A Is for Animals: True Stories about the Emotional Lives of Animals

Svetlana Alexander's short stories for all ages are tales about animals from around the world: the winged dwellers of the Arenberg Castle Park in Belgium-geese, ducks, and swans whose lives are worthy of the grandest novels; dogs and cats in Siberia living through difficult times of unfledged, ugly capitalism; amazing cats-an explorer, a hunter, and Machiavellian feline manipulator residing on American soil; a genius parrot with a phenomenal vocabulary and a taste for Russian poetry; intelligent sushi fishes in Japan, and a dog admonishing humans, in her open letter, to treat non-human animals with due respect. Svetlana's stories are both heartwarming and heartbreaking, reminiscent of Dostoevsky's. Her poetic style, vivid imagery, and wry humor thread the entire collection, making indifference impossible for any reader. This little book will be a gift to read and reread for years to come. It has nine illustrations, most of which represent the animal characters depicted in the book.