Mammals Books

This is the most heart-warming and beautiful book! Tugs at your heart strings while filling you with love, joy, compassion, tenderness and respect. Your heart just opens right up as you feel for these magnificent creatures. I was afraid to read this book at first. Thought that it would hurt too much. I visited EFRC's website online, fell in love with each featured feline and then read their histories. My family visited the facility (Exotic Feline Rescue Center) last year and it was one of the most powerful, touching and profound experiences of my life. I bought the book there and read it in the car all the way home from Indiana to North Carolina!

The book is well written and the pictures are beautiful. Gift yourself this book.

I've been getting more aware of the plight of abandoned, neglected and abused big cats in the last year. It's an issue that deserves more attention and support. McCloud's photos prove a picture is worth a thousand words over and over. These big cats, being cats, are proud, dignified and graceful even in their captive plight. And they are the lucky ones! This book is a wonderful way of getting the message out. There are more of his photos you can link to from the ERFC website: www.exoticfelinerescuecenter.org too. Many of those beg for yet another book!
This book will bring you the mixed feelings of awe at the cats beauty and sorrow for what we humans have done to them.

The book does the Exotic Feline Rescue Center justice. Stephen has captured the animals through wonderful photography. My granddaughter loved the center and enjoys the book.

This is a wonderful overview of the Exotic Feline Rescue Center. Stephen McCloud has obviously fallen in love with the cats at the center and it shows. There are SO many animals that have fallen victim to the exotic pet trade...the Feline Rescue Center provides a safe haven for some of the lucky ones, that now call it home. This book provides an intimate look at some of the rescues living at the center and allows the reader to look at the cats on a more personal level. The exotic pet trade is a HUGE problem in our world today and only with the help of people like Mr. McCloud educating people through photographs and information on their plight, will more people get involved and raise the necessary funds to end the vicious cycle. Wild animals belong in the WILD, not behind bars or in canned hunts for trophies. The Exotic Feline Rescue Center provides as close to a natural environment that is able for these poor cats forced to live in captivity. Stephen McCloud does a wonderful job with stories backed up by fabulous pictures.

If you love big cats like I do this is the ultimate book. Filled with striking photographs and heart-wrenching-yet-uplifting stories, I was flooded with emotion as I read. Lots of emotions. This is not an easy read, especially when confronted with stories of people abusing these majectic animals or forcing them to travel en masse in the back of a Volkswagon van... but these lions, tigers, cheetahs, panthers and lynx have all been very fortunate to be part of this book. The photos are as beautiful as they are intimate and it's like the photographer has actually captured a tiny bit of each cat's personality. BUY THIS BOOK.

Most classics enjoy a broad audience, and maintain their popularity through the years because they are so fantastic. Other classics are no less fantastic, but for some reason never attained the iconic status that they deserve. This is that kind of classic, a quiet classic which is little-known, but still has that special ability to impact those who read it.

This book tells the life story of Tarka the Otter, who is born in the Devon countryside and faces the struggles that all otters must endure as they grow up, mate, and grow old. Tarka is the main character of the book, but the author refuses to anthropomorphize him, instead bringing us into an utterly realistic world of life, death, joy and loss, without pretending that otters can actually speak in anything approximating a human language.

I've read other books that purport to show us the life of an animal in this way, but none of them bear the richness of detail and the feeling of authenticity that come with this novel. The author has such an intimate understanding of the particulars of Tarka's life that we are drawn into his world with a stunning immediacy. Every feature of the land is known from the ground up; every bend in the creek is lovingly described. The way that the land and the various organisms that populate it interact creates a breathtaking tapestry of life that puts most other nature writers to shame.

The language, particularly the language used to describe the natural settings, is rich and exotic, making us appreciate the wonders of an unremarkable countryside setting in a new way. No matter how well read you are, this book will throw new words at you, and enrich your vocabulary. Turning to a random page, I see references to "a sandy rabbit-bury," the "slot of deer," an "old dismated ketch," and "the frore air." What a wealth of words, and yet the unfamiliarity doesn't prevent us from enjoying every poetic sentence.

If you like to read about animals or appreciate nature, this is a book that will speak to you more profoundly and more eloquently than Thoreau, and which will allow you to appreciate the wonders of nature even moreso than the books of Bernd Heinrich.

