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Unlikely Loves: 43 Heartwarming True Stories from the Animal Kingdom
In her inspiring New York Times bestseller Unlikely Friendships , Jennifer Holland introduced us to the heartwarming relationships that exist between animals of different species. Her stories struck a chord with thousands of readers, including Temple Grandin, who described the book as "amazing." Now Holland explores animal attachments that, in human terms, can only be called love.
Packed with beautiful, breathtaking full-color photographs, Unlikely Loves is a celebration of love between species. Here are stories of parental love, like the Dalmatian who mothers a newborn lamb—a lamb that just happens to be white with black spots! Stories of playful love, including the fox and the hound who become inseparable. And stories of orphaned animals who have found family-like ties in unexpected combinations, like the elephant who’s bonded with sea lions, goats, and other animals in her walks around the Oregon Zoo.
Ms. Holland has interviewed scientists, zoologists, and animal caretakers from around the world, tracking down firsthand sources and eyewitnesses. The stories are written with journalistic integrity and detail—and always filled with the author’s deep affection for her subjects.
Packed with beautiful, breathtaking full-color photographs, Unlikely Loves is a celebration of love between species. Here are stories of parental love, like the Dalmatian who mothers a newborn lamb—a lamb that just happens to be white with black spots! Stories of playful love, including the fox and the hound who become inseparable. And stories of orphaned animals who have found family-like ties in unexpected combinations, like the elephant who’s bonded with sea lions, goats, and other animals in her walks around the Oregon Zoo.
Ms. Holland has interviewed scientists, zoologists, and animal caretakers from around the world, tracking down firsthand sources and eyewitnesses. The stories are written with journalistic integrity and detail—and always filled with the author’s deep affection for her subjects.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 2013
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766 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
January 2, 2022
ENGLISH: 43 stories about strange "loves" between animals of different species. Some of them (as the cat and the dolphin) are very interesting.
There is, in this book, quite a dose of "animalism" and anthropomorphism, for the author often insists that "love" between animals of different species is just the same as love between human beings. In spite of her insistence, her arguments are not convincing.
Holland doesn't show a lot of knowledge about animal ethology when she says that Jealousy isn't pretty... But it is a complex emotion. And it's not one you'd expect would infect nonhuman animals. Really? I think most ethologists would be surprised by this assertion.
Holland interjects from time to time, in a more or less underhanded way, a hymn to the dominant ideology and the destruction of the family. As I do not share this ideology, it is not surprising that I can't give this book a higher rating.
It is obvious that Holland has not read Bambi (the novel written by Felix Salten) and has just seen Disney's film adaptation.
ESPAÑOL: 43 historias sobre "amores" raros entre animales de especies diferentes. Algunas (como la del gato y el delfín) son muy interesantes.
Este libro exhibe una buena dosis de "animalismo" y antropomorfismo, porque la autora insiste a menudo en que el "amor" entre animales de diferentes especies es lo mismo que el amor entre seres humanos. A pesar de su reiteración, sus argumentos no resultan convincentes.
Holland no parece saber mucho de etología animal cuando dice esto: Los celos no están bien... Pero se trata de una emoción compleja. Y no parece a primera vista que pueda afectar a animales no humanos. ¿De veras? Creo que muchos etólogos se sorprenderían ante esta afirmación.
Holland intercala de vez en cuando, de forma más o menos solapada, un canto a la ideología dominante y a la destrucción de la familia. Como yo no comparto esta ideología, no puede extrañar que no le dé a este libro una calificación más alta.
Es obvio que Holland no ha leído Bambi (la novela de Felix Salten) y sólo conoce al personaje por la película de Disney.
There is, in this book, quite a dose of "animalism" and anthropomorphism, for the author often insists that "love" between animals of different species is just the same as love between human beings. In spite of her insistence, her arguments are not convincing.
Holland doesn't show a lot of knowledge about animal ethology when she says that Jealousy isn't pretty... But it is a complex emotion. And it's not one you'd expect would infect nonhuman animals. Really? I think most ethologists would be surprised by this assertion.
Holland interjects from time to time, in a more or less underhanded way, a hymn to the dominant ideology and the destruction of the family. As I do not share this ideology, it is not surprising that I can't give this book a higher rating.
It is obvious that Holland has not read Bambi (the novel written by Felix Salten) and has just seen Disney's film adaptation.
ESPAÑOL: 43 historias sobre "amores" raros entre animales de especies diferentes. Algunas (como la del gato y el delfín) son muy interesantes.
Este libro exhibe una buena dosis de "animalismo" y antropomorfismo, porque la autora insiste a menudo en que el "amor" entre animales de diferentes especies es lo mismo que el amor entre seres humanos. A pesar de su reiteración, sus argumentos no resultan convincentes.
