Mother Nature

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

A surfeit of cuteness threatens to take over this book. If it is cuddly
or has big brown eyes, it is probably featured in this collection of 50
color plates of baby mammals.

The text, which the author admits is present only to supplement the
baby pictures, offers an informal look at parenting by mammals around
the world. Savage, a very accomplished writer and researcher, includes
many weird tidbits in prose that is light, lively, and very readable.

The photos are by various photographers, who are all accomplished at
portraying their subjects at their most adorable. The mammal babies are
all clean, well groomed, well nourished, and posed in lovely settings.
With the exception of a few birthing shots, this view of nature has more
to do with Disneyland than reality.

Both text and photos are very professionally produced; the attractive
book would be good for an hour of pleasurable browsing.