I am looking forward to adding this brand new book about beavers to my collection. Published only a few days ago, I was first attracted to the drawings. My heart skips a beat when I see rodents portrayed in a way that accentuates their charming personalities. You see it in dog and cat drawings, but rodents are generally depicted as shabby skulking creatures.

Then I read the book review. It isn’t so much a book review as a conversation with the author, who is momentarily interrupted by a cow who tries to eat his car.

The book appears to be an account of an attempt to re-establish beavers in Europe, specifically England. A noble and worthy project, no doubt. I was so amused by the author interview, I quickly discerned that the drawings were not going to be the most memorable aspect of this book.

I’ll leave you with a link to the review and let you decide for yourself. I’m going to order my copy, as I always do, from my local indie bookstore. They’ll mail it to me. You can order from them, too, or you can order from your own local bookstore. They’ll appreciate the business. There is rarely a reason for ordering through Amazon, but if you feel you must, be sure to go through Amazon Smile and pick a charity.

Gow, Derek; Bringing Back the Beaver: The Story of One Man’s Quest to Rewild Britain’s Waterways; Chelsea Green Publishing; 2020.

The review: All Hail the Beaver, Mighty Linchpin of the Natural World