~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Title:  When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Elephants

Author: Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson

Synopsis: ”From dancing squirrels to bashful gorillas to spiteful killer whales, Masson and coauthor Susan McCarthy bring forth fascinating anecdotes and illuminating insights that offer powerful proof of the existence of animal emotion. Chapters on love, joy, anger, fear, shame, compassion, and loneliness are framed by a provocative re-evaluation of how we treat animals, from hunting and eating them to scientific experimentation. Forming a complete and compelling picture of the inner lives of animals,When Elephants Weep assures that we will never look at animals in the same way again.” 

ISBN: 0385314280 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 My Review:

Every pet owner will admit to committing anthropomorphism – ascribing human emotions to animals – on a daily basis; I know I sure do!  We can see that our dog feels happy, that our cat feels playful, or that our turtle feels content; most people do not deny that non-human animals share some basic human emotions.  However, in the scientific community, committing anthropomorphism is essentially looked upon as a sin.

In When Elephants Weep, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson challenges people – scientists, researchers, and non-scientists alike – to come to terms with the fact that animals do seem to have emotions.  Focusing on the basic human emotions people are most able to relate to, such as joy, love, anger, fear, shame, etc., this book provides compelling examples of non-human animals portraying and experiencing emotions much like people do.  Some of these anecdotes that Masson provides as he argues that animals do have emotions and feelings include: the love shown in animals who mate for life, the fear evident in the animals’ eyes during dangerous encounters, and the sorrow they feel when one of their kind passes away.

Included with the examples are scholarly explanations from biologists, ethologists, and animal behaviorists of the emotions animals have been seen portraying.  Masson’s theory that animals do experience emotions is backed up by some of the leading people whom have dedicated their lives to studying animals.  While he gives detailed examples, and convinces the reader of his point, he is not biased in any way.  He also provides anecdotes and opinions from acclaimed scientists and researchers whom do not believe animals can feel emotions, and through this, he allows the reader to keep an open mind.

When Elephants Weep is one of those books that you continue to think about long after you have read it.  Granted, I am an animal lover so my opinions toward this book may be a little biased.  However, this is not just a book for those with passions for animals; this is also a book for those simply curious about emotions and how those emotions affect every living thing, and also for those wishing to dive into a world known little by humans.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Purchase it at Amazon.com here: When Elephants Weep

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Has anyone read this book?  If yes, what was your take on it?  If not, do you plan on reading it?  Let us know in the comment section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Note: The synopsis was taken from Goodreads.com.  The review above is written by me.  © Kalie Lyn 2011*

By: Michael Morpurgo

Age: 8 and up

Rating:****1/2 (out of 5)

Review: This story is what I consider a sad action story. Back on his farm, Joey has his boy Albert to protect him and old Zoey (the other farm horse) to keep him company. Then, Albert’s father sells Joey to the war to get some money to help keep the farm. During the war he has many riders/caretakers that are shot, captured, or just pushed out of his life. Meanwhile, Albert grows old enough to join the war, so he joins the veterinary clinic in hopes of one day finding his Joey. After the war though, the men are forced to sell the horses to the people of the country, and after finding his Joey, Albert does not want to let him go. Unfortunately, he has no choice, the horse has to be sold. I think the thing I liked most about the layout of this story is the fact that the author wrote it as if Joey was telling the story which I think made it more exciting.

The Huffington Post: These 7 Adorable Animals are in Danger

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I absolutely adore Jane Goodall, so to read about other heroes like her is definitely heartwarming.

This book is going on my TBR list, and I beg you to please check it out and consider reading it yourself!

Happy Monday All!

The pages of the book follow Fergus Frog from his lillypad with his sisters and brothers, all the way through the countryside and back to a lillypad with a new frog – this one with a flower on her head. It’s interesting that it’s sort of the lifecycle of the frog, from birth to adventure to settling down.

As he gets older, I imagine that Max will love the brightly drawn illustrations in the book, even though they kind of put me off as being a little gross. When the eyes belong to the dairy cow, the veins of the eyes are featured and pretty much creep me out. It definitely strikes me as a ‘boy’ picture book.

In the end, it’s great for Max’s motor skills as he tries to move the eyes himself, and the animals are silly enough to keep his attention – which is tough when you’re dealing with a 10 month old!

Fergus Frog deserves 3 snacks:

A detail from the animal book! I want to make sure I’m still posting things even though there’s a larger project going on. Also, tomorrow starts off a new 30 Day Drawing Challenge that I’m going to be making a character challenge. Expect the worse. Thank you so much for looking, follow me on Twitter @necenarro, I’m soon going to be giving a small free print away to any Twitter followers!

