2024 Feb. Wild Winter

An engrossing and revealing study of why we deem certain animals "pests" and others not-from cats to rats, elephants to pigeons-and what this tells us about our own perceptions, beliefs, and actions, as well as our place in the natural world. A squirrel in the garden. A rat in the wall. A pigeon on the street. Humans have spent so much of our history drawing a hard line between human spaces and wild places. When animals pop up where we don't expect...

As a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home, but no matter where she was transplanted she was able to turn to our world's fierce and funny creatures for guidance. The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, she found that this was the way with wonder:...

When seeking to understand animals, context is key. Humans have a habit of viewing the animal kingdom through the prism of our own narrow existence. Zoologist and documentary filmmaker Lucy Cooke is fascinated by the myths people create about animals to fill in the gaps in our understanding, and how much they reveal about the mechanics of discovery and the people doing the discovering. In this book she has gathered together the biggest misconceptions...

Presents a revelatory exploration of the diverse emotional intelligence of animals as demonstrated in stories about loving pigs, cheating magpies, scheming roosters, and rats who regret bad choices. "Through vivid stories of devoted pigs, two-timing magpies, and scheming roosters, The Inner Life of Animals weaves Peter Wohlleben's wealth of personal experience observing nature in forests and fields with the latest scientific research into how animals...

"'There are so many benefits to learning how to communicate with animals. Love, trust, a spiritual connection that goes to the heart of the human-animal bond. Every time I listen to them, I learn about myself.' We seem to need animals in our disconnected lives more and more, yet we understand them less and less. [Here, ] bestselling author Jon Katz--who left his Manhattan life behind two decades ago for life on a farm where he is surrounded by dogs,...

"A rat will go out of its way to help a cold, wet stranger. Cockroaches pass down generational knowledge, hyenas form personal relationships with members of different species, and ants farm fungus in cooperatives. Why do we continue to believe that life in the animal kingdom is ruled by competition? Why do we believe that humans are special for their ability to live and work together, or worse, that human society is somehow "unnatural"? In The Social...

"Funny Farm is an inspiring and moving memoir of the author's turbulent life with 600 rescue animals. Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie's dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a 15-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey. Laurie had planned to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues-horses...

Joel Sartore's quest to photograph all the animal species under human care celebrates its 15th year with this glorious and heartwrenching collection of photographs. The animals featured in these pages are either destined for extinction or already extinct in the wild but still alive today, thanks to dedication of a heroic group committed to their continued survival. From the majestic Sumatran rhinoceros to the tiny Salt Creek tiger beetle, Sartore's...

"At the onset of World War II, [Billy] Williams formed Elephant Company and was instrumental in defeating the Japanese in Burma and saving refugees, including on his own 'Hannibal Trek,' [becoming] a media sensation during the war, telling reporters that the elephants did more for him than he was ever able to do for them"-- Provided by publisher.

"A debut novel for fans of Sarah Perry and Kate Morton: when a young woman is tasked with safeguarding a natural history collection as it is spirited out of London during World War II, she discovers her new manor home is a place of secrets and terror instead of protection"-- Provided by publisher.