REVIEWS BY AMY SCRIBNER
While the dog may hold the coveted title of man's best friend, there are plenty of other fascinating animals worth reading about, as we discovered while browsing through a swarm of new animal books out just in time for the holidays. Whether you're looking for a guide to household pet maintenance or information on more exotic critters (Madagascar day gecko, anyone?), these books offer something for every animal lover on your gift list.
A canine checkup
We all know people who are completely, sometimes compulsively, devoted to their pooches. The ones who let the dog sleep under the covers with them and actually encourage those sloppy doggie kisses. For the dog lover in your life, Betsy Brevitz's Hound Health is the go-to resource for keeping pups healthy and happy.
It's hard to imagine a canine question that isn't addressed in this well-organized, comprehensive guide. It covers everything from choosing the right breed for your lifestyle to dealing with bad doggie breath to avoiding plants and foods that could be poisonous.
The book includes helpful illustrations explaining common procedures such as cleaning a dog's ears or administering eyedrops. It also lists common ailments for different breeds and explains the symptoms and potential cost of such health problems. Hound Health takes the guesswork out of caring for any kind of dog.
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Equal time for cats
Those who aren't enamored with hounds can pick
up The Cat Fanciers' Association Complete Cat Book, edited by pet expert Mordecai Siegal. In addition to tips on caring for cats, this book delves into detailed descriptions of various feline breeds, from the standard Siamese and Persian, to lesser-known cats such as the Javanese and the Scottish Fold.
The Complete Cat Book's pictures and descriptions of various breeds reveal that cats are as varied in appearance and temperament as dogs. For example, the Selkirk Rex, a breed first found in Montana, sports a woolly, curly coat similar to that of a lamb. The Scottish Fold gets its name from its ears, which fold forward and downward.
The authors also devote ample space to describing the characteristics of a pedigreed cat and outlining the show process. This book is just right for the owner of any feline, whether it is show-quality or simply a beloved housecat.
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The allure of pigs
Okay, so maybe you don't know anyone whose true pet passion is the pig. That should not deter you from picking
up The Whole Hog: Exploring the Extraordinary Potential of Pigs, a lovely—yes, lovely—book from
the Smithsonian Institution.
This well-researched and beautifully illustrated volume is crammed with facts about pigs, from the domestic pink pig to more exotic varieties. Author Lyall Watson displays a charming enthusiasm for swine (his childhood pet was an orphaned warthog called Hoover in honor of his vast appetite), and the book is chock-full of his own pig anecdotes from decades as a zoologist.
Watson's love of this highly intelligent animal is contagious. "There is something cryptic about them," he writes, "a mystery waiting to be resolved, a sense of intellectual potential that will not be denied, no matter how hard some people try to relegate them to the farmyard as ignorant 'oinkers.' " Read this book and you'll never look at bacon the same way again.
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Wild things
If you'd rather walk on the wilder
side, The Encyclopedia of Animals: A Complete Visual Guide chronicles all six animal groups, with special attention paid to conservation efforts for endangered species. Every page includes lush photos and fascinating facts that lend to hours of browsing. One quick flip through the pages reveals that bats can fly at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour, and sperm whales have gullets large enough to swallow a human.
A gorgeous guide to the animal world, The Encyclopedia of Animals is comprehensive enough to use as a reference, and lively enough for children and adults alike to page through just for fun.
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In focus
Mammals of North America is the latest entry in the Kaufman Focus Guides series, launched to much acclaim last year with Kenn Kaufman's Birds of North America. This innovative nature series uses digitally enhanced photographs, rather than drawings, to help users identify each entry. The new guide, Mammals of North America, limits its scope to those wild mammals known to occur on our continent, and the result is a perfect gift for campers and avid outdoorsmen. With keys for recognizing every animal from the elk to the marmot, this user-friendly guide also includes a map of the area in which each animal is likely to live, as well as the size and appearance of the animals' tracks.
"For the most part, mammals are what we have in mind when we think about the thrill of seeing wild animals," Kaufman writes. "Let a fox or deer cross the path, let even a chipmunk approach the group, and it will become the center of attention. The mammal trumps everything else."
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Dinosaurs of the sea
What is it about sea turtles that make them so mysterious? Is it the laborious egg-laying process, in which thousands of females lumber up the beach to deposit their eggs? Is it their immense size? Their prehistoric roots?
According to author James R. Spotila, the director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at Drexel University, it is all of this and more. In Sea Turtles, he writes, "The seven species alive today are ancient reptiles—living dinosaurs if you will—swimming through our oceans just as they did one hundred million years ago."
Sea Turtles is a compelling look at these ancient creatures, which can live for decades and reach weights of up to 2,000 pounds. Spotila traces the history and life cycle of the sea turtle, as well as efforts to preserve the seven species, many of which have been hunted to the brink of extinction. Sea Turtles profiles several individuals and programs aimed at saving the turtle. Beautiful color photos and lyrical writing make this book a must-have for any nature enthusiast on your gift list.
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Amy Scribner is a writer in Olympia, Washington.
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