Why the Wild Things are

Reviews / Votes

"As [Melson] amply demonstrates, young people often seem to have a closer relationship with their pets than they do with their parents... Children, she suggests, may even understand animals better than they understand adult humans, since animals' behavior is simple and straightforward. It... may come as a surprise to some readers just how unexplored this area of child development is... This perceptive, ground-breaking account sheds valuable new light on a fascinating subject." - David Pitt, Booklist; "Melson has prepared a fascinating and thought-provoking book whose time has come. What varying roles do animals in the home, yard, classroom, park, and zoo play in the psychological, social, physical, and moral development of children? As Melson so thoroughly points out, scholars and researchers alike have long ignored the developmental consequences of relationships between children and animals." - M. M. Slusser, Choice"