Animal Science

Already a BBC documentary miniseries and excerpted in the Guardian, We Bought a Zoo is a profoundly moving portrait of an unforgettable family living in the most extraordinary circumstances. This touching memoir is set to be a major motion picture starring Scarlett Johansson and Matt Damon, in theaters December 23, 2011.

Blending fiction with fact, 50 Dinosaur Tales imagines the way 50 newly described dinosaurs from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous lived in their natural habitats. Also included is a list of fun facts for each dinosaur story and facts about 108 additional dinosaurs.

Find out all about scales and how they help snakes and other animals move, stay safe and survive. Discover how scales are different on different animals and how they change as snakes and reptiles grow up.

Why do millions of flamingoes flock together in Africa? Why do meerkats live in colonies? Animal groups have some fascinating behaviors. Discover the amazing bonds that keep animal groups together.

In this collection of stories from his life, Israeli veterinarian Dr. Yair Ben Ziony shares his fascinating experiences with animals that moo, bark, bay, and purr. His sensitive eye reveals the beauty and nuance in every situation, as he evinces empathy not only for his four-legged patients but also for their two-legged masters, who often prove as intriguing and unpredictable as their charges. Each tale - be it amusing, sad, shocking, or simply strange - gives the listener fresh insight into the intricacies of the human-animal relationship.

Our world runs on energy! But traditional fossil fuels are doing great damage to the environment, and they will eventually run out. How might solar, water, wind and geothermal power come to our rescue? Listeners can discover how different the world could look in the future with energy sources that are clean and renewable.

Running fast to save his life, Aldwyn ducks into an unusual pet store. Moments later Jack, a young wizard in training, comes in to choose a magical animal to be his familiar. Aldwyn's always been clever. But magical? Jack thinks so - and Aldwyn is happy to play along. He just has to convince the other familiars - the know-it-all blue jay Skylar and the friendly tree frog Gilbert - that he's the powerful cat he claims to be. Then the unthinkable happens. Jack and two other young wizards are captured by the evil queen of Vastia!

Are you ready to dive into the fulfilling world of backyard poultry? Your journey towards becoming a self-reliant, poultry-raising expert begins here. This comprehensive guide is your key to unlocking a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle, right in the comfort of your home.

In this book, Galaxy tells the poignant story of his 13-year relationship with a petite gray-and-white short-haired cat named Benny, and gives singular advice for living with, caring for, and loving the feline in your home. When Benny arrived in his life, Galaxy was a down-and-out rock musician with not too much more going on than a part-time job at an animal shelter and a drug problem. Benny's previous owner brought the cat to the shelter in a cardboard box to give him up.

Animals bring out the goodness, humanity, and optimism in people and speak directly to our souls. This joyous, inspiring, and entertaining Chicken Soup collection relates the unique bonds between animals and the people whose lives they've changed: such as the dolphins who helped a paralyzed woman heal when doctors offered little hope; the dog who brought life into a failing marriage; the kitten who helped a mother mourn; and the flying squirrel who taught a man the power of laughter.

Redwall Abbey, the peaceful home of a community of mice, slumbers in the warmth of a summer afternoon. The mice are preparing for a great Jubilee feast. But Cluny the evil, one-eyed rat warlord is advancing….

Born into the lowest class of an ancient hierarchical society, Flora 717 is a sanitation worker, an Untouchable, whose labour is at her ancient orchard hive’s command. As part of the collective, she is taught to accept, obey and serve. Altruism is the highest virtue, and worship of her beloved Queen, the only religion. Her society is governed by the priestess class, questions are forbidden and all thoughts belong to the Hive Mind. But Flora is not like other bees.

When a storm-tossed river sweeps Ripple away from the park he’s always known, he commits himself to the life of a peaceful loner. Still, as his new island home starts to become a sanctuary for other rogues, he can’t help but feel responsible for their safety, and for the community—and Clan—they are beginning to build. But when an old friend from the park resurfaces with terrible news just as the forest cats’ fights begin to escalate into bloodshed, the cat now known as Riverstar will have to decide which home he is truly committed to protecting: his new Clan or his old family.

In Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, the time has arrived for Max and her winged "Flock" to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of "Re-evolution", a sinister experiment to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race...and to terminate the rest. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel have always worked together to defeat the forces working against them—but can they save the world when they are torn apart, living in hiding and captivity, halfway across the globe from one another?

Bears have always held a central place in our collective memory, from Indigenous folklore and Greek mythology to nineteenth-century fairytales and the modern toy shop. But as humans and bears come into ever-closer contact, our relationship nears a tipping point. Today, most of the eight remaining bear species are threatened with extinction. Some, such as the panda bear and the polar bear, are icons of the natural world; others, such as the spectacled bear and the sloth bear, are far less known.

Rabies enjoys a fearsome and lurid reputation. Throughout the decades of spiraling growth that defined New York City from the 1840s to the 1910s, the bone-chilling cry of "Mad dog!" possessed the power to upend the ordinary routines and rhythms of urban life. In Mad Dogs and Other New Yorkers, Jessica Wang examines the history of this rare but dreaded affliction during a time of rapid urbanization.

Mortimer T. Flightdeck, Ratonaut and Future YouTube Sensation, has big plans for ratkind. A spot on the International Space Station (ISS) has opened up, and Mortimer, is not about to miss his chance to become an intergalactic space rat. And that's just the first step in his master plan to prove that rats are much better suited than humans for a future mission to Mars. He packs his camera and prepares to take to the internet with his evidence of rat superiority.

Vilaya the Sable Quean, her henchman Zwilt the Shade, and their savage cronies have set their sights on Redwall Abbey. Spiriting away one unlucky Redwall youngster after another, the vermin hope to weaken the abbey’s resolve and soften it for a takeover. But what Vilaya and Zwilt don’t know is someone else is headed toward the abbey. Buckler, Blademaster of the Long Patrol, is among the bravest hares ever to set foot in Mossflower Wood.

On September 6, 2007, an African Grey parrot named Alex died prematurely at age 31. His last words to his owner, Irene Pepperberg, were "You be good. I love you." What would normally be a quiet, very private event was, in Alex's case, headline news. Over the 30 years they had worked together, Alex and Irene had become famous - two pioneers who opened an unprecedented window into the hidden yet vast world of animal minds.

First published in 1908, The Wind in the Willows belongs to a golden age of children’s book. These charming tales of the riverbank, describing the adventures of Ratty, Mole, Badger, and their irrepressible but conceited friend, Toad of Toad Hall, have become classics loved as much, perhaps, by adults as by children.