If you devote a little time to reading this book, you'll be rewarded out of all proportion to your investment.

I really loved this book. It really did a wonderful job of showing how joyful Tarka's life was, and how, even when he was hunted, his life was still joyful. I highly recommend this book!

This book is quite possibly the best novel about nature ever written. It's gorgeous and epic, not a kid's book by any means. This was T.E. Lawrence's favorite book, by the way, and there is more wonder, beauty, and realism in any one paragraph than in most books you'll ever see

Tarka the Otter is written very descriptively, from an otter's point of view. It's similar to Watership Down, but Tarka's thought is much less anthropomorphized than that of the characters in Watership Down. You'll find this book quite sad in places, perhaps even upsettingly so, because of the realistic (and unfair) interactions Tarka and others have with English hunters and their dogs a few times (such is life). If you cried at the end of Where the Red Fern Grows, beware. If you are unfamiliar with the endearing antics of members of the weasel family, you are in for an educational and fun treat. Perhaps you'll run out and get a ferret after this.

My mom bought me this book when I was ten I immediately thought it was going to be a good book as it had a charming front cover showing an innocent looking otter. Tarka is a sweet young otter and the book is like his life story in a way his life is like a human's . He is born ,he grows up,he loves he loses and he dies. The discription of him and his surroundings create a vivid picture in the readers mind. It really is a charming story and I would recommend this to anyone who loves animals and/or reading.

We bought this book because we love, "Way out West Live a Coyote Named Frank". Another great book!

The main characters in Two Cool Coyotes are Frank, Angelina, and Larry. The author of this fictional book is Jillian Lund.
In the beginning, two coyotes named Frank and Angelina are the best of friends. They raced each other in the desert. They howled to each other. Frank and Angelina also howled at the moon together. In the middle, Angelina tells Frank that she is moving. Frank cried the whole next day. Read the rest to find out what happens next. I recommend this book to anyone who likes happy books. This book has a motto make new friends but keep the old.

I love this book - along with Way Out West. I have given it to my nephews/niece and two grandsons. All of them loved the stories - along with the artwork. There just aren't enough nice things to be said, but I can't imagine any kid's library being complete without having these books in it! By the way, I bought the hard-bound copies for myself!

Jillian Lund's creative prose and illustrations are pure genius! Two Cool Coyotes and Way Out West Lives A Coyote Named Frank are must-haves for any childrens library! Our children learned to read between the ages of three and four years old. Lund's books were the icing on our reading cake, adventuresome and colorful, great text variety with simplistic recognizable words mixed with more difficult vocabulary builders. The print is perfect size, the story is gentle friendship from the heart, illustrations are such an adorable part of the adventure...just awesome! With a personal collection of over 300 childrens books, Lund's are first pick every time. We are California ranching tradition family and plea to Jillian for MORE, MORE, MORE Coyotes!

This book is a real hit with all the kids and adults I have shared it with. The pictures are so cute! I use the book in my high school art classes to show kids great design and storytelling.

You read this book and discover your true nature and how you fit in this world. Never have I felt that close to nature...

No more discussion about the abuses of chimpanzees in abstract terms. Peterson goes out to find out what specifically happens to specific chimpanzees and tracks their lives usually to their grim end. Dr. Goodall, the world's foremost expert on free chimapanzees contrasts Peterson with her insightful understanding which over thirty years of intimate knowledge of these great apes has given her. Sharing more than 98% of our genes with the chimpanzee and all of the cognitive and emotional similarities that go along with that, we need to rethink how we treat our closest living relative.

This brilliant, understated book exposes a terrible injustice in the United States, corporate medicine's aggressive attempts to undermine the Endangered Species Act and CITES for their personal gain. Like so many embattled exploiters, they have responded to criticism and revelations with mud-slinging campaigns and lies, such as NIMH's estimate that they needed 200-300 chimpanezees a year to continue research vital to human health. At the same time, NIMH had access to more than 100 chimps, and was only able to find uses for 25 of them.

Goodall has taken the productive path: honesty without invective or confrontation. This has allowed her to accomplish small but significant changes, but they are far too small and far too trivial. It would be nice if Dr. Robert Gallo would agree to be locked into a 5x5x7 cage, with a grate at the bottom so he would not find himself smeared with all his feces, but nothing to protect him from the blowflies his stench would draw. Welcome to medical research.

