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“Awesome and disgusting,” said a child in attendance at the Hamilton Library of the Lizard Guy and his entourage of snakes, turtles, lizards, and even a millipede.

While most people have a fear of these animals, this man loves them. His name is Enzo and this Lizard Guy brought quite a blend of interesting information, statistics, creativity, and jokes to the Hamilton Public Library on July 30, 2009.

Children of all ages and parents alike filled a large room in the bottom floor of the Hamilton Library for a spectacle of reptilian proportions.

The children watched on in amazement, inching closer and closer to try and catch a glimpse of which animal they were going to see next. The show was saturated with tales and re-enactments of how these animals are in the wild, where they live, what they eat, and even the occasional “How can you tell if its a boy or a girl?”

The Mercer County Library System’s summer reading program this year is, “Be Creative at your library,” and was apparent throughout the hour-long show, encouraging those in attendance to pick up a book and read more about the animals they saw throughout the evening.

Boots the Blue Tongued Lizard was up first. Sporting short legs, camouflage, and you guessed it, a blue tongue. This lizard has mastered the art of camouflage, but moving lightning fast or even kind of fast isn’t his style with an appetizing diet consisting of worms and insects.

Up next was a 9 year old baby tortoise known as the Sulcata Tortoise, usually found in desert regions in Africa. Don’t let his size fool you, he’s just a baby and can get as big as 200 pounds, sealing the third biggest tortoise in the world position. With a scrumptious diet of dried plant leaves and large fingernails that allow them to dig in the sand, it’s official, these tortoises are lean, mean, hole-digging machines.

In contrast to his last guest, this turtle was much smaller in size and a whole 40-50 years older, eating things like worms and fruits.

The California King Snake slithered its way up next, weaving its way in and out of Enzo’s shirt. The Lizard Guy pulled out a fully shed snake skin, explaining to the audience that even eyeballs on snakes shed. This animal grabs and chokes its food in holes, much like the ones that Sulcata Tortoises dig to live in. An excited volunteer was brought up to demonstrate in a fun-filled re-enactment minus the snake.

Unlike its cousin, the roly-poly millipedes we often see in New Jersey, this blind 300-legged African Millipede, is much larger in size and feels with its antennas to figure out its next move. Being a scavenger, this insect eats dead plants and lives mostly in the South of Africa.

The big celebrity of the night was Enzo the Lizard Guy’s final guest, the Burmese Python named French Fry, for its color. Kids oohed and ahhed, moms curled up trying not to look, but couldn’t help but take a peek, and dads pretended they weren’t afraid as French Fry came on to the scene. The Lizard Guy invited every one up to pet French Fry or hold him as kids jumped and rose to the occasion, parents hesitantly behind them.

The Lizard Guy is just one of many special events the library has planned this summer season. Summer’s not over yet. Don’t forget to pick up a book at your local library and “Be Creative” by checking out the fun-filled events planned for the final month of summer. See what your library has in store for you and visit http://www.hamiltonnjpl.org.