Manimal

What is it about animal show hosts that make them so interesting to watch? It's their passion for animals. Not the sort that gets one arrested but the sort that drives little boys to catch fireflies in old mayonnaise jars. Jack Hannah is one of those people who never lost his childlike love of nature. Hannah doesn't have the raw, manic energy of say, the late Crocodile Hunter or Jeff Corwin, and he's not as low key as Marty Stouffer or David Attenborough. He's the porridge that Goldilocks ate. He's goofy enough to keep you interested but not so eccentric that you wonder what he's doing with the animals off the air. Basically, Jack lets the animals do the entertaining. Hannah will be in town to sign copies of his two latest books, Jungle Jack: My Wildlife, and Passport into the Wild, the newest book in his children's series. Come meet the man behind the animals on 4 p.m. Thursday at Barnes & Noble, 7700 W. Northwest Highway. For more information call 214-739-3643.
Thu., Sept. 25, 4 p.m., 2008