Human beings have a history of declaring those it would exploit to be "lesser creations": Jews, Negros, Indians, Gypsies, the harmless primates we have nearly exterminated. When the "lesser creations" are human, they can speak out to protest, and they are heard. Someone else must speak for the chimpanzees mutilated in research labs, the orangutans brutalized to entertain Las Vegas drunks, the gorillas slaughtered so their children can be confined in zoos.

The next time you see *The Tempest,* imagine Caliban turning on Prospero, with his complacent human superiority, and speaking the extraordinary and powerful words of Shylock: "Hath not a beast eyes? Pricked do we not bleed?" Animals are bleeding to make your mascara safe. Read this book, look long at the orphaned chimp huddled in one of the photos, and then look in the mirror.

No more discussion about the abuses of chimpanzees in abstract terms. Peterson goes out to find what specifically happens to specific chimpanzees and tracks their lives usually to their grim end. Dr. Goodall, the world's foremost expert on free chimapanzees contrasts Peterson with her insightful understanding which over thirty years of intimate knowledge of these great apes has given her. Sharing more than 98% of our genes with the chimpanzee and all of the cognitive and emotional similarities that go along with that, we need to rethink how we treat our closest living relative.

Certainly the most influencial book I've ever read - it led to my pursuing a degree, becoming a vegan, and an animal rights activist. And a better person. The tales of misery endured by these brethren of our are a very difficult read for those who have the capacity to care selflessly about all life, but gives the reader a very genuine sencse of what they suffer at the hands of humans who would do anything to make money and enhance their careers. Visions of Caliban is a very sobering experience, and it's very difficult at points to read beyond a couple of pages, because the reality of what these horribly unfortunate beings is truly sadenning. If everyone read this book, chimpanzee research would come to a very sudden conclusion. Read this Book!

This book is amazing in several aspects! The photography itself is breathtaking and not only includes the polar bear as subject - but also it's habitat,(and the other species that share it)with it's seasonal changes. The photography itself increases in incredibility when you stop to think of the ardous task of photographing this beautiful animal without disrupting it's daily life; it's almost as if the polar bears are performing and posing on cue! The photographer brings this process to life in the journal-like entries. This book is appropriate for all ages as it does not exhibit any frightening scenes and only sparse vague descriptive dialog of feedings. Several of the photos are alternately touching and amusing. I hope this book can serve as a wakeup call in preserving this vanishing amazing animal!

Anyone who appreciates photography and has a love for wildlife will want to buy this book. I ordered it right after my return from Churchill, Manitoba, where a lot of the pictures were taken. I had seen it while in Churchill at close to $50.00. It is absolutely fabulous, and I am extremely jealous of mine. It just makes me want to go back again and again to see those incredible creatures once more.

Norbert Rosing's gorgeous full-page polar bear photos capture the world of the Far North like no other, appearing in an oversized presentation to properly display the full-page color photos and polar bear information. Here are seasonal shots accompanied by a lively text melding personal observation and experience with natural history fact. Sure to be a popular browsing choice for any public lending library with patrons interested in bears or wildlife, "The World of the Polar Bear" is a highly recommended acquisition.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book is beautiful. It is all about Polar Bears up-close and personal. It's a keeper for sure.

This is is a beautiful coffee tableThis is a beautiful coffee table book that is under-serviced by its photos online. The quality of the pictures, text and even the manufacturing are excellent. It makes for an amazing gift for anyone who appreciates Polar Bears, Nature or even art books in general.

