Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Animal Dialogues:
Uncommon Encounters in the Wild

by Craig Childs



      Animal Dialogues is a collection of 37 brilliantly written essays of varying lengths. Most are reflections written about the author's personal encounters, covering topics from mosquitos to bears, from the Sonora Desert in Mexico to the Yukon River.

These essays are written with a unique understanding and respect for the animals encountered. There are many interesting bits of information: the birds flying into and out of the twin beams where the World Trade Center once stood; the mountain lion, which has become the animal most likely to make a meal of a human in North America; the coyote, which the more one kills, the more live coyotes one must contend with. Start shooting coyotes and the females start having more pups. The tip of a coyote's tail is black because it was the coyote who stole fire and brought it to humans. He stole it by thrusting his own tail into the fire, thus turning the end black.

These are only a few of the fascinating facts learned. The reader can get lost in these encounters with nature if he cannot experience the same in person. The stories are well told and are fun, educational and delightful to read.

This could be an addition to a reading list in any school curriculum.

The Book

Little Brown and Company
Dec 2007
Hardcover
031606632X / 97803160066327
Nonfiction / Nature / Animals
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
NOTE:

The Reviewer

Barbara Buhrer
Reviewed 2008
NOTE:
© 2008 MyShelf.com