| Summary: |
When it  comes to family matters, do humans know best? Leading  animal behaviorist Dr. Jennifer Verdolin argues otherwise in this eye-opening  book. Welcome to the wild world of raising a family in the animal kingdom . .  . sometimes shocking, often ingenious! Every species  can surprise us: Chimps have a knack for minimizing temper tantrums, and owl  chicks have a remarkable gift for sharing. A prairie vole knows exactly when  his stressed-out partner needs a massage. And anyone who considers reptiles cold-blooded should consider the caecilian, a snakelike  animal from Kenya: After laying eggs, the mother grows a fatty layer of skin,  which her babies eat after hatching (not one of the  book's many lessons from the wild to be tried at home!). Along the way Verdolin challenges our often  counterproductive beliefs about what families ought to be like and how we  should feel. By finding common ground with our furry, feathered, and even  slimy cousins, we can gain new insight on what "natural" parenting really means-and perhaps do a better job of forgiving  ourselves for those days when we're only  human! |
