The grounds outside of the Selma-Dallas County Public Library were briefly transformed into a petting zoo on Wednesday morning as part of the library’s Sensational Summer Fun program.

“These kids get to spend the morning with all of these animals and afterwards have a popsicle,” said Selma-Dallas County Public Library Director Becky Nichols. “What could be better?”

Jenny Murphy, owner of Grace Petting Farm, brought a menagerie of animals for the children of the Selma-Dallas County area to interact with including a mule, an alpaca, a pony, baby goats, bunnies and a parakeet.

Murphy names her animals after characters from the Bible. For example, the alpaca’s name is Esther and the pony’s name is Elizabeth.

According to Murphy, sometimes the kids are afraid to pet the animals. In those cases she just encourages them to interact with them by showing them how soft and loving the creatures can be.

“It’s not every day you get to pet an alpaca,” she said.