VANISHING TREASURES A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures

Katherine Rundell's wonderful essays about some of our planet's most interesting animals will have listeners thinking about the natural world in new ways. Writing about swifts, she says they "fly like a stroke of luck incarnate." British actor Lenny Henry narrates with a raspy voice and at a brisk clip, and listeners may find his pace too fast to absorb all of the fascinating facts and savor Rundell's beautiful, clever, and funny turns of phrase. Rundell herself narrates just one essay, about raccoons. The through line of all of the essays is that these creatures, no matter how seemingly ordinary or humble, are in fact a magical part of life on Earth, and we risk losing much if they disappear forever. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2024]