Also of interest...in our animal planet

Sentient

by Jackie Higgins (Atria, $28)

“A hungry sense of wonder requires a diet of nutritious facts,” said Michael Sims in The Washington Post. Science filmmaker Jackie Higgins provides exactly that in Sentient, a “masterpiece of nature and science writing” about animals whose senses outstrip any of our five. As she describes a mole’s remarkable sense of touch or an owl’s incredible hearing, and how they compare with those of humans, “I realized that I was looking at the world again with the humble attention it deserves.”

Sounds Wild and Broken

by David George Haskell (Viking, $29)

David George Haskell is establishing himself as one of our great poetscientists, said Cynthia Barnett in The New York Times. In his “exquisite” new book, the author of The Forest Unseen urges us to open our ears to the birdsongs and insect symphonies all around us. Though he raises alarms about all the species that humans are silencing, he finds beauty and meaning in all the natural sounds he hears, and the joy he takes in his discoveries “makes it irresistible to tune in.”

The Social Lives of Animals

by Ashley Ward (Basic, $30)

“In the animal kingdom, strength does lie in numbers,” said Christoph Irmscher in The Wall Street Journal. In this “often exhilarating” survey, Ashley Ward, a professor of animal behavior, explores the many ways that creatures large and small survive and thrive by collaborating and cooperating within their species. Ward “has an irrepressible and infectious interest in virtually everything that creeps, crawls, climbs, swims, jumps, runs, or flies.” Better yet, he has “a natural gift for storytelling.”

Funny Farm

by Laurie Zaleski (St. Martin’s, $28)

This “hugely entertaining” memoir captures the healing power of the human-animal bond, said Laurie Hertzel in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. When Laurie Zaleski was a girl, her mother fled an abusive husband, moved to an unheated shack, and took a job cleaning animal cages. Their home became a haven for unwanted dogs and horses, inspiring Zaleski to later start an animal rescue. The book “covers tough ground, but the women’s pluck more than makes up for the sadness.”