[Columbia, SC] - On December 2, guests who attend Lights Before Christmas will get a delicious treat. Charleston children's author Kate Jerome will be reading and signing her latest book The Chef Down at the Zoo at Riverbanks' Gorilla Base Camp.

"We love it when we're able to offer special nights like these to our guests. This is a great story and really gives kids a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what it takes to feed so many different kinds of animals at a zoo like Riverbanks," said Satch Krantz, executive director of Riverbanks Zoo and Garden.

A grandmother baking with her granddaughter poses an important question while the two are hard at work, "Things could be worse than cooking just for you. Just think of what the job is like for the chef down at the zoo." What follows is a funny tale that teaches children about the various diets of animals like the koala, gorilla and boa constrictor.

Riverbanks' own educators will also be on hand to show kids firsthand some of the over 150 different kinds of diets prepared each day for the animals by the Zoo's commissary technicians.

Jerome has been in educational publishing since 1981 and began her own writing career in 1995. Since then, she has written more than 25 children's books published by National Geographic, Penguin Putnam and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Press. In 2004, Jerome's 75-book science program developed for National Geographic was awarded the Teacher's Choice Award by Learning magazine. Jerome's books are designed to tell a unique story to children and then facilitate parental conversation and outside learning.

Admission to the December 2 book reading is free with the purchase of regular Lights Before Christmas tickets. Jerome will be reading from 6 to 9 p.m., and The Chef Down at the Zoo books will be available for purchase on-site.

It snows every night from 6 to 9 p.m. at Riverbanks' Lights Before Christmas where guests can enjoy over half a million twinkling lights and 350 lights displays throughout the entire Zoo. Taking photos with Santa at Riverbanks' Holiday Village, roasting marshmallows at the Jingle Bell Bonfire, and enjoying a cup of hot cocoa in Palmetto Plaza make the holidays complete. Society members receive one free visit and general admission is $5 for children and $7 for adults. Santa's Polar Blast tickets are an additional $3. Lights Before Christmas tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.riverbanks.org, by calling 803.779.8717 or at the Zoo gate.