I liked the writing/translation of Eva Meijer's When Animals Speak better than this one, but this still offered a lot of decent information and interesting anecdotes about animal behavior. I agree with some other reviewers that either the structure or translation are not the best. However, it has a very popular science feel to it that I think makes it more accessible than her other book which has more depth, but is more academic in nature. So, depending on the audience, I think both books can be useful.

This almost felt like one could read this to fairly young people and have them enjoy it. I am not very good at gauging children in this way, but I could imagine myself and kids I've known enjoying some of the information in this and how it is conveyed.

Most importantly, this book discusses language and communication in more inclusive terms regarding other animals. I am sure some folks will bristle at the idea of including animal communication in the "language" category because, while some nonhuman animals do show the ability to have human-like language, many other forms of complex language without the same structure as our own exist among other species. There is also discussion of other forms of cognition and the ways many animals parallel or exceed our own abilities. Sometimes these sort of discussions end up relegated to the realm of academia, often among philosophers or scientists who use anthropocentrism in order to avoid perceived anthropomorphism, the former being accepted and the latter being shunned despite the former arguably having a worse effect on a human-dominated planet. I like that Meijer wrote a book that reaches outside of that to a larger audience.

I read this as part of VINE book club this month. If you are interested, please consider joining virtually! It's ok if you don't finish the book in time for the event.