One Kingdom: Our Lives With Animals : the Human-animial Bond in Myth, History, Science, and Story

by Deborah Noyes

In ancient Egypt people worshiped cats, and in India the cow is sacred. Today in America we flock to zoos in record numbers and pamper our pets. But what do we really know about animals? And what do we feel about them in spite of it? Walking a mile in their paws, feathers, or fur is harder than it seems.

Here Deborah Noyes embarks on a quest for understanding—struggling with science and love—attempting to distance, but also bring closer, the �other” kingdom. What results is a visionary meditation on how myth, history, and culture have influenced our view of animals and shaped our lives with them. Smart and unsentimental, Noyes’s wide-ranging narrative and affectionate portraits raise difficult but important questions, challenging what we think we know about our animal fellows while helping us form new perceptions and realities. We are all—bird, beast, and boy—made of blood, bone, and beating heart. Where do they end and we begin?

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Science, Nature

128 pages, Hardcover

First published August 7, 2006

About the author

Deb writes for adults and children and is also an editor and photographer. She lives in Massachusetts with her family.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unorganized, unoriginal and lacks any depth or serious facts/anecdotes. Anyone who watches animal shows or documentaries will already be familiar with the basic thoughts and principals presented in this book.

[Vinnie Marseco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is rather interesting and does a wonderful job of explaining how the human race interacts with different animals throughout time. It explains how Egyptians worshiped cats and considered them sacred and would mummify them when they died, but how different religions later on thought of cats as demons that would suck the soul right out of a person. In the second part it explains how modern day animals are kept in zoos for enjoyment, and domesticated animals are spoiled by their owners.

As a reader, I really liked how it should how many different animals were revered and feared throughout time and it included all types of animals, from birds to furry creatures.

As a teacher, I think this would be a great book to use for some type of history lesson where you examine the relationship growth between people and animals, from the hunting and gather days, to modern days where it is slaughterhouses or people spoiling their pets.

Overall, the book was entertaining and informative so I would say it would be a good resource in a classroom.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deborah Noyes wrote this book as a comprehensive look at our lives with animals. It goes through all aspects of our relationships; from myths, stories, history, and science. The myths are entertaining and the stories are often fascinating. The real depth of the book comes when Noyes urges us to not judge animals and their abilities in relation to our own, but rather to step into their shoes (or flippers) and see what we could have done with what they were given. It was a very well-written and intriguing look into a world that fascinates us all.

This book was very remarkable to me, yet it was something I can’t picture most teens running out to read. It was a nonfiction book that read as a nonfiction book. I learned a lot and parts were very interesting, but the fact is that it wasn’t quite interesting enough to become anything more than something interesting a science teacher could read parts of aloud in class.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating look at humans' complex interactions with animals, from our deep desire to connect with them, to our fear and abuse of them. Our mythological tales about animals show the deep structure of these relations, a subconscious understanding that we are connected to the rest of the animal kingdom.

It's a brief consideration of the subject, but it is an (advanced) youth book. It has many interesting sidebars discussing the capacities of animals, our ambiguous feelings about zoos, horrific stories such as the exploitation and execution of an elephant named "Chunee."

Some beautiful photographs and thoughtful, if brief, consideration of important issues. Definitely recommended!

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a book for anyone who loves and is fascinated by animals. Deborah Noyes is a photographer and a zookeeper. She looks at the connections between animals and people through history, mythology, legends and science. The second half of the book looks at new and innovative ways that humans can learn from and relate to animals. This book is full of beautiful black and white photos and is really nicely designed. The text is also beautifully written, almost like poetry (the story of the Selkie in the introduction for instance), in a way that non-fiction books rarely are. It is a unique and beautiful book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and would highly recomend it as a High-low book for teens or adults. The writting is excellent, but simple and basic. It is in parts a history book and in part a thoughtful meditation on the topic of animals and humans. Unlike the other teen non-fiction I read, this was an essay, that should be read through from beginning to end for best comprehension. It was a very quick read--I spent about an hour with it. The photographs are excellent, but understated in black and white.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My Gosh! This is such a good book! It's very thoughtful, philosophical, informative, and has lots of ideas, just the way
I like it. I especially like the ending and the beginning and how they interconnect with themselves and the middle of the book. If you go to the young adult section of the Arlington County VA Central library to find non-fiction books, you will be much happier with your findings. Also, I learned that if you want dinosaur DVDs and such, you should go to the adult media section.

Emma

(Hint about book = Selkies)

[eleight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book outloud to my kids about a year ago, when they were 13 and 7. The pictures are beautiful, and would hold the interests of any age. The writing is thoughtful, and full of interesting facts. My 13 year old initially rolled her eyes at sitting down and reading with us, but soon enjoyed the sessions. I recently re-skimmed the book, and prose and pictures still hold their beauty.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really surprised when I read this book. It is full of information I did not already know. It's interesting, thoughtful and insightful. The photographs are good but the text is what makes this a really good book.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noyes examines the ways our lives have overlapped with animals and how the human-animal bond has affected our culture. Teens who loves animals and especially those with an interest in animal rights will find Noyes' provocative book both fascinating and compelling.

[lisa Goodfellow · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a wonderful book to always have around. good for YA and adults. The author is also the photographer.

[Sheldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book - it was chock full of interesting stories and great photos. I learned a lot from this book. It's a must for anyone who loves animals (except humans).

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

once the second part of the book began i enjoyed it immensely but through the first part of the book it lagged for me. the photographs are beautiful.

[Heidi Sinderman]

i feel this is a beautiful, interesting, great book. the pictures alone are amazing, then the different myths explained, the science and stories noted, well i loved it all. :)

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots if interesting facts, but the organization kind of eluded me.

[Kristin]

ocln book