"When I was a kid I always loved being outside, whether it was playing sports, fishing, or just messing around with friends. I really got my taste for the outdoors in the Scouts. Camping and learning about my surroundings in central Texas where I grew up fascinated me. My family also took vacations all around the United States, opening my eyes to what the country had to offer, including our country's national parks. Being a kid, it was a bit overwhelming trying to soak in all the information within the parks we visited. I remember not having something I could take home with me, not as a souvenir, but a resource to look back at and learn about the place I visited, as well as other parks I might want to visit in the future. As I got older, and my interest in the national parks only grew, traveling through almost every one of them, I still noticed there was a lack of books for kids the age I was when I became intrigued with the parks. So I decided to make one myself. This book is to fill that gap and tell kids what I would like to have known about the parks when I was their age.

So get outside and explore our national parks today."

- Marc Franz