Beauty in the Beasts: True Stories of Animals Who Choose to Do Good
As the author of more than 200 articles about animals for publications such asWoman's Day,Parade,Glamour, and theLos Angeles Times, Kristin von Kreisler has become a well-known advocate for animals in the United States. InBeauty in the Beasts, she presents her belief that animals are capable of virtuousness. To prove her point, von Kreisler supplies hundreds of true stories of animals' doing good, each divided according to the virtue demonstrated: compassion, loyalty, courage, fortitude, resourcefulness, cooperation, generosity, sensitivity.Anyone who has ever shared space with a dog or cat will be familiar with the story of the dog who licks away his owner's tears and provides comfort. But what about the story of Vintage, the feral cat who'd bonded with a dog to such a degree that she provided milk for puppies when her own kittens had not survived birth? Dog lovers may get teary when reading of Maui, the Newfoundland who rescued two surfers in Corsica before drowning while trying to reach a third. Less common and less domesticated animals are no less noble. There is "a sensitive chicken named Sonya" who clucked and whirred while nuzzling a sad human friend, and Petunia, a pampered 400-pound pig who bravely chased an intruder away from her back door.  While science may scoff at von Kreisler's insistence on the reality of emotions in these animals, most readers will simply giggle, cry, and ultimately come away with a deeper appreciation for animals of all sorts.--Jill Lightner