This is a collection of stories where the animals in the author’s life have trained him or taught him something instead of the other way around. His observations are sharp and entertaining. His stories illustrate unusual or  humorous ways that our human presumptions about our relationships with animals are flawed. The stories are organized loosely around events in the author’s life including his time in the Army when he was trained for nuclear missiles. His realizations about potential nuclear devastation seem an odd thing to include and the random timing of the stories is a bit confusing. Even so the strength of the stories themselves will be enjoyed by kids and adults who relate to animals.


Reviewed by Susan Plimpton