Survival in the Animal World

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.

Photos dominate in this big, colorful book. More than 400 color photos and about 100 colorful drawings, all with detailed captions, make the text almost superfluous.

The work discusses all the ways animals — and that includes birds, insects, reptiles, mammals, and fish — have found to avoid their enemies, find food and shelter, and assure that their species continues.

There is a section on camouflage, one on intimidating displays, another on animals using tools. Migration, pack behaviour, animal language, courtship rituals, nest building, protective coloring, physical adaptation, and dozens of similar topics are covered.

The brief text is light in tone, with an emphasis on the unique and the dramatic in the animal world. Animals from all countries are included. The many, many photos, although small in size, are all of excellent quality. Close-up details and vivid color are the common characteristics, yielding a National Geographic-level of quality.

The book is fun browsing for all ages and has information enough to satisfy an adult’s casual interest. It will be enthusiastically, repeatedly, thumbed by children in the eight-to-thirteen age group and would make a great introduction to the wonders of nature for any child old enough to read.