A Walk in the Animal Kingdom: Essays on Animals Wild and Tame

ANIMALS ARE EVERYWHERE IN OUR LIVES. We follow them into the wild, we invite them into our homes, they inhabit our dreams, mythologies, folklores, and popular cultures. What is this powerful bond? Why are we so fascinated with animals of every kind? And why has our relationship with them always been riddled with such complexity and contradiction?

A Walk in the Animal Kingdom explores the world of animals with the inquisitiveness, depth, and gentle humor that readers across the globe have come to expect from the acclaimed author-artist team of Jerry Dennis and Glenn Wolff. The book is an inquiry into animals of the world, their astonishing diversity and abundance; their mating habits, defensive strategies, and other behaviors; their extraordinary senses of sight, hearing, and smell. It is also an exploration of our profound connection with them, from the joys they inspire and the fears they arouse, to their prominence in our lives as pets, team mascots, and embodiments of wild nature-and the paradox that allows us to battle to protect certain species while ignoring others that are disappearing at a rate perhaps unequaled in the history of our planet.

Like the previous collaborations of Dennis and Wolff, A Walk in the Animal Kingdom is certain to become a classic among books about nature-its wonders, its complexities, and our place in it.

PRAISE:

"This writer-artist team shines a bright and lovely light on nature." -Los Angeles Times

"Charming...informative...humorous...This wonderfully illustrated book will make heroes of parents and teachers, who will be able to explain nature's magic and the superstitions surrounding it." -El Paso Times

"Vastly entertaining, valuable... Makes natural history so much fun the reader is sucked from paragraph to paragraph, page to page, chapter to chapter." -St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"A perfect choice for adults and kids alike who want to discover more about how the world is put together... entertaining and fact-filled." -Houston Post

"As leaves fall and the sky becomes more noticeable, you're likely to look towards the heavens and wonder at their mysteries...Author Jerry Dennis and illustrator Glenn Wolff address the questions with intelligence, wit and artistry." -Atlanta Constitution

"A delightful book, both readable and informative-like the best of Hal Borland and Edwin Way Teale...You've many hours of pleasure waiting with It's Raining Frogs and Fishes." -Richmond Times-Dispatch

"With text that mesmerizes, drawings that enchant...this book calls you to hold it open before you." -The Oakland Press

Jerry Dennis's books, including the national bestsellers It's Raining Frogs and Fishes and The Living Great Lakes, have won numerous awards, have been translated into six languages, and are beloved by readers around the world. His essays on nature and the outdoors have appeared in The New York Times, Smithsonian, Audubon, Orion, and many other publications. Visit him at www.jerrydennis.net.

Glenn Wolff has illustrated more than 30 books, as well as hundreds of articles and essays in such publications as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Village Voice, Audubon, and Wildlife Conservation Magazine. His mixed-media fine art has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and Canada and is included in many private and public collections. More on his work can be found at www.glennwolff.com.