The Truth About Animals: Stoned Sloths, Lovelorn Hippos, and Other Tales from the Wild Side of Wildlife Audiobook

Quotes

• “The eclectic stories come thick and fast, with an equally varied human cast dedicated to uncovering the truth, scientifically or otherwise. Cooke illuminates and mickey-takes in equal measure, and the truth as she tells it is not only unexpected but often bizarre, bawdy, and very, very funny. "

  — BBC Wildlife (London)

• “A joy from beginning to end. Who could resist a writer who argues that penguins have been pulling the wool over our eyes for years, and that, far from being cute and gregarious, they are actually pathologically unpleasant necrophiliacs?”

  — Guardian (London)

• On the New York Times Book Review's Paperback Row

• One of the New York Times Book Review's "17 Refreshing Books to Read This Summer"

• Her pace is quick, her touch is light, and through her wealth of research we can reach new heights of wonder.

  — New York Times Book Review

• Cooke, founder of the Sloth Appreciation Society, raises the profile of many poorly understood animals, revealing surprising, and often hilarious, truths that are much better than the fictions.

  — Scientific American

• [A] deeply researched, sassily written history of 'the biggest misconceptions, mistakes and myths we've concocted about the animal kingdom,' spread by figures from Aristotle to Walt Disney.

  — Nature

• Cooke's extensive travels, research and delightful sense of humor make The Truth about Animals a fascinating modern bestiary.

  — Seattle Times

• In the end, the history of zoology reveals as much about our human foibles as about the animals we study. And this book will leave readers more enlightened about both.

  — Science News

• Lucy Cooke takes equal delight in natural oddities and in people's long struggles to understand them. Part history, part biology, and wholly entertaining, The Truth About Animals is a quirky and edifying romp.

  — Thor Hanson, author of Buzz, Feathers, and The Triumph of Seeds

• [An] intriguing and amusing survey of some unusual facets of animal behavior...Cooke puts scientific errors, some of them hilarious, into historical context.

  — Booklist

• [A] lighthearted but scientifically rigorous exploration...A pleasure for the budding naturalist in the family--or fans of Gerald Durrell and other animals.

  — Kirkus Reviews

• Readers keen on animals and natural history in general should find Cooke's discussion fascinating and educational.

  — Publishers Weekly

• Lucy Cooke's [The Truth About Animals] was a joy from beginning to end. Who could resist a writer who argues that penguins have been pulling the wool over our eyes for years, and that, far from being cute and gregarious, they are actually pathologically unpleasant necrophiliacs?

  — The Guardian (UK)

• Each of Cooke's thirteen breezy yet fact-stuffed chapters traces the origins of a long-standing myth about a species or class of animal.

  — Times Literary Supplement (UK)

• The eclectic stories come thick and fast, with an equally varied human cast dedicated to uncovering the truth, scientifically or otherwise. Cooke illuminates and mickey-takes in equal measure, and the truth as she tells it is not only unexpected but often bizarre, bawdy and very, very funny.

  — BBC Wildlife (UK)

• As surprising as it is diverse. Consummate natural history writing: illuminating, remarkable - and very, very funny.

  — Alice Roberts, author of The Complete Human Body and The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being

• The rising star of natural history ... is she the new David Attenborough?

  — The Times (UK)

• TOP AUTUMN BOOK PICKS: Lucy Cooke's fascinating book is full of mind-boggling stuff. Cooke takes much pleasure in throwing in all manner of amazing facts.

  — Reader's Digest (UK)

• A riot of facts....Cooke scores a series of goals with style and panache.

  — The Times (UK)

• Beautifully written, meticulously researched, with the science often couched in outrageous asides, this is a splendid read. In fact, I cannot remember when I last enjoyed a non-fiction work so much.

  — Daily Express (UK)

• Funny and fascinating, this book will change the way you see wildlife.

  — Bustle

• A surefire summer winner...even Cooke's simple facts are funny.

  — New York Times Book Review

• Endlessly fascinating.

  — Bill Bryson, author of A Walk in the Woods, A Short History of Nearly Everything, and In a Sunburned Country

• Lucy Cooke's modern bestiary is as well-informed as you'd expect from an Oxford zoologist. It's also downright funny.

  — Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, The Selfish Gene, and The Ancestor's Tale, and emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford

• Lucy Cooke unravels myths that will make you laugh out loud. Her knowledge of all things, furry, slimy and scaly is jaw-dropping.

  — The Sun (UK)

• BOOK OF THE WEEK: Highly amusing and enlightening new book [from] brilliant zoologist Lucy Cooke.

  — The Idler (UK)