The holiday was crazy, but I’m trying to focus up and get back into the swing of working. My head seems fuzzy to get into it, but here’s another detail from the animal book I’m working on. Details will be all I show until it’s finished for now. Thanks for looking!

This is a detail of a small animal book I’m working on. Small book with animals, not just animals that are small! I feel like a lot of my time has been focused on completing this project and haven’t been posting too much, so I wanted to post some of it. Thanks for looking I’ll put up a couple other details from other pages over the next week or so.

My kids love animals. We take trips to the zoo, buy animal books, sing animal songs, visit petting zoos and more… anything related to animals will keep my children happy and busy.

I have all kinds of  animal music CDs, all kinds of farm animal DVDs, all kinds of books and stickers.

So I decided to take advantage of the fact that they like farm animals to practice their Spanish as well.

Here is a nice DVD in SPANISH that you can buy for your children to practice their SPANISH.  “Animales del la Granja” – “Farm Animals”

Watch the Demo:

You can buy the DVD at Amazon,  at this link:

Click here to buy the DVD “Farm Animals – Animales de la Granja” at Amazon.

You can also visit the website:  www.ninossabios.com

If you are interested in the songbook and CD with music in Spanish: “Aprende Español Cantando”  from this collection, go to these links:

Music CD : “Aprende Español Cantando” – “Learn Spanish by Singing” : Spanish popular songs!

Click here to buy the Music CD at Amazon

Songbook in Spanish: “Aprende Cantando” – “Learn by Singing”

Click here to buy the SongBook at Amazon

And if you are looking for animal print themes, this is another good website to find some for your kids: t-shirts, mugs, cups, iPhone covers, etc.

http://www.cafepress.com/ninossabiosanimalprint/8168684

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I have painted this blue sky painting for the back image of my coming Panda book looking the sky of San Francisco from my window.

Here is how I painted this sky.
Click the images to see larger images.

1. paint sky base	2. draw out lines of the clouds with the shadow color	3. add white
4. blending	with soft fine brush	after blending
5. add high light	6. blend again	finish!

"Okin the Panda Bear Finds his Family"
is coming with this blue sky painting in the beginning
of October 2011! Please stay tuned~*

Now consider the chicken on your plate. There’s a good chance it never saw the sun or sky but was jammed in some dark coop stinking of ammonia. It may have spent much of its short life in piles of manure because its weak legs could barely support its freakishly plumped body. In the end, it was snatched up, crated, hung upside down and beheaded.

Both fates are gruesome. But really, which abused chicken suffered less: the one involved in an illegal activity or the one that was part of a common — albeit increasingly criticized — agricultural practice?

Hal Herzog doesn’t approve of either activity, but his book, “Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals,” raises the question of why one act can lead to prison and the other to profit. It’s a big understatement to say humanity’s interactions with animals is inconsistent, and this book explores those quirks and possible reasons behind them. In Herzog’s words, he wants to examine why dogs can eat dinner at the table in some countries, but be eaten for dinner in others.

It’s a fun read, though readers expecting a clever, new presentation of facts like in a Malcolm Gladwell book might be disappointed. Herzog, the earnest psychology professor, is interested in explaining what researchers know — and don’t know — about the subject from every angle.

He also knows an interesting factoid when he sees one. For instance, Americans have gone from eating a half-pound of chicken a year during the Hoover administration to nearly 90 pounds a year now. Adolf Hitler signed the world’s most comprehensive animal protection legislation at the time in 1933. And since spay and neuter programs are much more successful in the Northeast than the South, maybe 90 percent of adopted dogs in the Northeast come from the South. Herzog describes Interstate 95 along the East Coast as the “underground dog railway to the New York suburbs.”

Some of Herzog’s anecdotes are too common to be all that interesting. Who doesn’t know of an elderly person who loves the companionship of a cat, or people who treat their dogs like royalty?

What buoys this book is Herzog’s voice. He’s an assured, knowledgeable and friendly guide.

Hiroyuko Ito, a dear friend and author, inspired the quilter to create this quilt.  It is all done by hand.  There is MUCH to see and many designs are embellished with beads and embroidery stitches.  It is a lovely quilt and tribute to a friend who has since passed away.

Is anyone familiar with Yoko Saito?  This work reminds me of  hers.  If anyone knows where to purchase Yoko Saito’s books in the U.S. could you let me know, please?!

Enjoy!  And, be inspired!?  ; )

Piecefully, Pam