Crocodile painting by DJ Geribo

Sy Montgomery is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. A woman who has, if possible, an even greater love for animals than I do, she has traveled the world, living in remote and far from safe conditions, to research the latest animal for her next book. She knows what she is talking about and it was with great satisfaction that I read this sweet book, “How to Be a Good Creature”.

This is a collection of stories of the animals she has owned or had the honor of studying in the field. Each one is laced with memoir as we get to know a little more about Montgomery and how she came to love animals so much. As she said when she was a child and was given her first dog, she didn’t just want to own a dog she wanted to be a dog. She was amazed at everything her dog, Molly, did and the superpowers she was gifted with, like her ability to hear above and beyond Montgomery’s own hearing limits. This is what she brought to every animal she wrote about, her amazing talent at looking beyond the animal and appreciating the genius of each and every one.

You’ll laugh, you may even cry, but you will certainly enjoy every single story Montgomery shares in this wondrous collection of stories. I know I certainly did!

I rate “How to Be a Good Creature” 4 out of 5 stars.

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