More Backyard Zoo

Family enthusiasm for Daniel's backyard zoo is wearing thin. When a great horned owl is captured and offered as a donation, Daniel's father replies (with more than a little mockery), "That's the last straw! All we have in this madhouse now is fourteen skunks, four raccoons, a dozen opossums, two porcupines, assorted snakes, a parrot and a greenhouse full of fish.” (Not to mention a number of part-time residents including a vulture, a tarantula named Katherine Hepburn, and an elusive and crafty rat!)

Told with Daniel Mannix's eye for the awe-inspiring buried in the mundane, the stories about his expanding zoo rock with levity, astonishing observations, compassion and wisdom. As Daniel Mannix adds new animals to his zoo, he also takes the reader on a journey through a local fish hatchery filled with the wonders of tropical plants, unusual aquariums, and fascinating new importations, as well as an introduction to falconry, the search and capture of a live alligator, and a nerve-wracking rattlesnake hunt that will leave the reader avoiding sun-baked rocks and listening warily for every rustle in the leaves.

Rarely does a sequel match the wonder of the first book. More Backyard Zoo is an exception. Highly recommended for children and adults alike. Sit down and read the stories aloud. Your family will howl with delight.