Through the eyes of Naserian and Ole Peenko

By Gloria Kosgey,

September is World Animal Remembrance Month, and to top it, it is full of key celebratory days: World Clean-Up Day, World Ozone Day, and World Rivers Day. At Kenya Wildlife Trust, we choose to reflect on how education can and is inspiring conservation action with our young readers across 21 of our wildlife clubs.

Our aim through the wildlife club book series was to spark proactive thinking while offering lessons on why conservation matters, because it actually does. When they meet the characters, they are not just reading stories or enjoying the activities; they are stepping into the world of lions, cheetahs, rivers, and environments under threat from pollution and other human disturbances.



I remember when we first wrote the concept note for the book back in 2020, right when COVID-19 had hit Kenya. Schools were closed indefinitely, and we suddenly had no way to interact with the club members. We just couldn’t fathom the idea of losing that connection. Fortunately, partners such as Asilia Africa, WWF-Kenya, Behring Global Education Foundation, and March to the Top shared the vision. It served as a reminder of how partnerships can be when aligned with a purpose. 

The concept note made a simple but compelling case: storytelling, used for generations, is one of the essential tools we have, and for children, especially. The stories offer a way to see themselves in the issues, not just as observers, but as protectors. By rooting our characters and games in familiar landscapes and real-life wildlife challenges, Ole Peenko, Naserian, Madam Priscilla, Maya, Tana, and others become more than characters. They become mirrors.

In the now 4 editions of the annual book series: 



  • Teaching Coexistence

    The struggles of lions, cheetahs, and leopards are woven into the story through human predator conflict cases and the need for coexistence. Here, the young readers see these vulnerable and threatened species not as villains but living creatures with their own families trying to survive just like humans.

    The books shift young minds from fear to empathy by framing predators with families and needs. Respecting their space and understanding behavior then becomes a lesson in peaceful coexistence. 

  • Inspiring Action to Protect our ecosystems

    Lessons from the polluted rivers and littered land highlight the ecosystem’s fragility, which is unable to withstand human disturbances, thus leading to significant harm. Showcasing the need to create awareness and act now on these issues to save planet Earth is advocated for.

  • From Spectators to Stewards

    Perhaps most compellingly, characters show young readers that they don’t have to be spectators. They don’t have to wait for adults to act. They can question, lead action now, stand up, and speak up for wildlife. That kind of representation matters in promoting respectful responsibility and ownership.

Across our wildlife clubs, the stories have sparked real conversations and action. 5 schools borrowed ideas from the 4 editions of the books, and just as the characters, they are linking lessons to their community’s reality. Irbaan and Loigero primary schools performed an act on human-wildlife conflict where lions and hyenas attacked livestock.

The herders were angry and planned to kill the wildlife responsible, but with intervention from the Kenya Wildlife Service and responsible community members, no wildlife was harmed. The community chose to sit down to discuss what they can do to avoid such incidents.



Wildlife club members from Margaret Kenyatta school were tired of seeing their small village littered with plastic. They called upon KWT’s Mara Predator Conservation Programme’s community outreach officer to help them come up with a cleanup exercise to beautify their center. Learners had heard about the various mitigation measures employed to reduce human-predator conflict.

They were thrilled to be included in a boma fencing project using recycled plastic pole bomas to protect livestock. Imbitin school wildlife club members decided to exchange tree seedlings between the lower and upper classes to teach the younger ones about the importance of planting trees.

These examples remind us that conservation isn’t just taught, it is practiced. And it can start with a story… a playful activity… or a Naserian and Ole Peenko book. These wildlife club members, reading them today, are the conservation leaders, rangers, researchers, and storytellers of tomorrow, and we are honored to be part of their becoming.



Your support helps us provide these essential educational tools to more children across the Mara.