Your Pets' Secret Lives

April 1, 2024
A guide to the secret meanings behind some of our pets' most curious behaviors. Ever wonder about your dog's butt-sniffing or poop-eating habits? Or why your cat blinks slowly at you and you feel the urge to slowly blink right back at her? Did you ever imagine that your tarantula, safely tucked in its terrarium, might really be anxious and afraid? Did you know that a male parakeet's future depends on its ability to learn its prospective mate's specific song? These questions (and many more) are answered in this detailed account of the fascinating biology and weird behavior of our non-human family members. In six sections broken down into brief, digestible chapters, Rice explains how dogs, cats, birds, fish, various small cage-dwelling mammals, and terrarium pets (including reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods) experience the world in different ways. Memorable facts combined with delightful, full-color spot art will sustain readers' interest. Four insightful interviews with a diverse group of researchers and experts interspersed throughout the text describe surprising breakthroughs and insights and different personal paths to careers in science. The author mixes humor with scientific data, delivering an entertaining and informative guide that will pique readers' interest in learning more about the animals we share our homes with. An engaging, fact-filled book that offers both laugh-out-loud and aha moments. (resources, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 8-11)

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May 1, 2024
Grades 2-5 Pets are key members of many children's lives, and this jaunty guide helps kids understand their furry, feathery, and scaly companions even better. The book is first organized into sections on common pets--dogs, cats, birds, fish, caged animals (bunnies, guinea pigs, etc.), and terrarium animals (snakes, tarantulas, etc.)--with topical chapters that focus on the different animal characteristics and behaviors that make us curious about (and fond of) them. In a humorous, conversational style, complemented by cartoon spot art, Rice explains such phenomena as why dogs message through pee (and how they align themselves with the north-south axis of the earth's magnetic field to poo), why some cats go gaga for catnip, and why a bearded dragon would need to change colors (plus how they do it). In interspersed interviews, scientists reveal more fascinating pet facts and explain how their curiosity led to studying their favorite animals. In a unique "But Wait! There's More!" bibliography, readers can find books to learn more about herpetologists, arachnologists, ornithologists, and other scientists who study animals.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.