A true story of two people, their wolf-dog and their amazing adventures with wild wolves in Canada's far north tundra and frozen ocean.
Helen Thayer, a recipient of many awards and honored by the White House, is a veteran world wide explorer over many years. She and her husband explore the world's remote places seeking material to add to their highly successful educational programs which I and fellow educators nationwide use in classrooms.
Her writing and lectures have inspired people of all ages in many countries. I had the pleasure of meeting this dynamic 66 year old, five feet two inch woman after she spoke at a national corporate convention in Florida.
This is a true life experience of living among wild wolf packs in which Charlie, her Inuit dog who once saved her life from a polar bear attack, is the story's star. Just as POLAR DREAM was, this new book is well written with vivid description that takes you on this remarkable journey. This very different approach to wolf study is a welcome addition to our knowledge of these animals. We see the close relationship of many species of animals sharing wild wolf habitat, and at times depending on each other.
Her first book, POLAR DREAM, tells of her adventure with Charlie when she became the first woman to walk alone pulling her own sled without dog teams or snowmobiles to the Magnetic North Pole.
This exciting story and THREE AMONG THE WOLVES are on the same informative, page turning level. The observation of wild wolf family life, their ability to adjust their survival skills, the raising of the pups and even the concern over an injured family member show close observation and remarkable intuitive understanding of wolf behavior. Of course beloved part-wolf Charlie is the reason for the success of the year long project as the author readily acknowledges.
The story is fast moving and flows smoothly from one chapter to the next. Also beautifully descriptive, compassionate and in places humerous. The numerous photos add to the account. A valuable addition to the story are the descriptions of the various animals the Thayers' encountered who share wolf habitat. An excellent addition to anyones book shelf.

This book is my second literary experience with Helen Thayer and her dog Charlie following her 2002 book "Polar Dream," in which the pair join together as Ms. Thayer became the first woman (and oldest person at 50) to walk and ski solo (not counting Charlie) to the Magnetic North Pole. In this adventure her husband Bill joins the pair as they spend a year living with wolves in the wild above the Arctic Circle. It's easy to see why the National Geographic Society/National Public Radio has named Ms. Thayer one of the great explorers of the 20th Century. Her stamina and perseverance are phenomenal. The trio infiltrates the Richardson Mountains in Canada's Yukon Territory in search of the greatest villains in all of children's literature. After struggling through most difficult terrains, they come upon a family of wolves and spend months living in a tent within the animals' sight studying the social interplay of these beasts. Completing this phase of their adventure, they sadly leave this family and trek further north into the shifting and dangerous ice of Beaufort Sea to discover the wintertime interplay between wolves and polar bears, considered by many to be the most dangerous of all wild animals. After this near-death adventure, they ski back to the Mackenzie Delta and set up housekeeping next to another group of wolves. The hardships and danger the three faces on a daily basis are amazing to contemplate. The payoff from this book is two-fold. First, the scientific data discovered for the first time. But maybe more importantly is the realization that these creatures are truly magnificent and caring individuals, and anyone who reads this book with an open mind will forever despise hunters who slaughter entire packs by shooting them from low flying airplanes. Ms. Thayer makes it crystal clear that wolves deserve to be part of the world community. There is a bit of repetition in the book. I only need to be told once that the northern lights are called aurora borealis or that animals burrow under the snow were it is a few degrees warmer than above. But that's nit picking. There is also repetition in the telling of their studies, but that captures the flavor of their scientific existence, so is acceptable. To enhance this telling, dozens of pictures taken during this adventure are sprinkled throughout. All outdoorsmen, naturalists, and animal lovers will treasure this book.

I collect books about wolves. This book is different with a new perspective both fascinating and informative.The author, explorer Helen Thayer,her explorer husband, and their Inuit dog Charlie of the best selling book, "Polar Dream" fame,(the author's book about her first ever by a woman to walk alone to the magnetic North Pole)lived a year with wild wolves above the Arctic Circle summer and winter. The author tells us "it would have been impossible without Charlie.He was the bridge we needed to cross the gap that allowed us to live alongside wolves and share their lives."
Charlie, part wolf, was quickly accepted. His human pack was accepted shortly afterward. The affectionate nature of wolves, their interaction with other animal species, even polar bears, that's not well documented elsewhere, is truly enlightening. The escapades of the mishievious pups are adorable as is their care and teaching by the adults.
The amusing episodes, the highly emotional times and the valuable information makes this book a winner. Beautifully written, vivid description, allows the reader to share this amazing and unique experience.
The reader soon knows each wolf, its personality, and its role in family life as if the reader were right there with the author.
A true winner in wolf literature.

Enjoyed this book very much. A touching story about the very misunderstood lives of wolves. Highly recommend this book if you care at all about wildlife and adventure living.

This book was incredible, and is definantly my favorite non-fiction book. This book is great for anyone who has a slight intrest in nature. It helps if you think wolves are awesome as I do.

