Unlikely Friends

August 21, 2012

I have been working at MCPL for a number of years and frequently hear the comment, "Oh, you work at the Library? I would love to have a job like yours where all I have to do all day is read." I can't tell you how much I wish this was a true statement, but unfortunately, it is not. Even though I do not get to "sit and read all day," I do get to see a number of great books as they pass through my hands on their library journey. This is how I came upon the book I would like to tell you about. It is Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer S. Holland.

Being the animal lover that I am, I could not let this book pass me by without putting a copy on hold. When I received my copy, I was very excited to get to read the stories of how some animals can have powerful friendships with species that are so very different from their own. In this great book, there is a story about an Asiatic black bear and a black cat who go halves on their meals of raw meat, dead mice, and fruit. Their friendship has been going on for a decade and shows no signs of ever changing. How about the picture of the hippopotamus with his friend the pygmy goat where the hippo is asleep while the goat is standing on his back looking like he’s keeping watch over his buddy. There are so many great stories in this book. I encourage you to check out your own copy like I did and just enjoy the wonders of our animal kingdom.

Leslie A.
Smithville Branch