Book Recommendation丨Journeys into the Lives and Wisdom of Animals

In the hustle and bustle of the world, animals quietly narrate the legends of life. Their emotions and wisdom shine like stars in the vast sky of nature. As words build bridges, we embark on a journey: first, using the key of science to unlock the secrets of behavior; then, following the lens into the wilderness to see how they survive in adversity; and finally, at the intersection of humans and animals, feeling that tender yet firm bond. This reading list invites you to gaze into the eyes of all living beings and listen to their heartbeat.

PART 1

Animal Behavior and the Mysteries of Nature

Love and Sex: The Animal Kingdom

Call Number: QL761 W36 2022 CN

With clarity and humor, this book reveals the secrets behind animal reproduction, showcasing the ingenuity and instinct that guide every mating game. From the mating artistry of insects to the courtship dances of birds, from the breeding strategies of marine life to the parenting skills of mammals, every page offers astonishing new facts that leave readers in awe. 

The Bird Way

Call Number: QL698.3 A25 2023 CN

From a cultural and philosophical perspective, this book unravels the profound meanings behind bird behavior. In ancient mythology, birds were seen as messengers of the gods, bearing mysterious powers and messages. In the poets’ verses, they become vessels of emotion, expressing endless longing and the yearning for freedom. Through this book, we gain a spiritual understanding of the noble place birds hold in human culture and experience the cultural richness and spiritual strength they embody.

The Gospel of the Eels

Call Number: QL637.9.A5 S94 2020 CN

A pilgrimage spanning thousands of miles. European eels leave freshwater rivers, brave countless perils, and navigate to the Sargasso Sea to spawn. Through black, fathomless oceans they glide against complex currents and relentless predators, guided only by instinct and sheer tenacity. The book unveils their unique physiology and humankind's tireless quest to understand one of nature's last great mysteries.

Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

Ebook -Search via DISCOVER

World-renowned primatologist De Waal tells us through decades of research: animals are far smarter than we imagined. The book documents astonishing cases such as crows manufacturing tools, elephants recognizing human language, and octopuses using coconut shells as shelters, thoroughly overturning the cognitive bias of 'anthropocentrism.' With first-hand research materials, de Waal demonstrates how the animal cognition revolution has overthrown traditional behaviorism. This book is both a philosophical meditation on the boundaries of mind and a profound tribute to the equal value of all life.

  PART 2

Animals Fighting For Survival In Nature 

The Seabird's Cry

Call Number: QL678.52 N53 2020 CN

Over the ocean, seabirds face an ever-harder struggle to survive. Pollution renders them homeless; climate change depletes their food; vanishing habitats force them into exile. An albatross may travel thousands of miles for one meal, only to die from swallowing a scrap of plastic; a puffin fights through gales to shield its chick. This book sounds an urgent alarm for marine conservation and lets us hear the seabirds' desperate cry.

Owls of the Eastern Ice 

Call Number: QL696.S83 S53 2022 CN

On the far-flung ice fields, owls enact their survival sagas. Snowy owls, ghost-like hunters, pinpoint prey beneath deep snow with razor-sharp hearing; great grey owls guard nests and chicks against brutal storms. These elusive creatures carve out life in the bitter cold, writing poems of solitude and resilience while showing us how fragile---and unique---the polar ecosystem truly is.

The Peregrine

Call Number: QL696.F34 B35 2023 CN

A feast for the eyes and the soul. The author spends long months tracking peregrines across desolate landscapes. They ride the sky, each stoop a perfect marriage of judgment and power. In every hunt they display unmatched skill---and an indomitable will to live. Their story lets us witness the tenacity and fierce grace of nature's aerial masters.

The Genius of Birds

Call Number: QL698.3 A34 2019 CN

Following The Bird Way, Ackerman once again employs her signature "art grounded in solid science" to take us on a global quest for the "ultimate bird brain." Ravens can remember 5,000 food cache locations; homing pigeons possess navigation abilities that surpass GPS; bowerbirds demonstrate astonishing aesthetic sensibilities... Drawing upon dimensions such as tool manufacture, communication, song, spatiotemporal perception, and environmental adaptation, this book offers a comprehensive showcase of the depth and breadth of avian cognitive capabilities.

 PART 3 

Heart-Warming Tales of Humans and Animals

The Animal Dialogues 

Call Number: QL151 C45 2022 CN

Open the book and step into a sanctuary of kindness. An injured duckling meets a rescuer with eyes wide and wet; an old hound, in the dusk of life, still longs for the road home; a family of stray cats huddles in a chilly basement, sharing the only warmth they have. These stories glow like winter sun, illuminating the vivid inner worlds of animals and letting us rediscover the deep ties that bind us.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Call Number: SF613.H44 H47 2015 CN

Enter the English countryside, where a country vet heals with gentle hands. A loyal sheepdog, though feverish, refuses to abandon its flock; a mother ewe, wracked by a difficult birth, still fixes her eyes on the lamb she has yet to meet. These creatures prove, again and again, that emotion and spirit are not the sole property of humankind. In the quiet fields, they write legends of warmth.

       The journeys of animals unfold like epic poems, waiting for us to listen and to feel. May these stories become new starting points for your own exploration. In resonance with other lives, may you rediscover the tenacity and beauty of existence, draw strength for the road ahead, and---together with the wild world---write the next luminous chapter in the story of Earth.

Content | CAI Yuedong
Layout | CAI Yuedong
Review | GU Mengmeng & HU Linxiao