Holland no parece saber mucho de etología animal cuando dice esto: Los celos no están bien... Pero se trata de una emoción compleja. Y no parece a primera vista que pueda afectar a animales no humanos. ¿De veras? Creo que muchos etólogos se sorprenderían ante esta afirmación.
Holland intercala de vez en cuando, de forma más o menos solapada, un canto a la ideología dominante y a la destrucción de la familia. Como yo no comparto esta ideología, no puede extrañar que no le dé a este libro una calificación más alta.
Es obvio que Holland no ha leído Bambi (la novela de Felix Salten) y sólo conoce al personaje por la película de Disney.
November 8, 2022
Lovely stories of "unlikely" loves—or friendships. They were nice, but I guess I've seen far too many of them over the last several years to think of them as "unlikely". It's really not all that unlikely. Animals will gravitate to any energy they find calming or friendly, regardless of who that energy belongs to, so what scientists and others thought of as unlikely years ago, really isn't all that unusual. Still, the photos were very sweet, but I don't see them as unusual anymore, if I ever did. ALL animal-bird-reptile-HUMAN pairings are quite wonderful in my eyes, and I hope that more and more, people will stop seeing them as unusual or unlikely. They just are what they are.
4 stars—1 star deducted for the old-fashioned views. Perhaps, though, the author—a scientist and author of DOZENS of "Unlikely" books, calendars, and who knows what else—wants to keep them that way because, after all, she's made quite a tidy living from marketing them as such.🙄
4 stars—1 star deducted for the old-fashioned views. Perhaps, though, the author—a scientist and author of DOZENS of "Unlikely" books, calendars, and who knows what else—wants to keep them that way because, after all, she's made quite a tidy living from marketing them as such.🙄
September 17, 2014
This is a fun read. The stories and pictures of the animals, are wonderful. Every animal lover will love to read these stories.
October 29, 2013
Cute book about animals loving each other. If you play on the internet though, chances are you've seen many of these duo's...but that's ok, it's still fun to get a more in depth look at their stories. Although, I'd vote for more pictures, less words. In my opinion, we just need a few short paragraphs...not several pages per animal. But that's just me.
February 17, 2015
Received this via First Reads giveaways.
Most. Adorable. Book. Ever. The perfect book for anyone who, like me, spends more time than she's comfortable admitting looking up cute pictures of kittens nursing baby rabbits or dog and kitty best friend combos. Simply loved it.
Most. Adorable. Book. Ever. The perfect book for anyone who, like me, spends more time than she's comfortable admitting looking up cute pictures of kittens nursing baby rabbits or dog and kitty best friend combos. Simply loved it.
March 3, 2017
Along with the original book this is one of those inspiring collection of animal stories - most of which you have heard about and some that you haven't. In this particular book they explore the concept of love and its various formats as well as how animals may display it to others or at least extend the idea of what we known as friendship and compassion past what they would have originally experienced.
The concept is always of interest to me for I do truly feel that animals can love for we as humans are still unable to define love ourselves. And why must we hold back such strong feelings from those that may be under us if the idea is still so alien to us?
Like the other book the author does a great job in presenting each example as a separate chapter. If the animal species is new she includes all the scientific information for it just in case the reader is interested in that and occasionally in another box a fun fact about one or the other species that is mentioned although I did see one or two animals that she skipped.
Furthermore the reader is given the information at the beginning of what animal pair we are going to view as the chapter heading while right above that is the location and the year that the story is being presented as. And although the previous book was more reader-friendly there was a good balance of also recognizing death and loss as the counterpoints of what we are reading.
All in all a good read for animal lovers and those who could enjoy a good heart-warming story altogether. And truly for those who are a bit more open-minded a possible opening to opening that mental portal just a bit more and allowing in some new concepts to be pondered upon.
The concept is always of interest to me for I do truly feel that animals can love for we as humans are still unable to define love ourselves. And why must we hold back such strong feelings from those that may be under us if the idea is still so alien to us?
Like the other book the author does a great job in presenting each example as a separate chapter. If the animal species is new she includes all the scientific information for it just in case the reader is interested in that and occasionally in another box a fun fact about one or the other species that is mentioned although I did see one or two animals that she skipped.
Furthermore the reader is given the information at the beginning of what animal pair we are going to view as the chapter heading while right above that is the location and the year that the story is being presented as. And although the previous book was more reader-friendly there was a good balance of also recognizing death and loss as the counterpoints of what we are reading.
All in all a good read for animal lovers and those who could enjoy a good heart-warming story altogether. And truly for those who are a bit more open-minded a possible opening to opening that mental portal just a bit more and allowing in some new concepts to be pondered upon.
September 15, 2017
The following review is based off my own opinions, thoughts and reactions. So in other words brace yourself. *There may be inappropriate words such as curse words.* You have been advised in advance.*
This book utterly adorable! As an animal lover and someone has seen a beautiful friendship bloom between my own dog and my husband's tuxedo cat, this was a delight to read.
