Incredible Animal Adventures

by Jean Craighead George, Donna Diamond (Illustrator)

Balto the sled dog raced over the Arctic to bring life-saving medicine to an Alaskan town stricken with diphtheria. Sugar, an ordinary house cat with an extraordinary sense of direction, traveled 1,500 miles on a cross-country odyssey in search of her human family. And Koko stunned the scientific world by learning sign language--and told us what it's like to be a gorilla.These are just a few of the inspiring, true-life stories of ten remarkable animals and the feats that made them famous, as only acclaimed naturalist and Newbery Award-winning author Jean Craighead George could tell them. Now available in a chapter book edition featuring beautiful line art by Donna Diamond, here is an irresistible collection for newly independent readers.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Jean Craighead George wrote over eighty popular books for young adults, including the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves and the Newbery Honor book My Side of the Mountain. Most of her books deal with topics related to the environment and the natural world. While she mostly wrote children's fiction, she also wrote at least two guides to cooking with wild foods, and an autobiography, Journey Inward.

The mother of three children, (Twig C. George, Craig, and T. Luke George) Jean George was a grandmother who joyfully read to her grandchildren since the time they were born. Over the years Jean George kept one hundred and seventy-three pets, not including dogs and cats, in her home in Chappaqua, New York. "Most of these wild animals depart in autumn when the sun changes their behaviour and they feel the urge to migrate or go off alone. While they are with us, however, they become characters in my books, articles, and stories."

Reviews

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jean Craighead George is a great storyteller - but there's just one problem with this book: perpetuating the myth that Balto was part wolf.

[Aimee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book tells short stories of a variety of animals who have unusual adventures. However, you probably need to be an avid animal person to really want to finish.

[Book2Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean Craighead George never disappoints. Here is another Scholastic book that can introduce children and young people to the world of Real animals. Jean does not anthropomorphize her animals, ever. But she shows the world and its flora and fauna to be as amazing as they are.
It is a good reminder to be thankful, present and in wonder at our planet. I keep thinking, reading her books, that some young person will read her books and want to study animals, nature or ecology. If you have a youngster of any any age that shows an interest, Jean's books are for them. Adults most certainly can enjoy them too. I certainly did.
Illustrations again are wonderful and plentiful, and a bibliography and index are included.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

2000 - Have It - Read It

[Mina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koko was very funny

[Noemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book Incredible Animals Adventures it just talks about how animals can be like us. Their behavior, feelings, intelligence, courage and heart like love. In this book it tells stories about animals that made history. It made them famous because they inspired people to change. For example, once there was a fired in the forest a bear was stuck and climbed to a tree they saved the bear but the bear got famous because it he represented how animals panic in wildfires. The bear was named Smokey and was used on a campaigned called Junior Forest Rangers. This campaigned helped a lot to prevent wildfires. Basically I really recommend this book because it mostly talks about ourselves but in in a different way instead of humans.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entirely wonderful short MG fiction. Every animal-loving preteen ought to have this book to hand. From the strong beginning with Balto's story, through the mysterious White Mustang and the three lost whales and Sugar the cat who finds her family after they leave her behind- all these very short, very accessible true stories are wonderful. George knows just how to hook her audience.