The Truth about Animals

by Lucy Cooke

[Beth C.]

Animals are glorious - there is such variety among us all, and yet sometimes, that variety is not seen as a positive. As Lucy Cooke points out in her book - creatures like the sloth and the bat, and even the panda are not what we assume them to be. And in every case, they are better.

This book is a wild ride. Cooke gets into the past studies of these animals, and includes drawings that are...hideous? Weird? Crazy? In most cases, all of the above. So little understanding, and so much myth has accompanied the hippo and the penguin. There are crazy sex tales (penguins are not generally monogamous), strange facts (the hippo's closest relative is...the whale), and bizarre stories of competitions between early scientists (who would be the first to create a humanzee). Yet Cooke also gives us plenty of actual facts about these amazing creatures, and shows how each is special and unique and deserves its place. She makes a valid point that we cannot afford to continue making mistakes with our wildlife - or we will no longer have them.

Overall, this was simply a fascinating book. There were parts that had me laughing, and others where I'm pretty sure my eyes about popped out of my sockets. Parts where I wanted to slap some of those old scientists, and others where I was just in awe about the amazing creatures we have on this earth. Those same creatures that we take for granted or ridicule based on our own perspective - without realizing just how perfect they are for *what* they are. Cooke has shown them for what they are - amazing, bizarre, and special - and worthy of our time and our respect.