A diligently researched pet-care manual, but some readers may balk at the considerable commitment required.
A wellness plan for dogs featuring a raw food diet.
Krol, who has a background in education and real estate, is neither a veterinarian nor a canine nutritionist; she was motivated to write this book because of a health scare involving Winston, her beloved dog. Instead of accepting the bleak prognoses offered by veterinarians, the author “decided to take my dog’s health into my own hands.” Her extensive research led her to implement a “Monogastric Diet” that, she asserts, turned her dog’s life around. Along the way, Krol discovered what she characterizes as the deficiencies of the American pet food industry and medication-oriented veterinarians who, she says, “are not in the business of restoring health.” The author carefully cites scientific studies and sources and includes comprehensive references to back up her claims, and she deftly and seamlessly weaves her suggested nutritional approach into stories of her dog’s journey to better health. Early chapters lay out the basis for the author’s wellness plan; she clearly describes her dog’s illness and the details she learned about commercial dog food, and she explains why she believes that holistic veterinarians are preferable to others. She also provides a sobering evaluation of the content of dog food, noting that pets “become the recipient of all the byproducts humans will not or cannot eat.” The book offers readers a cogent overview of canine diseases while frankly discussing current veterinary practices, especially regarding vaccinations; on this subject, she cites research that suggests “Vaccinations can hinder and hurt your dog’s natural life-giving state of being.”
Most of the book centers on Krol’s belief that dogs should be fed a raw food diet of meat and plant-based material. However, although she passionately supports this position, she acknowledges that some veterinarians and pet owners may not be raw food enthusiasts. While exploring the diet, Krol candidly concludes that the positives outweigh the negatives, advocating a method she calls “Single Category Rotational Feeding,” which involves alternating meals of meat and plants with periods of fasting. Portions of the plan may meet with resistance or even skepticism from some dog owners; for example, the author endorses feeding dogs raw bones, which, she writes, “are needed for proper nutrition”; despite the inclusion of citations to support this, some dog owners may still be hesitant. The plan calls for creating a menu of raw meats, including fish, cooked vegetables, and fruit. Krol helpfully provides “feeding options,” including daily schedules and “recipe samples and bone details.” She also helpfully includes a chapter on how to modify the plan for puppies and even explains how to adapt it for cats. For pet owners who are interested in administering such a raw food diet, Krol provides justification and sufficient information for anyone to easily execute the plan. At times, however, one may feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of detail as well as the additional preparation associated with the author’s dietary method.
A diligently researched pet-care manual, but some readers may balk at the considerable commitment required.Pub Date: May 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73732-011-1
Page Count: 254
Publisher: Riley Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.
A charming bird journey with the bestselling author.
In his introduction to Tan’s “nature journal,” David Allen Sibley, the acclaimed ornithologist, nails the spirit of this book: a “collection of delightfully quirky, thoughtful, and personal observations of birds in sketches and words.” For years, Tan has looked out on her California backyard “paradise”—oaks, periwinkle vines, birch, Japanese maple, fuchsia shrubs—observing more than 60 species of birds, and she fashions her findings into delightful and approachable journal excerpts, accompanied by her gorgeous color sketches. As the entries—“a record of my life”—move along, the author becomes more adept at identifying and capturing them with words and pencils. Her first entry is September 16, 2017: Shortly after putting up hummingbird feeders, one of the tiny, delicate creatures landed on her hand and fed. “We have a relationship,” she writes. “I am in love.” By August 2018, her backyard “has become a menagerie of fledglings…all learning to fly.” Day by day, she has continued to learn more about the birds, their activities, and how she should relate to them; she also admits mistakes when they occur. In December 2018, she was excited to observe a Townsend’s Warbler—“Omigod! It’s looking at me. Displeased expression.” Battling pesky squirrels, Tan deployed Hot Pepper Suet to keep them away, and she deterred crows by hanging a fake one upside down. The author also declared war on outdoor cats when she learned they kill more than 1 billion birds per year. In May 2019, she notes that she spends $250 per month on beetle larvae. In June 2019, she confesses “spending more hours a day staring at birds than writing. How can I not?” Her last entry, on December 15, 2022, celebrates when an eating bird pauses, “looks and acknowledges I am there.”
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593536131
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
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