Dorothy Gale, of “Wizard of Oz” fame, was obviously not from the Pacific Northwest. If she was, she’d have known that lions and tigers don’t live in forests. She’d also have known that you are far more likely to see smaller creatures in the forest than larger ones - like, maybe, possums. Or beavers. Or owls.
Now, I will admit that I have lived in the PNW for quite a while now, and I still haven’t seen a beaver outside of a zoo. But I have seen evidence of their presence, and I have seen other wild animals and birds native to this area. One memorable morning, I was walking my dog and we came around a corner and startled a raccoon in the shrubbery. The raccoon reared up on its hind legs - MUCH larger than a Disney raccoon. My dog looked at me, turned around, and began walking quickly in the other direction. In that instance, discretion was the better part of valor - at least where my dog was concerned.
Whether or not you have had wildlife encounters of your own, I’d like to share with you some engrossing nonfiction books about some of our local creatures. Read on for a walk on the wild side:
- Possums (yes, I know it’s really opossums, but popular usage counts in the real world)
- Playing Possum: How Animals Understand Death by Susana Monso (2024) This author is an expert on animal cognition and ethics, and explores how animals - including possums - view mortality, and what we humans can learn from them.
- Possums are Not Cute!: And Other Myths about Nature’s Most Misunderstood Critter by Ally Burguieres (2022) The author, who rehabilitated wild opossums, offers anecdotes and information about their physiology and behavior.
- Beavers
- When Beavers Flew: An Incredible True Story of Rescue and Relocation by Kristen Tracy (2024) This fantastic picture book tells the story of how Idaho Fish and Game transported 76 beavers to new homes in a remote wetlands area - by parachute!
- Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America by Leila Philip (2022) The beaver fur trade had a huge impact on America’s environment and history, as detailed in this book.
- Bringing Back the Beaver: The Story of One Man’s Quest to Rewild Britain’s Waterways by Derek Gow (2022) A very funny firsthand account of Britain’s ecological movement to rewild the landscape there.
- Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter by Ben Goldfarb (2018) In a very engaging book, Goldfarb speaks on the impact of one of the world’s most influential species.
- Owls
- What An Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds by Jennifer Ackerman (2023) Field observations and fascinating new scientific discoveries about owl biology and behavior.
- Alfie & Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe by Carl Safina (2023) A heartwarming account of how ecologist Safina and his wife nursed an orphaned screech owl back to health.
- The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar: Living with a Tawny Owl by Martin Windrow (2014) A funny and charming memoir about the author’s 15-year relationship with an owl.
New at the Library
Fiction
- To Kill a King by David Gilman
- Here One Moment: A Novel by Liane Moriarty
- The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave
Nonfiction
- The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne
- The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage by Jonathan Turley
- Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals: A Lifetime of Family, Friends and Food by Dolly Parton
Children
- Never, Ever, Ever Ask a Pirate to a Party by Clare Helen Welsh
- Guinness World Records (2024)
- A Gallery of Rogues by Beth Lincoln
