Books for children who love animals

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 1993:

A Place for Grace, by Jean Davies Okimoto, illustrated by Doug
Keith. Sasquatch Books (1931 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA 98101), 1993, 36 pages,
hardcover $14.95.
The amazing Grace of this story is a small stray dog on the streets of San
Francisco, who aspires to become a guide dog, fails the height requirement, and becomes a
hearing dog instead with the aid of Charlie, an astute human. Children, who are always
finding themselves too small to do things, will readily identify with Grace and will love
Doug Keith’s gently funny illustrations. But A Place for Grace isn’t just a good dog story.
It’s also a quick introduction to the duties, requirements, and training of hearing dogs, who
usually are clever mongrels, and, somewhat as an afterthought, to the world of the deaf.
If A Place for Grace has a fault, it’s that it presumes too much prior knowledge of deaf cul-
ture on the part of the very young readers. “Signing” pops up with no explanation of what it
is, although the sign alphabet appears on the cover liner, and there is relatively little discus-
sion of the difficulties of functioning in mechanized society without hearing. Fortunately,
many children will infer the essentials from the art. A must for school libraries!

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BOOKS: Treasures from Townsend Publishing

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 1993:

Treasures from Townsend Publishing
(12 Greenleaf Drive, Exeter, NH 03833)
Nana’s Adoption Farm, by Tryntje Horn,
illus. by Dana Lacroix. 1992. Hardcover. $16.95.
Wintertime Cat, by Era Zistel. Paper. $5.95.
Orphan, by Era Zistel, illustrated
by Christine Knight Coombs. 1990. Paper. $11.95.
Christopher, by Era Zistel, illustrated by
Judee Donahue. 1991. Paper. $11.95.
Separate Lifetimes, by Irving Townsend.
1986 and 1990. Paper. $11.95.
The Less Expensive Spre a d, by Irving
Townsend. 1990. Paper. $11.95.

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BOOKS: Snakes

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 1993:

Snakes. By Erik D. Stoops and Annette T. Wright, Sterling Publishing (387 Park Ave.
South, New York, NY 10016), 1992, 80 pages, hardcover $14.95 US, $19.95 Canadian.
This gorgeously illustrated book will appeal to
the junior biologist in us all. Its question and
answer format addresses every aspect of snake
biology and behavior, with questions ranging
from basic to esoteric. Many questions could
only have originated in the curious minds of
young children: “Why do snakes get run over
so often?” for example, or “Do snakes ever
throw up?”

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BOOKS: Native American Animal Stories

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 1993:

Native American Animal Stories, told by Joseph Bruchac,
Fulcrum Publishing (350 Indiana St., Golden CO 80401, 800-992-2908), 1992, 135
pages, softcover $11.95.)
Every culture has stories to teach
children about the world and the creatures
in it. If these native American stories
occasionally evoke memories of the
Grimms’ Eastern European folktales, it’s
because their respective cultures had more
in common with each other than either has
with modern industrial society. Yet,
though we raise our children on myths of
science and technology, something about
fairy tales transcends time and culture to
fascinate each new generation.

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BOOKS: Sexual Strategies: How Females Choose Their Mates

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 1993:

Sexual Strategies: How Females
Choose Their Mates, by Mary Batten,
G.P. Putnam Sons (200 Madison Ave., New York, NY
10016), 1992, 248 pages, hardcover $21.95 US, $28.95
CN (ISBN 0-87477-705-4)
From the perspective of evolutionary biology,
everything in nature revolves around the struggle of genes
to survive and reproduce. During her years of researching
and writing nature documentaries, Mary Batten, presently
editor of The Calypso Log, noticed that while the scientific
establishment accepted most aspects of evolutionary biolo-
gy, it tended to ignore the often-documented role of female
choice in the evolution of species and societies.

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BOOKS: Paws For Thought: A Look at the Conflicts, Questions and Challenges of Animal Euthanasia

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 1993:

Paws For Thought: A Look at the Conflicts, Questions and Challenges of Animal Euthanasia
by B.J. Ellis. Paw Print Press (7509-I Garners Ferry Rd., Suite 164, Columbia, SC 29209), 1993, 137 pages, softcover $12.95.
Paws For Thought may be more divisive than it is
thought-provoking.
With a cursory introduction to the causes of pet
overpopulation, Ellis arrives at the anticlimactic conclu-
sion that, “Until there is a drastic improvement in the pet
overpopulation problem, a significant part of an animal
control officer’s job will involve destroying healthy ani-
mals. The effect is to put ordinary people under extraordi-
nary stress. They love animals, but have to kill them.
How unfair. How stressful.”

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New pocket (gopher and bat) books

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 1993:

Conversations With A Pocket Gopher
And Other Outspoken Neighbors. By Jack
Schaefer. Capra Press (PO Box 2068, Santa Barbara,
CA 93120), 1978, 1992, 126 pages, paper $8.95.
Originally published in Audubon magazine, the
seven tales collected here attempt to explain ecological situ-
ations from the perspectives of individual nonhuman beings.
The late author, best known for his Western novel Shane,
deserves credit for trying, though his style too often
becomes precious and archaic when he strives hardest for
enlightenment.

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BOOKS: Natural Healing for Dogs and Cats.

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 1993:

Natural Healing for Dogs and Cats. B y
Diane Stein, The Crossing Press (P.O. Box 1048,
Freedom, CA 95019; 800-777-1048), 1993, 186 pages,
paper $16.95.
One American in three resorts to alternative health
care methods for some ailments, the New England Journal
of Medicine reported in January. Recognizing the potential
value of some alternative treatments, the National Institutes
of Health recently formed an Office of Alternative
Medicine, with an initial budget of $2 million. Yet the
availability of similar therapies for companion animals has
received relatively little attention. Pat Lazarus raised the
possibility in her 1983 volume Keep Your Pet Healthy The
Natural Way, and a few alternative-oriented veterinarians
such as Richard Kearns have attracted faithful followings,
but perhaps because there are few health food stores for ani-
mals, interest has been comparatively slow to develop.

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