Posts filed under ‘.animals’
Purrfect
Purrfecting the art of purring
She does exactly that
our dear imaginative
and near perfect pet cat
We notice that each time
she wants something
the volume and tone of her purr
changes to reflect
her sense of urgency
The higher the pitch
the greater is her need
to spur us into action
to provide her with
the object of her desire
A piece of fish
generally exacts the
highest decibel purr
Its flavour drives
her almost crazy
The purr frequency is lower
for a saucer of milk or water
So the greater the urgency
the less pleasing the purr.
I Had a Little Cat
I had a little cat called Tim Tom Tay
I took him to town on market day,
I combed his whiskers, I brushed his tail,
I wrote on a label ‘Cat for Sale.
Knows how to deal with rats and mice.
Two pounds fifty. Bargain price.’But when the people came to buy
I saw such a look in Tim Tom’s eye
That it was clear as clear could be
I couldn’t sell Tim for a fortune’s fee.
I was shamed and sorry, I’ll tell you plain
And I took home Tim Tom Tay again.
Jasper’s Story: Saving Moon Bears
by Jill Robinson and Marc Bekoff
For years Jasper, a moon bear, lived a miserable existence, held captive in a cage by bear farmers in rural China. The farmers extracted the bile from Jasper’s body and sold it to be used in traditional medicines. It’s a horrific practice and conducted on thousands of moon bears each year. But now Jasper has the chance to be free and live a life away from pain and torture. In 2000, Animals Asia, an animal welfare organization, rescued Jasper and other captive moon bears, taking them to its Moon Bear Rescue Centre. Here veterinarians attended to the bears’ wounds, hoping to give them some chance of a peaceful existence in the animal sanctuary. But after so many years of abuse Jasper’s wounds, both physical and mental, are extensive. Can Jasper mend his body and mind and finally enjoy the life he was meant to live?
Gon, the Little Fox
by Niimi Nankichi
Illustrated by Genjirou Mita
In this retelling of Nankichi Niimi’s masterpiece, delicate watercolors bring to life the mischievous yet kind-hearted spirit of Gon, the Little Fox.
The startling and violent ending may make it difficult to find an audience, but it is a valuable introduction to a non-Western storytelling aesthetic.
Kirkus Reviews
Gon, the Little Fox named 2016 USBBY Outstanding International Book
GONGITSUNE A Fox Named Gon
Dog – Goat
Dog: You certainly have an advantage.
Goat: Why so?
Dog: Why, the summer showers don’t take the curl out of your horns.
At the Zoo
From When We Were Very Young
By A. A. Milne
There are lions and roaring tigers,
and enormous camels and things,
There are biffalo-buffalo-bisons,
and a great big bear with wings.
There’s a sort of a tiny potamus,
and a tiny nosserus too –
But I gave buns to the elephant
when I went down to the Zoo!There are badgers and bidgers and bodgers,
and a Super-in-tendent’s House,
There are masses of goats, and a Polar,
and different kinds of mouse,
And I think there’s a sort of a something
which is called a wallaboo –
But I gave buns to the elephant
when I went down to the Zoo!If you try to talk to the bison,
he never quite understands;
You can’t shake hands with a mingo –
he doesn’t like shaking hands.
And lions and roaring tigers
hate saying, “How do you do?” –
But I give buns to the elephant
when I go down to the Zoo!
