Jenkins, Steve. Animals By The Numbers.

Jenkins, Steve.  Animals By The Numbers.  Houghton Mifflin  2016  48p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-544-63092-5         all ages  Nonfiction  E-BN              

This is a very detailed, easy-to-understand, and clearly organized book for any library that deals in any way with questions about animals. The book will entice any animal lover for hours. Researchers will be able to find some graphics to explain their reports.
Highly recommended for any age.     

Summary: A book of infographics, with facts, figures, and comparisons of animals displayed in colorful infographics to easily explain the data.           

Animals                                                                                                                       —Linda McNeil

Hobbs, Valerie. Wolf.

Hobbs, Valerie.  Wolf.  Macmillan/Farrar Strauss      2014  117p  $15.99  ISBN 978-0-374-31575-7  elem/ms  Animals  E-BN      

“Jack, the border collie, has finally found a home and a purpose on a farm.”  He doesn’t want to disappoint Luke, but can an old dog learn new tricks and save the farm from a marauding wolf?  Jack and Luke are a pair. Both of them have finally found a home in which they feel secure.  Luke is in charge of managing the sheep for Olaf and Katrin.  Jack is in charge of training the upcoming crop of border collies. (Jackie, a two-year-old female, proves to be a discipline challenge.)  The family attends the local sheep herding trials in which Jack had excelled in the past only to lose the title this year.

Strange deaths take some of the sheep.  Jack discovers the culprit is a rabid wolf.  In a memorable story Jack, Luke, and others work together to eliminate the threat to the sheep in the neighboring farms.

Readers will immediately connect with Jack and his concern about being able to do his job on the farm.  They will also learn that farms survive because neighbors help neighbors, as everyone works together for a successful conclusion.           

Summary: “Jack, the border collie, has finally found a home and a purpose on a farm.”  He doesn’t want to disappoint Luke, but can an old dog learn new tricks and save the farm from a marauding wolf? 

Dog stories, Adventure-Fiction                                    --Linda McNeil

Kelley, Jane. The Desperate Adventures of Zeno & Alya.

Kelley, Jane.  The Desperate Adventures of Zeno & Alya.     Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends  2013  201p  $15.99  ISBN 978-1-250-02348-3       ms  Animals  E-BN   

When his master dies, Zeno, an African gray parrot, gets loose.  Zeno knows 127 words and is totally domesticated.  He flies around New York City looking for food, shelter, and a new “servant” (parrot-talk for “master”).  At the same time, Alya, who has leukemia, has almost given up.  She needs a friend desperately.  This is a story of frustration and persevering in spite of the setbacks.  Zeno tries his best to be understood by humans and to make his needs known, often with unsuccessful results, but he keeps trying.  Alya is frustrated that she can’t do the things she used to do and loves to do.  Her family does its best to help, but it isn’t enough.

 

This title often brings tears to the reader’s eye, but it is never maudlin or depressing.  It is about loss and cancer, but not about worry and defeat.   Instead it is a testament to the spirit of overcoming adversity and perseverance.

The story will hold the reader from the first page to the last, with the reader rooting for both Zena and Alya all the way through.  It will be enjoyed by readers from about age ten on up.  Adults will see it as a triumph of spirit.

Summary: An African gray parrot, Zeno, is on the loose and looking for a friend to take care of him.  Alya has leukemia and desperately needs a friend and a reason to keep living.  A perfect match, if it can only happen.           

Parrots-Fiction, Animal stories                                   --Joan Theal

Orozco, Rebeca. It’s Our Nature.

Orozco, Rebeca.   It’s Our Nature.  Tundra Books  24p   $14.99    978-1-77049-283-7 2012  elem  E-BN        Science    

This is a delightful exploration of the character traits that the animal kingdom supposedly shares with humanity -- altruism, a sense of community, generosity, responsibility, trust, commitment, solidarity, brotherhood and tolerance.  While recognizing that this is a book about animals and their communities, what it really is to me is a beautiful and delightful book about humanity’s best traits ... the core values that make us better people.  Using some of the most interesting creatures found in the animal kingdom, the author really explains and explores these values to her readers.  Every person in the world should read this book, to recall the better part of themselves, or, if it is lost, to reclaim it.  The simply rendered illustrations fully enhance the text – this is anthropomorphism at its literary best.  Librarians, parents and grandparents will love reading this book to youngsters, and I’m certain that youngsters will love listening and eventually reading the book themselves.  It’s Our Nature is the kind of book that moves forward in the generations of a family.  Love it!        

Animals                                                     --Lynn Fisher

Urbigkit, Cat. The Guardian Team.

Urbigkit, Cat.      The Guardian Team.         Boyd's Mills Press            32p         $16.95  978-1-59078-770-0          2012      elm/ms                 E-BN                                          

This beautifully illustrated volume chronicles the partnership between an orphan burro and a pup as they become the guardians of a herd of orphaned lambs.     It is a delightful companion to Urbigkit’s Brave Dogs, Gentle Dogs: How They Guard Sheep.  This story begins with Roo, a year-old burro who became separated from her mother and the herd.  Adopted by a Wyoming rancher, she was paired with Rena, the runt of a litter of pups.  Together they became the guardian animals for a small herd of orphaned lambs.  Every aspect of this book works harmoniously with the others.  The photos are beautiful, and the growing relationship between the burro, the dog, and the sheep is a wonderful and heart-warming story.  As an informational picture book, this one cannot miss.  It is a delight for both the eyes and the mind. 

The author provides a note about the story, as well as bibliographical references.        

Livestock protection animals                                                                                                                      --Pat Naismith