Seeing and reading about each individual pairings of these animals will warm anyone's heart. Having a bad day, read one of the short stories of the pairings in this book. It'll thaw even the coldest of hearts. I know when I was having a bad day, this book was just the thing I needed to pick up my spirits.
The most important thing I noticed about this book is the true dedication of the author and how deeply she went to put this entire book together. You can feel the love, the amazement, the inspiration that the poured into this book.
All in all, I highly recommend this book. I find it to be such an amazing read and it just fills me with such happiness. I recommend that this is the first book you grab whenever you're having a rough day or even if you're feeling sick. It's too wonderful of a book to put down! I'm really hoping to see this author make more books like this!
This book utterly adorable! As an animal lover and someone has seen a beautiful friendship bloom between my own dog and my husband's tuxedo cat, this was a delight to read.
Seeing and reading about each individual pairings of these animals will warm anyone's heart. Having a bad day, read one of the short stories of the pairings in this book. It'll thaw even the coldest of hearts. I know when I was having a bad day, this book was just the thing I needed to pick up my spirits.
The most important thing I noticed about this book is the true dedication of the author and how deeply she went to put this entire book together. You can feel the love, the amazement, the inspiration that the poured into this book.
All in all, I highly recommend this book. I find it to be such an amazing read and it just fills me with such happiness. I recommend that this is the first book you grab whenever you're having a rough day or even if you're feeling sick. It's too wonderful of a book to put down! I'm really hoping to see this author make more books like this!
October 10, 2014
This is a simple little book, looking into intra-species families and friendships. Each story has four to six pages with large full-color photographs of the animal pairs. Each of the stories are short and sweet - mostly involving some sort of mothering or protecting relationship between the animals - and many have a happy ending with the animals either having lifelong friendships together or the wild animal of the pair returning to their natural habitat. Little sidebars occasionally give information about one of the animal species in question, but it is primarily focused on personal stories of the partners themselves.
The book contains about 45 stories of these loves, gathered from all over the world. The book wouldn't be out of place as a coffee table book, for all that it is a soft cover book intended for reading rather than just the pictures. It is a good read for when you just want a chapter or two of cute lighthearted fluff about animals.
Maybe it is just me, and the fact that I don’t like memoirs and other such personal reads, but I felt that the author occasionally spoke too much about themselves and their own experiences with animals - but the book probably would have been a bit shorter if it focused solely on the animals in question without the occasional more personal introductions. The writing style was decent, though a bit too saccharine for me at times and was really interested in expressing just how sweet the author felt all the stories were. There are also some side notes on animal protection/support information.
Received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
The book contains about 45 stories of these loves, gathered from all over the world. The book wouldn't be out of place as a coffee table book, for all that it is a soft cover book intended for reading rather than just the pictures. It is a good read for when you just want a chapter or two of cute lighthearted fluff about animals.
Maybe it is just me, and the fact that I don’t like memoirs and other such personal reads, but I felt that the author occasionally spoke too much about themselves and their own experiences with animals - but the book probably would have been a bit shorter if it focused solely on the animals in question without the occasional more personal introductions. The writing style was decent, though a bit too saccharine for me at times and was really interested in expressing just how sweet the author felt all the stories were. There are also some side notes on animal protection/support information.
Received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
December 7, 2013
I loved "Unlikely Friendships" by the same author so was thrilled to see this sequel. These stories are remarkable, inspiring, and refreshing to my spirit. They put into words and pictures in a way I can't why I love and respect animals and am a vegetarian (basically I don't want to benefit from they're suffering). On at least every other page, there are big, clear, moving photos of the animal friends. Another bonus is that the stories highlight the work of humans who devote their lives to rescuing and caring for animals. These revive my faith and love of people, too. The author works for National Geographic, which is dedicated to preserving animal species. I appreciate the facts she provides about endangered species and the impact we humans have on other species. It moves me to do something about it! Also, these stories are true, in every sense of the word. She wants us to know what animals really experience, and part of that world is death and suffering, often at the hands of humans. While it's true that many of the friendships formed while the animals were under the care of, or at least the protection of, humans, that does not make these loves any less touching to our hearts or meaningful to the animals.
December 2, 2013
This is such a fun, quick read. If you love animals this is the book for you! Jennifer Holland has come out with a sequel to her previous book Unlikely Friendships, Unlikely Loves is her second book of unique animal relationship stories. In both books Holland has compiled very cute stories complete with pictures of unique animal relationships. Some of the stories are friendships between animals, while other stories are about an animal taking over as a surrogate parent for a different breed of animal. I think my favorite stories were the blind dog and goose, the spotted lamb who was raised by a dalmatian, and the boy who became friends with a group of wild marmots! But, really every story could easily be a favorite. This is like having Animal Planet in book form. If you're ever having a bad day all you need to do is pick up this book and flip through the photos or read a few of the stories - instantly you're having a better day!
