several times a day.  That unmistakable sight was forever burned into my memory from my years studying alligators in South Texas.

Al-the-Gator and Freddy Frog.

This one is only available as a paperback and sells for $24.00

This is the first of a series of children’s books and I used the pen name of Doc Gator.  That was a mistake and the rest of the children’s books will have my actual name.  It was published in 2007 by 4RV Publishing LLC.  It is about an alligator and his friends in a farm pond in south Texas near where I studied alligators for 12 years.  The book has a “Learn More” section and thoughtful questions to teach kids to love science. It is unusual for a children’s book to be written by a world authority on the animals about which they write.  So far that does not seem to help sales, but I think it will in the future.

This book is dedicated to my Grandson Brent.  I was proud of him as a toad-loving boy and I am proud of him today as a Marine sniper.  Although the book is filled with beautiful and somewhat whimsical color drawings of alligators in their natural habitat, I must confess I was a bit disappointed when I first saw the book.  I wanted the pictures to be scratch ‘n sniff.  Yes, as those that know me agree, I am indeed twisted.

Battleground University.

Published by Tate Publishing in 2008 for $14.00.

This book is by E. Norbert Smith, Ph.D. and Johanna Jones, M. A.  It was an attempt to write a modern version of the classic C. S. Lewis Screwtape Letters about a demon attempting to influence a person.  That original book continues to sell, but is dated as it occurred during the Second World War.  I could deal effectively with the science issues, but wanted to address the dark side of the feminist movement.  As a man, I thought it unwise to go there.  I found a professor online who teaches at a major university in California that liked C. S. Lewis as much as I did.  She wrote every other chapter in the book and did a truly outstanding job.  Sadly, she so feared losing her job if her professors found out she had written an overtly Christian book that she opted to use a pen name.  This is a revealing commentary about today’s increasingly anti-Christian culture.  I do however understand as I was denied tenure for doubting evolution and became a truck driver.  As a nation, we have come a very long ways from our Christian roots. 

Passive Fear: Alternative to Fight or Flight--When Frightened Animals Hide.

  This book is available in hard cover for $26.00 and as a paperback for $16.00. 

This was my first book and it was published by iUniverse in 2006.   My daughter helped with the proof reading and found the publisher. The publisher is a subsidiary of Barnes Noble publishing company and the books are widely available in bookstores and online at Amazon.com.  This non-fiction book is about how science operates and my over 20 years of studying the cardiovascular response of wild animals to fear.  Although it is about science, it is not a technical book.  The research data has been previously published in scientific journals.  It provides insight into what motivated a zoologist to wade waist deep in a swamp late at night with venomous snakes to catch alligators and other critters. 

It provides first-hand knowledge into how scientific research is conducted; the excitement and some of the frustrations.  My hope is that it might inspire others to a lifetime of research.  The work of science is difficult, but the rewards make it all worth while. 

Creation or Evolution?
Consider the evidence before deciding

This is my latest and biggest book. I have finished the final draft and it is currently being reviewed by several professional friends. It should be published later this year or early in 2009. It is the culmination of my life’s work and ministry. The draft is 450 pages and it has lots of pictures including some of my own research.

The book is dedicated to the fond memory of Dr. Henry Morris, author of The Genesis Flood, the book that changed my life. Dr. Morris started the Creation Research Society and I served under his leadership as a member of the board of directors. He also started the Institute for Creation research and I taught a graduate course when he was President...more»