LynnLee at Tanganyika Wildlife Park
Two species.
Two stories still
being written.
LynnLee Schmidt writes about the animals she has spent her career caring for — one page, and one rescue, at a time.
The Books
COMING DECEMBER 2026
A CHILDREN'S BOOK
How Do You Save a Baby Giraffe?
Milani came into the world too early. She couldn't breathe on her own, she couldn't stand, and she wouldn't drink. A team of zookeepers, veterinarians, and giraffe experts came together to answer the question: how do you save a baby giraffe?
How Do You Save A Baby Giraffe? is the headline-making true story of Milani, a premature giraffe calf, told in an interactive, read-aloud style. Appealing to readers of A Hug For Punch, the Fiona the Hippo Series, and There’s a Monster In Your Book, this book invites children to BREATHE, get UP, FLOP, SLURP, and even celebrate POOP with Milani and her zookeepers. It follows the first crucial weeks of her life, and as Milani grows stronger, the book gets sillier and more energetic, until she quite literally becomes too tall for the page.
For readers of A Hug for Punch, the Fiona the Hippo series, and There's a Monster in Your Book.
RELEASING SUMMER 2027
HISTORICAL FICTION FOR ADULT
Operation Okapi
“Two broken people, forty years apart, discover that protecting the world's most mysterious animal might also save themselves.”
In 1920s Congo, a grieving Kansas widow defies colonial law to build a secret sanctuary for orphaned okapi — the striped “unicorn of the Congo” unknown to the West until the early 1900s. Forty years later, as civil war grips the same country, a jaded French mercenary and an American zoologist race to save the last of the sanctuary's okapi from the chaos.
For readers of West With Giraffes, The Rhino Keeper, Migrations, and Poisonwood Bible
Sign up for updates about Operation Okapi and to be the first to know when it's available for preorder.
LynnLee Schmidt
LynnLee Schmidt is a zookeeper-turned-author whose work bridges wildlife, history, and human resilience. Drawing from her career in marketing, animal care, and leadership development, LynnLee writes emotionally rich historical fiction that explores grief, courage, and conservation.
Her debut novel, Operation Okapi, intertwines two timelines — 1920s Congo and 1960s post-colonial unrest — centering on the okapi and the people who risk everything to protect it.
When she's not writing or leading the team at Tanganyika Wildlife Park, LynnLee mentors animal care professionals through her platform, Animals Amplified. She lives in the Midwest with her family, surrounded by animals, coffee mugs, and big ideas.
LynnLee Schmidt
LynnLee Schmidt is a zookeeper-turned-author whose work bridges wildlife, history, and human resilience. Drawing from her career in marketing, animal care, and leadership development, LynnLee writes emotionally rich historical fiction that explores grief, courage, and conservation.
Her debut novel, Operation Okapi, intertwines two timelines — 1920s Congo and 1960s post-colonial unrest — centering on the okapi and the people who risk everything to protect it.
When she's not writing or leading the team at Tanganyika Wildlife Park, LynnLee mentors animal care professionals through her platform, Animals Amplified. She lives in the Midwest with her family, surrounded by animals, coffee mugs, and big ideas.
Join the field notes.
Occasional updates on both books, zoo life, and
the animals behind the stories — no more than
once or twice a month.
© 2026 LynnLee Schmidt. All rights reserved.
© 2026 LynnLee Schmidt. All rights reserved.
© 2026 LynnLee Schmidt. All rights reserved.
© 2026 LynnLee Schmidt. All rights reserved.