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Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo
America's sweetheart, impassioned lifelong animal welfare advocate, and New York Times bestselling author Betty White shares intimate, funny, and enlightening stories about her very best friends in the world…
All her life, Betty White has had a menagerie of pets, many of them rescued, and has donated countless hours and resources to animal welfare. Animals are her passion, and that passion extends to zoos and their importance for the conservation of species and for offering humans the ability to witness the grandeur and variety of these magnificent animals from around the world.
Betty & Friends is a love letter to those zoos, to their dedicated workers, and especially to the animals in them—from Gita the elephant, whom Betty used to take for walks; to Bruno the orangutan, who flaunts his affections for Betty; to Jacob the boa, who loves a good hug. Gaining access to this majestic world through Betty’s eyes and her inimitable words is a beautiful thing indeed for animal lovers and Betty White lovers of all ages.
INCLUDES GORGEOUS FULL-COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS
All her life, Betty White has had a menagerie of pets, many of them rescued, and has donated countless hours and resources to animal welfare. Animals are her passion, and that passion extends to zoos and their importance for the conservation of species and for offering humans the ability to witness the grandeur and variety of these magnificent animals from around the world.
Betty & Friends is a love letter to those zoos, to their dedicated workers, and especially to the animals in them—from Gita the elephant, whom Betty used to take for walks; to Bruno the orangutan, who flaunts his affections for Betty; to Jacob the boa, who loves a good hug. Gaining access to this majestic world through Betty’s eyes and her inimitable words is a beautiful thing indeed for animal lovers and Betty White lovers of all ages.
INCLUDES GORGEOUS FULL-COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS
311 pages, Paperback
First published November 21, 2011
33 people are currently reading
1412 people want to read
About the author
Betty White
82 books541 followersBetty White was an American five-time Emmy Award-winning film and television actress with a career spanning sixty years. She also appeared in radio programs, movies, theater, commercials, and was also a talk show and game show host. White is perhaps best known for her roles in the sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
April 5, 2015
Yes I'm tired haha :-P ;-)
Was looking for a light and fluffy read after a LONG couple work nights this past week. I had gotten this fairly recently in the mail from paperbackswap, glimpsed it on one of my shelves when I got up and figured, why not now?
I loved seeing the photographs,seeing/feeling Betty's passion for animals, and reading the little stories posted by some of them. The text is light and fluffy but it makes you smile and occasionally laugh at some of our furry family.
The snow leopard, monkeys, tigers, and lions were my favorites:)
I do confess to skipping over the snake parts *shudders* Had an incident when I was younger... there were some snakes in our yard when I was little and it really scared me back then. I was walking our dog Pincky Doo (5 and 3 yr old naming logic haha) and she was running behind me, protecting me in her own way (sweet dog).
All in all, a fun and lovely read... cuteness overload in some of the pictures hehe... here's a few examples I took with my phone camera:
My highest compiments to the photographer :)
Would recommend, happy reading!
January 5, 2012
A light, quick read - I would probably almost call this a children's book except that it's longer (in terms of pages) than most children's books. I had no idea Betty White was so into animals and zoos. I think it's great that someone of her level is involved in this type of work, which you don't see that often.
Looking through the pictures was fun, but most of the text was fluffy. I did love how she infused a bit of humor in places. It made me grin.
It's very text-light overall. Shouldn't take more than an hour, if that, to get through. I saw Betty White on The Daily Show a couple weeks ago, talking about this book and being funny, as she is wont to do. Saw the book at the library a bit later and thought I'd check it out.
My favorite quote:
Looking through the pictures was fun, but most of the text was fluffy. I did love how she infused a bit of humor in places. It made me grin.
It's very text-light overall. Shouldn't take more than an hour, if that, to get through. I saw Betty White on The Daily Show a couple weeks ago, talking about this book and being funny, as she is wont to do. Saw the book at the library a bit later and thought I'd check it out.
My favorite quote:
Perhaps a simpler approach would be to ask which animals I don't find fascinating, and I could honestly say, "None." The only ones I find disappointing on occasion are the two-legged type, but they are still interesting, nonetheless.
October 18, 2013
Extremely easy read, filled with many beautiful photos, interesting facts and cute stories! Betty's immense love for animals and zoos just makes me love her all the more!
October 26, 2014
Ahh as if I even needed another reason to adore Betty White. This was adorable and informative. I'm glad I bought it on a whim!
