28th October Last Friday in October World Lemur Day

What animal loves to bask in the sun, has sweat glands in their wrists, and is found only in Madagascar? The lemur. It is a small primate. They resemble a monkey, with a long tail and thick fur. They always live in trees and are very active mostly at night.There are several types of lemurs and day by day lemur species are moving towards extinction. However, a series of restoration processes has also been taken to protect the types of lemurs from the dangers that they face.

Lemurs are another animal that the children in Australia will not see unless they are on holiday overseas or at a zoo, but like raccoons, meerkats and sloths they fascinate them. They are quite popular as characters in picture books. 

The objective of this day is to raise awareness about the need to preserve this endangered species, and to celebrate its unique attributes. The holiday was first observed in 2014, when it was founded by Jonah Ratsimmbazafy in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Lemurs are often the sidekick to the main character and do not have the starring role. This is the case in Steve Antony's popular Mr Panda series where the lemur is in every book and the students comment on him, but he is there among a host of other black and white animals. Here are some lemur books where the lemur is the focus to help you celebrate:

Information books

• My Life in the Wild Lemur  by Stuart Jackson-Carter & Meredith Costain

• Ring-Tailed Lemurs by Victoria Blakemore

• Go Wild! Lemurs  by National Geographic Kids Stories

• Follow Me!  by Ellie Sandall

• What Makes a Lemur Listen? by Samuel Langley-Swain

• How to Lose a Lemur  by Frann Preston-Gannon

• The Lemur's Tail by Ophelia Redpath

• Lemur the Dreamer  by Courtney Dicmas

• Milo's Pet Egg  by Rebecca Elliott

• This Book Belongs to Aye-Aye by Richard Byrne (an aye-aye is a kind of lemur)

• Flying Lemurs  by Zehra Hicks

And these three about Lenny the Lemur

• Poo! Is That You?  by Clare Helen Welsh & Nicola O'Byrne 

• Wee! It Wasn't Me!  by Clare Helen Welsh & Nicola O'Byrne

• Slime! It's Not Mine! by Clare Helen Welsh & Nicola Byrne

And these feature a lemur, but have a purpose other than to entertain

• Lemur Feels Let Down A Book About Disappointment  by Sue Graves & Trevor Dunton

• Lemur's Guide to Healthy Eating  by Lisa Edwards & Sian Roberts