Animal Miracles: Inspirational and Heroic True Stories
YA-The Steigers, coauthors of a great many popular works on a wide variety of outre subjects ranging from angels to UFO abductions, focus on latter-day animals as heroic (and perhaps angelic) beings. They begin with the story of Brando, a mumbling macaw who had never spoken an intelligible word until he suddenly came out with a clear and urgent "Help me! Somebody please help me!" (thereby alerting his householders to the plight of an injured man). The book then offers 50 brief anecdotes that tell of amazing and seemingly miraculous animal feats. Since many of these selections were sent to the authors by readers of their previous books, they reflect a variety of spiritual traditions. A similar diversity is shown among the animal heroes, which include not just cats, dogs, and dolphins but also crows, a potbellied pig, one very large and one very small sea turtle working in tandem, sea lions, and even a rat in a coal mine. After about 175 edifying pages that describe deliverances from such dangers as fire, drowning, sharks, and unreasoning fear, the Steigers touch very lightly upon a number of related topics including the health benefits of pets, pet ghosts, and animal ESP. Satisfactory and enjoyable browsing material for teens and ESL readers.Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VACopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.