SALISBURY — From fluffy chinchillas to slithering snakes and scaly gators, exciting animals will be stopping by Salisbury Public Library on Monday when Curious Creatures returns to town.
“They usually bring a chinchilla, which is very exciting. They bring an alligator that a lot of times they bring out at the end, which is always very exciting. Then they have a tarantula and sometimes a snake or a turtle or flying squirrel or sugar glider,” Joan Cox, a library assistant, said.
The Curious Creatures show is free and will be held from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Curious Creatures is an entertainment company based out of Groveland.
Cox, who worked as the children’s librarian for 18 years until 2023, said that they have been coming to the library for at least 15 years.
“For me, it was always my most popular event. Everyone loves animals,” Cox said.
Due to limited space in the event room folks need to register in advance.
“It fills up very quickly, and usually we would have a wait list and people might cancel and then you can call another family to come in,” Cox said.
Curious Creatures staff that particular day always makes an effort to make sure each child gets a chance to see and interact with the animals, according to Cox.
“And if you don’t want to touch it, you raise your hand and they won’t make you touch it,” Cox said.
Reference and technology librarian Kristen Packer said that even when working upstairs she can often hear the excited buzz of the kids downstairs when Curious Critters are putting on a show.
“I’ve seen other patrons smile because they hear the excitement of the children,” Packer said.
She said it is a great way to help educate kids.
“To actually see a reptile in front of them and get to feel what the reptile feels like and hear from someone what they feed that particular reptile, or maybe his story of how they rescued him and why he’s in captivity, I think it really makes them not just excited to learn in that moment, but then they want to take home more books about these animals,” Packer said.
Having attended a few in the past herself, she recalled what her usual highlights are.
“I think it gets really exciting when the kids get to see the big snakes, or one time there was a giant toad that was actually carnivorous and ate other animals, and that was really exciting for the kids to see,” Packer said.
Cox said one of the best parts about Curious Creatures is that it makes folks eager to see what else the library has to offer.
“So now you want to come back to the library and maybe check out some books about animals. So that’s like a win-win for all of us,” Cox said.
Both Cox and Packer praised current children’s librarian Nicole Chouinard for not only continuing fun programs like Curious Creatures, but expanding upon ideas brought up during the show like protecting the environment.
“She’s trying really hard to illustrate the different animals that are in threat of extinction in the area. and she highlights different animals in the children’s room and she teaches the kids about those animals and what we can do to try to make our environment a safe place for them to live,” Packer said.
Chouinard was away on vacation during the writing of this report and could not be reached for comment. Curious Creatures did not return a call for comment in time for this report.
To register for the event, contact the library at 978-465-5071 or email nchouinard@salisburylibrary.org.
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.