I thought all this time that seeking old fossil material in some hot dry place would be boring but this book took away that idea. Its really entertaining, besides being full of facts about the part of Africa where we might have started being human.
I would recommend it to any one who wants to chuckle and learn at the same time...

The geology is a bit daunting, but the book is quite readable for anyone with a smattering of earth science background.

The inside poop on competing researchers is funny as hell. Kalb shows SOME restraint in detailing Johanson's efforts to block his (Kalb's) access to the Afar, more restraint than was called for if Kalb's claims are true...

Insights into the politics and history of Ethiopia abound.

Great stuff overall. Well written.

Kalb takes a subject which could be as dry as old bones in a desert and makes it living and fresh. He combines real life drama with an informative tour of the competitive worlds of geology and anthropology. A fellow member of the Texas Coalition of Authors told me, "He is the personification of Indiana Jones."

I have read many books and many soon become a weariness of the flesh (Ecclesiastes 12:12) but not this one. It is fascinating reading; informative and entertaining.

Wow! If you like science, this book has it all. Kalb gives a serious accounting of plate tectonics, geology, anthropology, paleoanthropology and politics. Both the politics of Ethiopia and of hominid anthropology.
This is the second book that I have read where Don Johanson, discoverer of the Lucy fossil, is lambasted. I am beginning to believe that Johanson left alot of people in his wake, including Kalb, on his way to fame and fortune. Kalb even gives details of Johanson's marijuana smoking exploits. Scandalous!
It is Kalb who worked behind the scenes to elucidate the geology of the Afar region of Africa and set the stage for the advancement of many discoveries in the field of paleoanthropology. And he did it while dodging the bullets of a communist revolution! Kalb survives even though he is suspected of being a CIA operative planted in Ethiopia under the guise of his scientific mission. Kalb suspects that it was his falling out with Johanson that caused this little tidbit of doubt to be planted in the minds of the Ethiopian government. Kalb spends alot of effort over a few years fighting this charge, but he eventually loses and is expelled from Ethiopia.
Kalb's story includes his sometimes angst ridden dealings with the Ethiopian government, who it seems are caught in the middle of a struggle of competing groups to exert dominance over the rich fossil beds of the Afar triangle. The struggle is not just between competing organizations of American science, but also between the Americans and a French team that comes close to stealing the show.
The only flaw in the book is the way that Kalb weaves the recent history of Ethiopia into the book. That could have been a book in and of itself. Kalb is best when discussing geology and anthropology. The Ethiopian revolution and subsequent war with Somalia and Eritrea is distracting to the reader. Kalb's first hand journalist account of the struggles of the Ethiopian government is superb, but it would have stood on it's own. Kalb tried to write two books in one and almost pulled it off.
One of the reasons why I read this genre of books is that it always offers surprises. One of Kalb's characters, Doug Cramer, assists in creating a couple of interesting fireside stories. Cramer taught Anatomy at NYU medical school. As an alumnus of NYU medical school, I remember Cramer well. We used to call him "The Viking" for his looks and demeanor. Cramer used to tell us that he was a "pastist", and now, twenty-five years later I understand what he meant. I am sure that Kalb could easily have written a book solely dealing with Cramer's antics.
This is a must read for any armchair paleoanthropologists like myself. I am now inspired to read "Lucy" again given all the information I have about Johanson. The book was a page turner for me and I think that you will enjoy it.
Thank you, Jon Kalb, for your contribution to paleoanthropology. I hope that you can get back to Ethiopia to make some of the discoveries that you say will eventually be unearth there.

This is a book about exploring for humanoid fossils in the Afar Depression of Ethiopia from 1967 to 1976 during the overthrow of the Haile Selassie government and the beginning of the Derg--Mengistu Marxist regime. Rare indeed is the book that gives a good sense of the ambience along with immense readability. It is mostly about the geology and anthropology of the Ethiopian Rift Valley, but anyone interested in science will find this book fascinating because it is really a story about "doing" science: the fun, the people, the jealousies, ambitions, dirty pool, and and an exceedingly fine discussion of why the digging and excitement occurs in Ethiopia.

