A Barnyard Bestiary

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Where would people be without cows, geese, horses, turkeys, chickens,
sheep, goats, dogs, and donkeys? Usually overshadowed by their wild
cousins, domesticated animals rarely get the credit they deserve,
considering the fact that most humans still depend on them for food and
clothing. This lovely book is a tribute to domestic animals, who have
served humanity for centuries, and sometimes millennia. Although the
animals profiled are still quite common, most of the species in this
book (such as the Highland Cow, the Onagadori chicken, the Jacob sheep,
and the Blonde Mangalitza Pig) are now quite exotic.

Award-winning author David Bouchard has written more than a dozen books
on a wide variety of subjects, most bestsellers. For this volume he has
teamed up with illustrator Kimball Allen, whose artwork is breathtaking.
Allen’s paintings combine nearly photographic realism with amusing and
imaginative visual perspectives. The reader is pushed snout-to-snout
with a tusk-faced hog or left withering under the disdainful gaze of a
trio of ostriches from an ankle-high point of view. In lyrical free
verse, Bouchard discusses the history of each animal and how it has been
used—and abused—by humans. This combination of gorgeous artwork and
thoughtful verse will be a sure hit with readers of all ages. Highly
recommended.