This beautifully illustrated book covering A-through-Z via twenty-six different animals and accompanied by whimsical limericks was created by Kenneth R. Stock.

Fueled by his love of drawing and the joy of spending time with his beloved grandchildren, Kenneth brings realistically drawn animals to life in his very first published children's book. Every page bursts with color and fun, inviting young readers to learn, explore and share reading time with their loved ones.

Not only will readers learn more about their favorite animals, you will probably learn about animals you haven't heard of before! Badgers, Hares, Kestrels, Newts, Quails, Squirrels, Deer and Xemes. .

. oh my! Perfect for bedtime stories, cozy reading sessions, or sparking creative adventures seeking a glimpse of these animals in real life, A Badger Never Wears Socks is likely to be a favorite on the bookshelf.

Kenneth R. Stock was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1948 and spent most of his childhood and adolescent years in the Midwest, living near Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Milwaukee.

Late in high school he lived in Pittsburgh and during college summers he lived with his parents in Reston, Virginia. He attended the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana majoring in architecture, receiving a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1973 and a Master of Science degree in Architectural Engineering in 1974.

He met his wife at that institution; they were married in 1972 and are still very happy together. They now reside in Wisconsin, spending seven "winter" months at their home near Milwaukee and five "summer" months at their lake home in northern Wisconsin.

His 45-year career as an architect and structural engineer included professional licensure in sixteen states. He retired from his business in 2017.

At a very young age Ken discovered that he enjoyed drawing; especially making things look as realistic as possible. After one colored pastel drawing of a ship sailing a strong wind at sea, probably around third grade, his sister asked him why he had made the ocean purple, at which point he discovered that he was colorblind.

Since that time he has compensated for this deficiency by making sure he uses colored drawing media that have printed names of the color on each piece, although much of Ken’s work is in pencil or pen and ink to avoid the color issue. Because of Ken’s age, most of his occupational drawing was done by hand using pencil on a drafting board, but computer-aided drafting came along late in his career.

Because the software uses color to designate line weight, this was problematic for him to learn, so he had to hire employees to do the computer drafting. In addition to artwork, Mr.

Stock’s hobbies include playing and listening to music, hunting, fishing, cycling, cooking and building things, but his favorite hobby is playing with his grandchildren, who were the inspiration for creating this book. .