Beastly Brains: Exploring How Animals Think, Talk, and Feel

Gr 7 Up--Calling all animal lovers! Whether students are working on a report or looking for a browsable title, this volume is just the ticket. Castaldo presents current research on how a variety of creatures, such as dolphins, dogs, elephants, and more, communicate, problem solve, feel, etc. The information is conveyed in an enticing way that is sure to spark the interest of aspiring naturalists and researchers. The extensive back matter elevates this work above other wild kingdom--related compendiums. VERDICT A fascinating take on animal science for tween and teen zoologists.--Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego

Castaldo (The Story of Seeds) presents a thought-provoking look at the minds and perceptions of animals, as well as the way human understanding of the subject has evolved, as she describes a series of studies designed to examine cognition in animals. On "Monkey Island"--off the coast of Puerto Rico--researchers observed how monkeys exhibited humanlike tendencies when a form of "currency" was introduced into their community; dolphins have been shown to recognize themselves in mirrors; and dogs have displayed signs of jealousy in experiments. Castaldo makes the science behind the studies clear, particularly the moral ramifications with regard to human treatment of animals: "The issue is no longer accepting that animals think: it's now the challenge of figuring out how they think and what we will do with that information." Ages 12-up. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (Feb.)