This book must have caused its publishers agonies of indecision. It doesn't fit usual categories: It is a personal memoir; an account of Ethiopian history; an overview of the geology of the rift valleys and a thorough discussion of the activities of anthropologists searching for human ancestors along with explanations of how they know where to look for these goodies. the whole thing is interspersed with amusing and exciting anecdotes. The geology part of this book is as fascinating as anything you are likely to read. Partly this is because the Afar Triangle is such a formidable place, parts of which are among the lowest and hottest areas on earth. But don't think that this is a geology text book--far from it. I could say a whole lot more in favor of this book, but you get the idea that I think it is superior--well worth a good look.

The orangutan has been seen as a loner, wandering a forest that offers just enough food to pay the cost of collecting it. But this may be because homo sapiens have liked to farm where orangutans could afford to congregate. Schaik found a swamp where orangutans still congregated.

Just by itself, this book will tell you things about orangutans - the 'other' surviving not-humans - that no one knew until very recently. If you read this before or after reading "The Red Ape: Orangutans and Human Origins" by Jeffrey H. Schwartz (which points out that morphologically, humans and are orangs are very close, and the genetic evidence is not really as solid and cross-referenced as you might have thought) you might find yourself immune to all arguments by analogy with chimp behavior for quite some time.

I have always been interested in the rather rarified air of evolution theory, not because I don't believe it, but it ironically demands a leap of faith because there are so many gaps in getting humans from having ancestors who crawled out of the ooze many millions of years ago to putting a man on the moon. van Schaik has invested an amazing amount of time in looking at our ape cousins, in conditions that would make most people just give up and go home to watch chimps and other apes in the comfort of their offices instead of slogging through armpit deep swamps for hours day after day to observe our cousins in their natural habitats.
van Schaik is owed a great amount of gratitude for his extraordinary contributions to making observations in unbelievable conditions and drawing some real observations about orangutan behavior and its possible parallels with human development.
Unlike some primatologists such as DeWaal, he actually has observations and conclusions that connect some dots in a logical way instead of silly extrapolations into political conclusions that are so superficial as to be laughable.
My hat goes off to a great contributor to real research and advancing our knowledge of our fellow apes.
This is really a great book.

Homo sylvestris (man of the forest) is now placed cladistically at a farther remove from Homo sapiens than chimpanzees or gorillas, having been genetically isolated for 6 to 7 million years, and geographically isolated in two populations for perhaps 150,000 years. Author Carel van Schaik considers these two populations - on Sumatra and on Borneo - as distinct species, and concentrates on the fascinating life-styles of the Sumatran Pongo abelii. The text is based on patient and sometimes perilous field observation of the orangutans in the environment of swampy forest to which they are supremely adapted. Fossils are mentioned, but this is not a book of archaelogy. Thus it's enlivened by stunning photos of living pongids at home, climbing, eating, playing and seemingly having fun, and... using tools! building structures! activities only barely credited to chimps and previously assumed to be human-only behavior.

Is this a book about human evolution, as the subtitle suggests? Not really. Author van Schaik modestly and non-dogmatically suggests that the orangutans have a culture of learned behaviors which facilitates their survival, and that at some early moment of human evolution, "our" behaviors must have been similarly rudimentary yet remarkable. Is that suggestion even debatable? To me, it seems obviously so, though many details remain to be uncovered. At what stage of hominid evolution did such cultural behaviors appear? Van Schaik posits "convergent" evolution of primate social behaviors and technologies, and argues that such cultural adaptations have not been constant, but rather have been learned, lost, reinvented, etc. according to environmental pressures. The Sumatran orangutans, by observation, employ more such social and cultural strategies for subsistence than their "kin" on Borneo.

A beautiful love affair, this book is! Indeed the 'red apes' are beautiful beings, whose idyllic existence is threatened by their insatiable cousins, us. Almost every book of field observation by any naturalist these days ends with the same sad sermon. Just as "we" are learning to appreciate and understand the cultures of our kindred species, and to learn about ourselves from them, we are threatening to bring them to extinction. Honestly, I find myself tempted to don a cape, snatch up my ray-gun, and volunteer as a super-hero game warden to protect the dwindling habitat of the the Sumatran pongos from the international market-place in kitschy hardwood furniture. In my dreams...

