World Full of Animals (The Great Naturalists) - Hardcover

Grade 3-6-This accessible autobiography, which presents experiences the author has had with animals throughout his life, is certain to appeal to youngsters. As a child, Caras read about and observed creatures, preparing himself to be the naturalist and journalist he is today. He passes on lessons he has learned, and describes how his career developed. According to him, "...one of the toughest challenges of being a naturalist is to accept that some animals must die so that others can live. It is difficult not to take sides when you love all kinds of animals." He stresses that everyone can be a naturalist and work for our world in some way and provides many suggestions, along with a list of organizations working to protect and preserve wildlife. As the president of the ASPCA, he appeals to readers to take care of their pets. The captivating accounts and attractive, full-color and black-and-white photographs make the book a welcome addition to any collection. It is not likely to be used as a reference for reports, but the glossary is useful and the index is more than adequate.
Karen M. Kearns, Environmental Resource Center, Atlanta, GA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3-5. The current president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and a former ABC correspondent, Caras weaves his lifelong experiences with wild animals into his environmental philosophy in this first-person narrative. Beginning with a description of his childhood growing up near the shores of the Spickett River in Massachusetts, he describes his animal-centered life, which continued through army basic training, visits to such diverse places as Antarctica, Sri Lanka, and Africa, and his lengthy television career. Although few of the book's target audience will recognize Caras as a famous personality, they will quickly become fascinated by his simply written, well-crafted experiences. Filled with colorful nature photographs, this is an excellent environmental biography that should outlast many of the profiles of "famous" individuals already on our shelves. Frances Bradburn