Kinship with the Animals

This book consists of thirty-four essays exploring the relationships humans have had with animals in past and present times. In addition to the editors, contributors include writers and animal experts Jane Goodall, Michael Fox, Gary Kowalski, Joseph Bruchac, Gabriel Horn, Ingrid Newkirk, Jim Nollman, Michael Roads, Penelope Smith, and Linda Tellington-Jones. There are four main types of relationships addressed in the anthology: scientific relationships, traditional relationships, changing relationships, and renewing ancient relationships.

From Jane Goodall speaking about how she came to devote her life to animals to the story of Tatti Wattles, the avante garde performing artist, who happened to be a rat, the stories in "Kinship with the Animals" describe animals as sentient beings capable of feelings and sophisticated thoughts. The editors have deliberately sought stories that expand the vocabulary of interspecies dialogue--stories that present diverse views of animal awareness, cognition, and communication.