May 23, 2018
Lacking written substance, still it is a wonderful book of animals and their lives in the Los Angeles Zoo. This contains many lovely photos of animals and the joy they bring.
While it isn't a page turner, it is a book to read when you are tired, or need to smile.
April 12, 2015
Great book to read on a lazy weekend with the kids. If your kids are really young, there are pictures on almost every page to look at. Betty talks conservation, improving zoos, and shares her love of animals and personal stories with the L.A. zoo.
Most of the 304 pages are pictures, and the sections of her writing are a paragraph to a page or two. She even had a smattering of humor throughout the book.
Most of the 304 pages are pictures, and the sections of her writing are a paragraph to a page or two. She even had a smattering of humor throughout the book.
September 11, 2013
What can I say? It's another "Betty" book! Of course I love it! Betty writes as if she is having a conversation with you; consequently you feel as if she is one of your best friends. The pictures in this book are so breathtaking I want to look at them again and again! This is a must read! You won't regret it! :-)
January 19, 2022
Betty White was a great protector and friend to all animals. She had many friends in zoos all over the country. This is a wonderful collection of photos of some of them. I am going to go make a donation to our local zoo in her memory. A delight for all ages.
May 23, 2015
This is a nice little book about 50% pictures and 50% words. Betty White is an American icon and has long been known for her love of animals of all kinds. This would be a great book to sit down with the grandkids and share with them how many rare and exotic animals there are. I enjoyed it and found that there many animals that I never knew existed.
January 1, 2022
Due to the passing of Betty White, I remembered I had a signed book of hers that I have never read. Planning to just read "a few chapters", it became evident that I could not put it down. It is a fast and easy read, full of information on the zoo animals she interacted with on a personal level as well as others.
Always a champion for endangered species and an all around animal lover, she gives readers an inside look of the zoos she knew and loved. Her endearing stories and interesting facts came to life on the pages.
I highly recommend this book to animal lovers, Betty White fans and surprisingly it is a great book to read to children. I plan to get a copy for my five-year-old grandson who adores books and animals. He can enjoy the pictures and learning fun facts about each of the animals White wrote about and loved.
Always a champion for endangered species and an all around animal lover, she gives readers an inside look of the zoos she knew and loved. Her endearing stories and interesting facts came to life on the pages.
I highly recommend this book to animal lovers, Betty White fans and surprisingly it is a great book to read to children. I plan to get a copy for my five-year-old grandson who adores books and animals. He can enjoy the pictures and learning fun facts about each of the animals White wrote about and loved.
October 9, 2025
Great photos of animals within zoo/aquarium settings. Ms. White’s passion for animals and efforts to help LA zoo are documented. Betty White fans will love the humor, but I was hoping to get more knowledge about zoos - purpose, challenges, etc. instead of what this was — a photo collage with very little reading
December 2, 2022
It’s a very quick read but as a Betty White fan and animal lover I thought it was great. It’s a lot of pictures some with short captions but there are multiple stories about some of the animals Betty has visited with. I did also learn some new animal facts. Overall it’s not a story or memoir in any way but I thought it was a very cute quick read book.
March 24, 2020
A beautiful book about zoo animals.
Trivia - The man who took the photographs for this book is Tad Motoyama,
who was born in the Japanese internment camp, Manzanar, in 1942.
Trivia - The man who took the photographs for this book is Tad Motoyama,
who was born in the Japanese internment camp, Manzanar, in 1942.
January 13, 2022
My other retirement plan… become a zoo VIP/volunteer!
January 9, 2025
A great account of Betty White and her friends- whom she loved so dearly!
January 8, 2022
Can't get any better than Betty and animals.
February 3, 2022
We all know what an animal lover Betty White was but I didn’t realize her hands own involvement with the zoo.
First off, the pictures in this book are gorgeous. She credits the photographer at the end of the book. His pictures are just gorgeous, once in a lifetime style pictures.
This book is entirely about zoos and animals at zoos. I saw some animals in this book that I’d never heard of before.
Some of the pictures of Betty and an animal are so touching that they caused me to tear up.
This is a nice, quick read with great information about animals and lots of gorgeous pictures. I’d recommend it for adults or even children.
First off, the pictures in this book are gorgeous. She credits the photographer at the end of the book. His pictures are just gorgeous, once in a lifetime style pictures.