This book flows quite beautifully, from the general biology of orangutans and their habitat to theories about the development of their culture. Van Schiak does not try to anthropomorphize the apes, but instead takes a reasoned view of their lives and shows that they do in fact have certain varying traditions and methods of tool use. Through it all, van Schiak explains his methodology and reasoning quite clearly.

It really is truly amazing how similar we are to the apes. Even one difference van Schiak points out, the presence of infanticide in Orangutan groups, bears an uncanny resemblance to our own Shakespearean past (Hamlet, for one). Yet, at the end, van Schiak is sure to point out those traits which are uniquely human.

A great read for ape-lovers or culture behaviorists.

About 14 million years ago, an African ape with a penchant for solitude strolled eastwards. Her descendents became the "red apes" of Borneo and Sumatra - the orang utan. Unlike their African cousins, orang utans don't regularly form troops or "gangs". As isolated forest wanderers, they are immensely difficult to study, especially compared to mountain gorillas or chimpanzees. Their isolation has led to more myths than facts about them - until Carel Van Schaik began reporting his findings. This book summarises his work in a stunning presentation of narrative and images. More importantly, it overturns many false ideas of how orang utans fit in the primate lineage. Our lineage.

Spending seven years in a swampy jungle brought van Schaik into intimate contact with orang utans. He discovered novel behaviour and unexpected talents. Among the most surprising revelations was the use of tools. Orang utans are at least as adept as gorillas with tools. There is clear planning in the selection and application of tools. Twigs as tools are made "oversize" before actual use, trimmed to the proper dimension before applying them. There are several fruits requiring special tools for seed retrieval, and photographs show a variety of shapes and lengths. Unlike chimps, however, orang utan tools are manipulated ["lipulated?"] with the mouth more than the hands. Van Schaik and his photographer, Perry van Duijnhoven, depict the tools and their owners with superb images.

With fewer predators to cope with [outside of humans, of course], the Red Ape has followed a different path from its African cousin. Gorillas, too, live on fruits and leaves, but remain ground dwellers. Chimpanzees run in organised troops, while the orang utan's social structure is more flexible. Orang utan young remain with the parents for years, providing many opportunities for parental training. The culture of orang utans must be learned anew with each generation, van Schaik stresses. The intelligence is there to absorb the education, and the habits aren't ingrained. Nest making is symptomatic, with the young building their construction skills over time. Early nests are ramshackle, and during inclement weather, a young ape may shift from his own nest to her mother's for better shelter. Nor is all this behaviour universal. Van Schaik notes the variations among populations he observed.

"Culture", of course, is a term humans wish to retain for their sole use. Van Schaik devotes a chapter to demolishing that restrictive view. He also expands the role of "symbolism", another shibboleth of cultural anthropology. We've restricted the application of "symbolism" to exclude other primates. The structure of orang utan society, he says, demonstrates how symbols are used for identification and communication. This isn't limited to physical artefacts, but may be found in vocalisations and other manifestations of individuality. He explains how training the young imparts cultural and social norms, something humans have limited to their own realm. The five great ape species exhibit vast differences in many aspects, but, van Schaik argues, that only demonstrates that ape intelligence has been utilised appropriately for each species. The intelligence was already there. It was adapted to provide the necessary behaviour for its environment. Ours was adapted most extensively. One aspect of that adaptation is that our species is threatening the existence of the other four. In particular, the Red Apes of Indonesia are being subjected to severe threat. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

What a great book. Not only is it a very cute fable, but my 5-year-old loves being able to surprise his Italian Nana with the Italian phrases he's learned. We first read this as a library loaner, but my son was so reluctant to return it that we had to buy our own copy.

This is a wonderful book for children, ages 5 to 8, to learn how to believe in their own power.

And quite frankly, it might not be a bad idea for adults to read, and think about the things that they want out of life.

Brava! Andiamo portrays the Italian culture with gusto. The artwork is sunkissed and the character jump from the page with a story of friendship and self-esteem. I work as a children's book editor in Rome. Alessia Giovana

In the rolling Tuscan countryside a piccola crow goes into business with a wily weasel. And therein begins the story of Andiamo, Weasel! by Rose Marie Grant and illustrated by Jon Goodell, ($15.95 Alfred A. Knopf.)

