Book Review: The Animal Dialogues

Today I'll be reviewing my favorite christmas gift this year: The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild, by Craig Childs.

They say to never judge a book by its cover. But as you can see, the cover of this book is beautiful - and so to is its content. Each of the 40 "encounters" in this book is a seperate story and one need not read them in any particular order. If you're anactive outdoor traveller like me, this is highly advantageous. I read about Childs' thrilling stare-down with a mountain lion during an airport layover. I laughed at his description of running from a "mystery shadow" while huddled in my sleeping bag at Joshua Tree. I turned the pages, riveted by his arctic Grizzly encounter, as I sat on the beach waiting for the tide to drop.

This book is a great gift item and truly a must have for anyone that loves wild places and the wild creatures that inhabit them. Childs' writing style is eloquent yet personable and is so wonderfully descriptive that the reader is taken along through the deserts, mountains, and forests on all his adventures.