November 14, 2013
Another wonderful feel good book about animals by Ms. Holland. I really do love Ms. Holland's voice as she tells their stories. She states things simply and without complication letting the stories speak for themselves. Accompanying the 43 stories are beautiful and adorable pictures of that stories stars. There are also some interesting little facts scattered throughout the book. I enjoyed both the stories and the pictures equally (okay so, maybe I enjoyed the pictures a little bit more - because of the sheer adorability factor). However, I also really liked getting some backstory on the individual animals, their relationships and where the relationship went/ended/continued.
Another very enjoyable read for just about anyone, whether they end happily, sad, or naturally it shows an amazing side to animals that as people we can relate to.
Another very enjoyable read for just about anyone, whether they end happily, sad, or naturally it shows an amazing side to animals that as people we can relate to.
December 10, 2019
This was an amazing book that really inspires me that even tho there are two totally different animals they can still become best friends and help each other and I absolutely loved thus book and highly recommend it to everyone. It is also a nice and easy read
March 12, 2014
A very sweet photo book of animals who've formed some amazing relationships with others outside of their own species. From dogs who've raised pigs, a capybera and a miniature horse, a moose and his human, it's a wonderful look at animals and their capacity to care for each other, and sometimes us, too.
January 12, 2015
True accounts of animals who love across species. It is amazing how they show empathy, compassion, and friendship. All qualities we weren't always sure they had. I loved the story of the dog who nursed the pigs. And to make it even more interesting, she has facts about the species for each type of animal. Heartwarming.
December 11, 2018
The length of time it took to finish the book was in no way representative of the book itself. “Unlikely” sat on my bedside table, ready to offer its sweetness whenever I had just a few minutes to read. Sort of a clearing of mixed up cobwebs, “Unlikely” often quickly helped lighten any dark mood I was in. Finally decided to finish it like an actual book and mark it READ on my shelf.
February 23, 2014
If you love animals, you should love this very sweet book. Snippets of stories about inter-species friendships and many really cute and heartwarming photos. Nicely written and frequently amusing stories.
For a book that just makes you feel good, this is a sure bet. Enjoy!
For a book that just makes you feel good, this is a sure bet. Enjoy!
April 7, 2016
This is a lovely and uplifting book about unlikely relationships between animals of all sorts. Lovely photography accompanies the stories. I think this would be great for middle school as well as adults. Not cutesie pie, and some animal issues are brought up subtly,not preached.
December 29, 2013
This lovely picture book is such a nice dip-in dip-out book for when you want a little happy mood pick-me-up. Great little gift for animal lovers.
September 7, 2016
Beautiful and heartwarming!
March 27, 2016
I'm a sucker for animal friendships :)
September 23, 2017
These books are great for reminding you that every living being needs love. Each story needs story needs to be savored one at a time.
November 8, 2017
it is very cool because they are very cool stories of animals and they are real stories and those loves are very unlikely
October 20, 2018
A beautiful book filled with adorable pictures and tales of unlikely animal alliances. What a shame we humans can't be more like animals. What a wonderful world we might live in. RECOMMEND!
December 13, 2019
As always, I love these beautiful animal stories. ❤
March 12, 2025
Another great collection of animal stories, alongside pictures of the animal companions mentioned in the stories. You get deeper stories about animal affection and friendship. I especially love the story about the baby elephant and how she made friends with others in the wildlife sanctuary she was in. Overall, if you liked Unlikely Friendships, you will probably like this one as well, as it's much of the same thing offered in that book. Off to Unlikely Heroes now, stories of the courage and bravery found in animals!
May 11, 2023
Proof, yet again, that animals can be far more accepting of difference, than humans. Some truly fascinating unusual pairs. Can appreciate that the pairs were often formed at rescues of some sort so that once maturity and/or health achieved the pairs were allowed to go their separate ways, but confess happy to also read of those who lived their lives out together
July 15, 2017
Not my usual genre of reading, but the book was a gift. A fun, quick, read with plenty of photos of unlikely animals bonding. Amazing how some animals can get past their differences to nurture each other. Sad so many humans are unable to even have a civil conversation.
xx-dnf-skim-reference
October 14, 2021Too many words... and the designer put those in a small font, often a reddish brown text on a yellowish background... no, thank you. The words I did read were in a voice that didn't work for me, either. Pictures cute.
October 2021
October 2021
April 24, 2024
I love short stories, and this whole collection was adorable! So many different animal pairs! From the well-loved leopard/dog pair to a rhino/warthog companionship. While this statement may make some cringe, I truly believe that many animals are capable of love.
June 21, 2017
Some of the stories are repeats but overall some great stories NO SNAKE stories please !!!!!
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