Sometimes you have to leave behind everything you know to find the place you truly belong...
Nana the cat is on a road trip. He is not sure where he's going or why, but it means that he gets to sit in the front seat of a silver van with his beloved owner, Satoru. Side by side, they cruise around Japan through the changing seasons, visiting Satoru's old friends.
He meets Yoshimine, the brusque and unsentimental farmer for whom cats are just ratters; Sugi and Chikako, the warm-hearted couple who run a pet-friendly B&B; and Kosuke, the mournful husband whose cat-loving wife has just left him. There's even a very special dog who forces Nana to reassess his disdain for the canine species.
But what is the purpose of this road trip? And why is everyone so interested in Nana? Nana does not know and Satoru won't say. But when Nana finally works it out, his small heart will break...
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is a captivating narrative that takes us through the 200-million-year-long history of dinosaurs. Authored by Steve Brusatte, a renowned American paleontologist, this book draws on the latest scientific research to vividly recreate the world of the dinosaurs and shed light on their mysterious origins, their incredible diversity, and their abrupt extinction.
Brusatte's storytelling brings us closer to understanding the real story behind these magnificent creatures that once dominated our planet. We follow the evolution of dinosaurs from their humble beginnings as small creatures in the Triassic period to the dominant species we are familiar with, such as T. rex and Triceratops. The narrative doesn't end with their extinction; it also explores the living legacy of dinosaurs and their connection to modern birds.
Through his global expeditions, Brusatte shares fascinating discoveries and insights from what he calls 'a new golden age of discovery' in dinosaur research. His accounts include findings of primitive tyrannosaurs and giant carnivores that surpass the size of T. rex, as well as the significant feathered raptors from China.
This book is not just a tale of the past; it also resonates with the present, offering lessons as humanity faces a potential 'sixth extinction.' The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is an electrifying scientific history that will stand as a definitive account for years to come.
Mary Roach meets Bill Bryson in this uproarious tour of the basest instincts and biggest mysteries of the animal world. Humans have gone to the Moon and discovered the Higgs boson, but when it comes to understanding animals, we've still got a long way to go.
Whether we're seeing a viral video of romping baby pandas or a picture of penguins holding hands, it's hard for us not to project our own values—innocence, fidelity, temperance, hard work—onto animals. So you've probably never considered if moose get drunk, penguins cheat on their mates, or worker ants lay about. They do—and that's just for starters.
In The Truth About Animals, Lucy Cooke takes us on a worldwide journey to meet everyone from a Colombian hippo castrator to a Chinese panda porn peddler, all to lay bare the secret—and often hilarious—habits of the animal kingdom.
Charming and at times downright weird, this modern bestiary is perfect for anyone who has ever suspected that virtue might be unnatural.
"The first of my father's illusions was that bears could survive the life lived by human beings, and the second was that human beings could survive a life led in hotels." So says John Berry, son of a hapless dreamer, brother to a cadre of eccentric siblings, and chronicler of the lives lived, the loves experienced, the deaths met, and the myriad strange and wonderful times encountered by the family Berry. Hoteliers, pet-bear owners, friends of Freud (the animal trainer and vaudevillian, that is), and playthings of mad fate, they "dream on" in a funny, sad, outrageous, and moving novel by the remarkable author of A Prayer for Owen Meany and Last Night in Twisted River.
A universal, deeply moving exploration of grief and empathy
With its spare, poignant text and irresistibly sweet illustrations, The Rabbit Listened is a tender meditation on loss.
When something terrible happens, Taylor doesn't know where to turn. All the animals are sure they have the answer. The chicken wants to talk it out, but Taylor doesn't feel like chatting. The bear thinks Taylor should get angry, but that's not quite right either. One by one, the animals try to tell Taylor how to process this loss, and one by one they fail. Then the rabbit arrives. All the rabbit does is listen, which is just what Taylor needs.
Whether read in the wake of tragedy or as a primer for comforting others, this is a deeply moving and unforgettable story sure to soothe heartache of all sizes.