This charmingly illustrated children's book is perfect for youngsters of all ages, meaning the grown-ups who read it to the children will enjoy the tale and the telling as much as the little ones. Grown ups reading aloud may even break in to the song "Funiculi, funicula!" more than once!

Youngsters accustomed to hearing parents and grandparents split their speech with words from the old country will feel right at home in this fable. Consider that all the speaking parts in this fable belong to the animals, and they all live in Italy, of course, they'll sprinkle their exchanges with a bit of Italian. (Won't the grown ups delight in translating for the little ones!)

Even the rooster, who only has one word says it in Italian, "Chicchirichi!" Frankly, we've never heard a rooster crow in another language, but if they did, we're sure this is how they'd sound in Italian. (It's that willing-suspension-of-disbelief-thing, we ARE talking about a fable here!) But the best part of that rooster's cameo word is hearing Mom or Dad or a grandparent bringing the word to life, or life to the word and lighting up a child's face.

As the glossary at end of Andiamo, Weasel! explains, piccola is small. So the crow is small and needs the help of the weasel, who ends up being prodded by the title (Andiamo, Weasel!) and rarely succumbs to work after the corn crop is sown while they merrily sing "Funiculi, funicula!"

This fable works on many levels, one of which for the children reading it is to learn that hard work will be rewarded, and that even though they might be small, or piccola, they probably are much stronger than they realize and should stand up for what's right.

As interesting and fun as is the story, I could see reading this aloud and pausing to point out the rich detail capturing the Tuscan farm country. The piccolo crow wears a flower in her straw hat; the weasel wears a neckerchief (as if he could just as easily hold up the next stage coach!) that he later wears around his broken leg when there is work to be done. In the menacing rain corn husks like vipers whirl in the wind under dark clouds.

The piccolo crow enlists the help of a wolf to frighten the weasel into doing the right thing. The wolf could have been drawn to be more scary and imposing a figure - but let's not upset the friends of the wolves in the world. And the tenor frightened off the bandstand by the piccolo crow - why was he a fat, balding man with a handlebar mustache? Ooh fah!

But these minor points are no reason that you shouldn't run out now and buy a copy of Andiamo, Weasel! for every tot you know, from 1 to 101 years old. It's the stuff of which memories are made.

Andiamo, Weasel is a work of pure genious. Parents and children alike will laugh and learn valuable leasons about life and how persaverance ultimately pays off. Crow and Weasel team up to plant and harvest a corn crop but when it comes time for the real work, that lazy Weasel comes up lame. See how Crow overcomes adversity and solves the challenges we all face on our journey through life, friendship, and the rewards both can bring. The Italian country side coupled with timeless Neopolitan expressions adds a delicious flavor for the new young reader.

My knowledge of English just isn't good enough to do justice to this artist and this book. Robert Bateman translated into paintings all the enchantment I have felt for nature since I was a child. Wish I was much younger to try to follow his footsteps!! Marvellous book!

To see a Robert Bateman work is to glimpse a moment in Nature's time when an elk treks across a vast winter landscape of snow, conifers & mountains; or a stream bank where tender green plants glow against the moist earth & a minute bird perches; or a trumpeting bull elephant confronts you in a storm of dust. Roger Tory Peterson has written an expressive introduction & Ramsay Derry's profile of the artist makes good reading - especially as he's included a history of who Robert Bateman is; where he's lived; several works-in-progress sketches; photos of the artist in action & on location. A worthy addition to your library.

This book, together with "The World of Robert Bateman" is one of the best wildlife art books ever published, and truly shows Bateman at his best. The later collections (especially the very last ones) don't even come close to the beauty of the paintings in these two books. In most paintings the animal is just one character, sometimes not even the main one, while the landscape and the surroundings (depicted in marvelous and maddening detail) almost always plays a central role. Here Bateman shows to be a master of the techniques he uses, and creates pictures of stunning beauty who truly come to life. Both books are highly highly recommended if you life "realistic" wildlife art.

I have 3 Bateman books all are special ,a book for everyone to enjoy

THE ART OF ROBERT BATEMAN appears in its 25th anniversary edition to include text by Ramsay Derry and an introduction by noted ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson himself as it provides a stunning blend of full-page color wildlife images and accompanying artist profile. This was the artist's first book and cemented his career: its re-appearance is perfect for collections who either don't have the original or find their lending copies worn.