Wolves, Bears, Eagles, and on

"...by the time they hit adolescence, those same youngsters will have "grown out" of this animal phase, and...We consider this a sign of maturity, with the unspoken assumption that a child's emotional attachment to wild creatures, and to nature as a whole, are juvenile and somehow delusional." -Scott D. Sampson How to Raise a Wild Child

I can not personally imagine a life lacking a fascination with nature and the natural world.  However, I can attest to the scenario depicted by Dr. Sampson, wherein anyone, male or female, over the age of about thirteen is looked at askance for professing a love of any animal beyond cats or dogs.  Goodness help you if you have a preference for more out-of-the-ordinary domestics, or worse yet, wild animals!  The concept of spirit animals and nature connection is dismissed as edgy and laughable and the stuff of cults and hermits by much of polite society.
I hope that as the ever so slightly deviant mother of a young child, I can provide a world in which a love of nature and a connection to non-human beings is welcomed and celebrated.