This book is entirely about zoos and animals at zoos. I saw some animals in this book that I’d never heard of before.
Some of the pictures of Betty and an animal are so touching that they caused me to tear up.
This is a nice, quick read with great information about animals and lots of gorgeous pictures. I’d recommend it for adults or even children.
December 9, 2011
“Betty & Friends, My Life at the Zoo” by Betty White, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
Category – Animals
If there were more Betty Whites in the world there probably would be fewer if any endangered species. In her book Betty tells of her life long love of animals and zoos. She is quick to let everyone know that there are people who are opposed to zoos because they believe that animals should not be kept in captivity and that is cruel. She is also quick to expound on the fact that zoos have changed dramatically over the years, creating a habitat that is patterned similar to the animal’s original living space. She is also quick to show that many endangered species have rebounded due to the efforts of zoos.
The book is a tribute to Betty and all the animals that she had personal contact with over the years. It is filled with pictures of the animals and Betty, pictures that are worth the price of the book alone. She tells the stories of how she became acquainted with them and her devotion to them.
She has spent more than forty years as a board member of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association and in 2006 was honored as an “Ambassador to the Animals”.
Betty makes it a point whenever she is in another town to visit their zoo to check the condition of the animals and their habitat.
A wonderful book that should be on every animal lover’s shelf, it will be a lasting tribute to Betty White and all the animals that she has come to love and care for through the years.
Category – Animals
If there were more Betty Whites in the world there probably would be fewer if any endangered species. In her book Betty tells of her life long love of animals and zoos. She is quick to let everyone know that there are people who are opposed to zoos because they believe that animals should not be kept in captivity and that is cruel. She is also quick to expound on the fact that zoos have changed dramatically over the years, creating a habitat that is patterned similar to the animal’s original living space. She is also quick to show that many endangered species have rebounded due to the efforts of zoos.
The book is a tribute to Betty and all the animals that she had personal contact with over the years. It is filled with pictures of the animals and Betty, pictures that are worth the price of the book alone. She tells the stories of how she became acquainted with them and her devotion to them.
She has spent more than forty years as a board member of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association and in 2006 was honored as an “Ambassador to the Animals”.
Betty makes it a point whenever she is in another town to visit their zoo to check the condition of the animals and their habitat.
A wonderful book that should be on every animal lover’s shelf, it will be a lasting tribute to Betty White and all the animals that she has come to love and care for through the years.
November 9, 2012
This is a difficult review to write.
"Betty & Friends" features a number of photographs of animals, along with author Betty White's recollections of meeting or observing them - plus a factoid or two along the way.
EXCEPT ...
a) Some of these photos do not feature animals that Betty has a background with (at least not one she makes obvious); they're incredible photos, but the captions provide no illumination.
b) Some of those captions do not provide any significant detail; in fact, they consist of one short sentence. "The giant tortoise can live for more than 100 years." This sentence does not require a whole page of its own; worst case is it could be included at the bottom of the photo. Best case - it could be fleshed out.
c) There is so much white space - totally blank pages (consecutive blank pages!), wide margins, and the previously mentioned lack of verbiage.
My wife described it as a "coffee table book in miniature". Except even most of those have more content.
The book is very good for what it is, and the photos ARE outstanding, but my disappointment is it could have been so much more with just a little more effort.
"Betty & Friends" features a number of photographs of animals, along with author Betty White's recollections of meeting or observing them - plus a factoid or two along the way.
EXCEPT ...
a) Some of these photos do not feature animals that Betty has a background with (at least not one she makes obvious); they're incredible photos, but the captions provide no illumination.
b) Some of those captions do not provide any significant detail; in fact, they consist of one short sentence. "The giant tortoise can live for more than 100 years." This sentence does not require a whole page of its own; worst case is it could be included at the bottom of the photo. Best case - it could be fleshed out.
c) There is so much white space - totally blank pages (consecutive blank pages!), wide margins, and the previously mentioned lack of verbiage.
My wife described it as a "coffee table book in miniature". Except even most of those have more content.
The book is very good for what it is, and the photos ARE outstanding, but my disappointment is it could have been so much more with just a little more effort.
August 21, 2013
This book starts with the following: "I realize there are those whose minds are irrevocably set against the entire concept of zoos and consequently see only negatives. They have every right to their opinion and I respect it. As for me, however, I am a confirmed zoophile, and I particularly appreciate the positive changes that have taken place in the whole zoo community over the past few decades and the critical role they play today in perpetuating endangered species." My view could not be stated more precisely, and there was even more to adore from there....lovely pictures, her in-depth interactions with animals over the years, and her financial support of the L.A. Zoo and others. It was just delightful.
