HICKORY, N.C. — A kindergarten teacher in Hickory says it's important for students to see real-life pictures of animals, not just illustrations in fiction books.

When now-kindergarten teacher and writer Jennie Handy was in seventh grade, a teacher told her she would never finish school. 

“I had had a few bad experiences, and I wanted to give back to the kids what I didn’t get," Handy said. 

Not only did she succeed in school, she's had a successful 27 years as a kindergarten teacher. 

“It's just so rewarding when you see the children, just like yesterday was 'dress like who you want to be when you grow up,' and two of my girls came dressed like me. That makes it worthwhile," Handy said. 

Handy's students aren't the only passion in her life. She is a huge fan of "Hart to Hart," a popular 1980s show featuring actress Stephanie Powers. 

Powers leads the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, aimed at conservation work in Kenya. 

"They do a lot. They serve like 11,000 children a year," Handy said. 

Handy decided to put her two passions together and published a book, "A-Z in the Wildlife of the World," which has real-life pictures of animals not illustrations. 

“When you read a book like this, and they see the real animal, they’re like this, they’re amazed!" Handy said. 

She says children love to see the real pictures of animals, and some students will never see them in real life or even at the zoo, and it was important for her to bring that to her students. 

"A lot of them spend too much time on electronic devices, and they need more real-life experiences," she said. 

She plans to publish more books, the next one, "A-Z Animals on the Farm." Powers invited Handy to her birthday party in Hollywood, and they have even become friends.