February 7, 2012
This book is basically like a children's book filled with pictures of adorable animals and cute anecdotes. That being said, I recommended it to all of my animal loving friends and family! Sometimes you just need a quick, heart-warming book to read. If this didn't have Betty White on the cover it probably wouldn't have sold many copies, but congrats to Betty for bringing her passions to the main stream just because she can.
I would definitely give this to adults but you could very easily pass it off to a child as young as elementary school. I know I read a lot of James Harriet back in the day and this definitely falls into a similar genre.
I would definitely give this to adults but you could very easily pass it off to a child as young as elementary school. I know I read a lot of James Harriet back in the day and this definitely falls into a similar genre.
February 3, 2012
This book was an incredibly fast read. I think there were more pages of pictures than of text. Anyway, if you love animals and Betty White, I think you will enjoy this book quite a bit. I learned about some animals I had never heard of before and I also learned more about Betty's role in helping save animals through her work with the LA Zoo. The photos are absolutely beautiful (one in particular made me jealous... I want to hold a koala too!).
April 24, 2012
I have always greatly respected Betty White's crusade for animals, an issue which I agree with. In this book, Betty White writes about some of the animals at the zoo that she has known and come to love. It is accompanied by the most glorious photography imaginable. If you love animals, this is a quick read that you will definitely enjoy! And make sure you read to "The End" so you don't miss the best part!
May 10, 2014
Love watching Betty White on TV, especially reruns of The Golden Girls, and her little segments on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I've been wanting to read one of her books for a while now, I am so glad I picked this one as my first. This book shows in very great detail, the love Betty has for all animals. The pictures are lovely, and the small amount of facts about the animals, is very interesting for anyone who is interested in animals.
July 18, 2012
I just picked this up as Betty White is everywhere right now and I figured I might as well learn about her. Turns out this book is about the various zoos she's visited or sits on the Board for. Still some really beautiful photos and a behind the scenes appreciation for what zoos are doing to balance man's destructive habits. Maybe the wrong animals are behind bars ...
March 6, 2012
This book is an excellent zoo animal guide, infused with Betty White's humor. Her love of animals and her wit shine on EVERY page. Lots of color pics. I think my favorite picture is of her and the giraffe - the caption is an apology to the zoo, for getting lipstick on the giraffe who kissed her.
July 24, 2012
This was a very good book--her love for animals goes beyond.....
November 23, 2015
This book is full of vibrant wonderful pictures of animals and you can just tell throughout how passionate she is about the zoo. An awesome find and I think it could be appreciated by all age groups.
May 17, 2018
Growing up I've always been fascinated by exotic animals and visiting the Zoo as a child was always a great treat. At around the age of 11, I decided I wanted to become a Zoologist. I spent a lot of my home schooling days researching and studying about various animals. I of course grew up and somewhere along the way, my passion faded. I am now 28 and as of recent, that old flame for the zoo and it's exotic creatures has been reignited. This book, though short was such a great little treasure to find! It was such a great reminder that I still very much have the same passion for these animals and Betty really made me feel like I was on some behind the scenes, personal tour of the zoo's she discussed. I tend to add this one to my personal collection. If you're looking for a lighthearted read and have a love for animals, this book is for you!
September 2, 2018
Betty White...you national treasure you!!! I've loved you ever since I was a little girl...You were so wickedly lovable as Sue Ann Nivens on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". And now my kids love you too after watching "The Proposal"...and seeing your "Deadpool" promo. We all want to be you when we grow up!!! So when I happened upon "Betty & Friends: My Life At The Zoo", I didn't even open it up to look inside...I just nabbed it. Can't tell you how happy I am that I did. Such a lovely book with sweet insight into our friends at the zoo. (Did anyone else "hear" Betty when they read it?!) I only wish it were twice as long and twice as big. (The pictures were so darn beautiful...they deserved more space!)
Thank you, Betty, for this delightful book...and your humor, animal activism and all-around kindheartedness. Five furry, cuddly, intelligent stars!!!
Thank you, Betty, for this delightful book...and your humor, animal activism and all-around kindheartedness. Five furry, cuddly, intelligent stars!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews